Twenty Years at Hull House

First published in 1910, “Twenty Years at Hull House” is the story of the Hull House settlement in Chicago written by its co-founder Jane Addams. The settlement movement, which gained popularity first in London at the end of the 19th century, soon spread to the United States and was principally concerned with improving the lives of the urban poor by providing opportunities for higher education and essential social services. Hull House was founded in 1889 by Addams and Ellen Gates Starr and was one of the most famous of the “settlement houses”. It was also notable for being secular in nature and run by women in contrast to the more common religious houses providing aid. Hull House, managed by Addams until her death in 1935, provided a fascinating diverse range of services to the families it helped, such as classes in art and literature and musical concerts, in addition to day care and medical care. “Twenty Years at Hull House” is an important narrative of both the settlement of immigrant people in the United States and the birth of the social worker movement, which has contributed significantly to the advancement of poor and working-class people. This edition includes a biographical afterword.