East Kensington Community Cir

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We are a Non-Profit Organization. We also rent out our hall for various activities. Brief History Of The East Kensington Community Circle On April 19, 1919 the ladies met to organize what they called the East Kensington Community Circle. The Circle worked for the good of the community and answered many calls for aid from their neighbors regardless of whether or not they were Circle members. They took an active interest in the Martin School which many of their children attended. Among the things they furnished for the old school building was a gas heater, a movie projector, a piano, cinder walks from the road up to the school, and the first electric lights. Through the years the ladies gave food, money, clothes, coal, and anything else needed by those less fortunate than themselves. This was all done quietly and without fanfare. It is still done when the need arises, but there aren’t so many needy at present. During World War II many articles of clothing were made for war victims in Europe. The ladies took their portable sewing machines to the Circle building and sewed together or each one did her share at home. This project was carried on under the direction of the Red Cross. Those who didn’t sew rolled bandages. In the beginning the members met around at the different homes. Later they began meeting in the old Martin School. When it was to be torn down to make room for an addition to the present Martin School, the ladies asked permission of the School Board to buy it. Knowing of the good they had done in the community through the years, the Board sold it to them for $1.00. The ladies promised the Board that when they got into their new building the Board would be their guests at a chicken dinner and they carried out their promise the following summer. The ladies had to have a place to put their building so they purchased the lot across the street from the school for a sum of $900 from the Union Spring and Manufacturing Company. Workman began moving the building from in back of the brick school to where it was to be placed on the lot across the street. They almost met with disaster for they were in the process of taking the building down the grade when the 1936 flood came along. The ground was soft and the rollers began rolling too fast for comfort, but fortunately they were able to control it -- but there were some anxious members for a while. The building was set up on a cement block foundation and at first all meetings were held upstairs. A cement floor was put in at ground level and everyone moved downstairs. For some time during World War II the upstairs was rented for storage purposes to the Diamond Transfer who stored service men’s furniture. Later it was rented to others for storage purposes, but this was discontinued as too many repairs were needed. While the building belongs to the ladies of the East Kensington Community Circle, it is in every sense of the word a Community Center. Boy Scout, Cubs, Girl Scouts, and Brownie troops meet there free of charge. During the years two churches held church services there. Primary and General elections are held there and also any other meetings of community interest. The women earn the money to keep it going with suppers, bake sales, dues, card parties, rents from various organizations and groups who use it on occasion, and from selling jewelry, aprons etc. It truly is a community center and as such can be enjoyed by all of East Kensington, both old and young.