Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Staff
Mildred Wilder Staff, 1961-1997
Mildred Baker Wilder (1924-2021)

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TAGS: Mildred Wilder, Mrs. John Wilder, Association of Pine Mountain School Alumni and Friends, 1983 Homecoming, Laurel House, Creech Cemetery

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MILDRED BAKER WILDER Staff

Domestic Worker, Laurel House 1961-1997

During a meeting of the Association of Pine Mountain School Alumni and Friends at the 1983 Homecoming, Mildred Wilder was recognized among the kitchen help as among those “who had worked so hard to feed us all.” And work hard she did for many years before and after that tribute.

A 145-page document in the PMSS Collections, titled HISTORY OF PINE MOUNTAIN SETTLEMENT SCHOOL 1937-2000 and written by an anonymous writer (possibly Mildred Mahoney) lists Mildred Wilder as a worker at Laurel House II for the years 1961 through 1997. During her long tenure, Mildred saw many changes at Laurel House as the building was adapted to the needs of the School. Like the former Laurel House I, which was destroyed by fire in 1940, it included the dining room, kitchen and laundry. Adjustments to the architect’s plan and alterations in later years included space for worker’s rooms, a co-op store, kindergarten classroom (1960s), audio-visual room (1970s), gift shop in the former Co-op Store, and in the late 1980s, a conference room in the original co-op storeroom. Mildred, as the building’s housekeeper throughout those years, had no doubt been kept very busy with maintaining this central gathering place for workers, students, and visitors.

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Mildred Baker Wilder was born on May 3, 1924, to Willie Baker and Maude (Turner) Baker in Big Laurel, Kentucky. Her siblings were Dennis, Bill, Rastus, Mabel, Otis, John, Mossie, Jean, and Berry. She married John Wilder and they had seven children: Forster, Evelyn, Thelma, Etta, Joanne, Brenda, and Jimmy. John Wilder was a grandson of founders William and Sally Creech.

Mildred Wilder died on January 13, 2021, at the age of 96. She was buried at Creech Cemetery in Bledsoe, Kentucky. Her obituary, posted on the Mount Pleasant Funeral Home website, described her as “a loving wife, blessed mother and a cherished grandmother who imparted wisdom that is seldom found in today’s world. She was a hard worker and was a respected employee in the kitchen at Pine Mountain Settlement School for nearly forty years.”

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Title	Mildred Baker Wilder
Alt. Title	Mrs. John Wilder ; Mildred Baker ;
Identifier	https://pinemountainsettlement.net/?page_id=70443
Creator	Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY.
Alt. Creator	Ann Angel Eberhardt ; Helen Hayes Wykle ;
Subject Keyword	Mildred Wilder ; Mrs. John Wilder ; Pine Mountain Settlement School ; Association of Pine Mountain School Alumni and Friends ; 1983 Homecoming ;  Laurel House ;  Creech Cemetery ;
Subject LCSH	Wilder, Mildred, — 1924 – 2021. Pine Mountain Settlement School (Pine Mountain, Ky.) — History. Harlan County (Ky.) — History. Education — Kentucky — Harlan County. Rural schools — Kentucky — History. Schools — Appalachian Region, Southern.
Date	2021-02-09 aae
Publisher	Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY.
Contributor	n/a
Type	Collections ; text ; image ;
Format	Original and copies of documents and correspondence in file folders in filing cabinet
Source	Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Staff
Language	English
Relation	Is related to: Pine Mountain Settlement School Collections, Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Staff.
Coverage Temporal	1924 – 2021
Coverage Spatial	Pine Mountain, KY ; Harlan County, KY ; Bledsoe, KY ;
Rights	Any display, publication, or public use must credit the Pine Mountain Settlement School. Copyright retained by the creators of certain items in the collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Donor	n/a
Description	Core documents, correspondence, writings, and administrative papers of Mildred Wilder; clippings, photographs, books by or about Mildred Wilder;
Acquisition	n/d
Citation	“[Identification of Item],” [Collection Name] [Series Number, if applicable]. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY.
Processed By	Helen Hayes Wykle ; Ann Angel Eberhardt ;
Last Updated
Bibliography	Sources “Mildred Wilder.” Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Staff. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY. Internet resource. “Mildred Wilder Obituary.” Mount Pleasant Funeral Home, (Harlan, KY) website (accessed 2021-02-09). Internet resource.

See Also:
DELIA CREECH Photograph Album
JOHN WILDER Student

Return To:
BIOGRAPHY – A-Z
WILDER Family

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