USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Hamden > The history of Hamden, Connecticut, 1786-1959 > Part 25
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DUNBAR CHAPEL
Dunbar Chapel was built in 1900 on Dunbar Hill Road, somewhat north and across the street from the present firehouse. Sunday School classes had been held in the brick schoolhouse and were so well attended that the chapel was their natural outgrowth. The property on which it was built was owned jointly by Thomas
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Thompson and Soren Hansen who stipulated that after the building ceased to be used for church purposes, it should revert to them. All the children of the neigh- borhood, to the average number of 20, attended every Sunday. Superintendents were John Gorham, Clinton Wetmore, and Hubert Warner. The 4-H clubs held meetings there. Bean suppers costing fifteen cents were often served, and were very well patronized. By 1932 conditions had changed, there was a difference of opin- ion among the ladies about the music, attendance dwin- dled, and the building was in great need of repair, so it was razed by the owners.
CHURCH LIBRARY
The Sunday School library in the Whitneyville Church, which was started when the church was built in 1834, was enlarged in 1897 by the addition of eighty- eight volumes.
MOUNT CARMEL LIBRARY
The Mount Carmel Free Public Library was officially organized in 1900, with Mrs. William Brewster the foremost leader; but two years before that time, Mrs. Homer Tuttle had seen in an agricultural magazine information about traveling libraries which were avail- able to small communities, and through correspondence was able to secure such service for Mount Carmel. The books obtained from this source were kept and issued to readers at the post-office.
When the Library Association was formed, and books of their own began to accumulate, starting with thirty- seven from Mrs. Brewster, they were housed for a
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while in a back room of the long building which used to stand on the southeast corner of Whitney Avenue and Ives Street. From there in 1907, the Association went into rented quarters on the second floor of the general store on the opposite corner, but rental costs were too heavy, and through the appeal of George Morton to the New Haven Water Company, who then owned the old No. 4 schoolhouse across the highway, the use of the building was obtained for library pur- poses.
The Mount Carmel Book Club was formed in 1900 by a group of about twenty ladies, under the leadership of Mrs. George Morton. Each year it has been the custom of this club, now numbering thirty, to buy a book for every member, reports upon which are made by them; and the volumes are thereafter given to the library.
HAMDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY
When Reverend James E. Coley was rector of Grace Episcopal Church, he began a circulating library in the front parlor of the rectory, which was used as a young men's clubroom. Ellsworth Cooper discovered twenty- seven books packed away in the old town hall-pos- sibly being saved to be sold for the benefit of the town poor, as in the earlier days! These twenty-seven vol- umes became the nucleus of the library. Howe and Stetson's store in New Haven donated fifteen volumes; Reverend Mr. Coley gave four, Norman Weaver five, and one was from William Raymond, then in charge of the old Rectory School which had become Hamden Hall. A lawn party given by the young men of the church raised $8, and Mrs. William Brewster added
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$10. In September, 1901, the library was formally opened to the public and twenty-seven people sub- scribed for a year. A "Ladies' tea social" was held, and it raised $15. The ladies had banded themselves to- gether as the Ecclesiastical Embroidery Society, but now, having provided an almost unlimited amount of decorative embroideries for the church, they saw in library work a further field for their endeavor. Calling themselves the Wednesday Afternoon Thimble Club, they thenceforward plied their nimble fingers for the benefit of the library. From the parish house, the library was moved to Mr. Knox's shoe-repair shop, across the street from the Web Shop; from there to the room over Wilbur's Store, the former Temperance Hall; and thence to its present quarters.
SCHOOLS
Increased agitation for a new schoolhouse in High- wood led to a special town meeting in 1896, in which the motion for a new building was defeated. The school visitors reported,
Out of the 26 towns in the County, there were only three which paid a less amount per child than Hamden. The laws of our State have made a good common school education the birthright of every Connecticut boy and girl-an indispensable right which towns or even parents are not to set aside. Surely no public money is more wisely or profitably expended than that which provides good educational facilities for our youth. Viewed from a commercial standpoint alone, it is a good investment. The proximity of our town to the city, and the extension of the electric railroads, make it certain that the population will rapidly increase. What the character of the population shall be, is to be largely determined by the character of our schools.
*
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But the appeal is made above all to the honor of the Town of Hamden to provide, and take pride in, schools that shall be good enough for the rich and poor alike.
Acting under a new law of the state, which provided that any town in which there was no high school should pay the tuition of scholars attending a high school in another town under proper authorization, twenty Ham- den children were sent to Boardman High School in New Haven. Before this, some children had attended New Haven High School at the expense of their par- ents; and when the matter of tuition payment by the town was first voted upon, there was an illegal amend- ment which limited the amount to one one-hundredth of a dollar per pupil! The school board through its secretary, Charles F. Clarke, issued certificates for town- paid tuition; and many citizens who were opposed to this action petitioned for a special town meeting, alleg- ing that he had "willfully and defiantly" overstepped his powers. At the crowded town meeting Mr. Clarke spoke first, in fervent exposition of his views. The opposing forces objected to the necessary rise in the tax rate, and claimed that it was an outrage to oblige child- less taxpayers to pay for the education of other people's children. One speaker declared that the old red school- house had been good enough for his grandfather, his father, and himself, and should be good enough for anyone. When the tumult had subsided and the vote was taken, the school board's action was sustained by a decisive margin.
School children had had practically no library advan- tages, either in the schools or out of them. The school budget of 1896 showed the receipt of $5 from the state
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toward school libraries. The report of the school visit- ors of 1897, speaking of the pitifully small number of books in the school "libraries," said,
Our town has no public library, and is so situated that it cannot be expected to have one which would be con- venient to very many of our children. But the school libraries are very conveniently available. Moreover, it is of great advantage to have these libraries to use di- rectly in connection with school work. One of the best things a teacher does for his scholars is to guide them in their general reading in such a manner as to culti- vate a taste for the best literature. This is especially true in view of the great amount of worthless reading that so easily finds its way into the hands of the young. Each school is now provided with a globe, a dictionary, and some other books, the number of which it is hoped will be increased.
Under a legislative act of 1898 the school visitors purchased textbooks at the town's expense for those chil- dren whose parents were unable to buy them. Some- times the books were only loaned, but the visitors felt that most parents could afford to provide their children with them, and that the parsimonious practice of some in expecting two of their children to share the same books was as foolish as it would be to have them share the same clothes. In 1898 a high figure of $8,500 was spent for schools, and the school board's report said that the large amount spent for tuition of high-school pupils in New Haven would have gone far to establish schools of higher grade at home.
The town school board had no dull moments in its early years, and in time, lawsuits were something it could take in its stride. Complaints against the teacher in School No. I caused the school committee to conduct an investigation that terminated with the teacher's resig-
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nation, which was accepted. Nevertheless she brought suit against the school visitors. They were defended with town funds, and won.
A minority group of disgruntled citizens continued to demand a return to the district system, and after two stormy town meetings devoted to the question, and sub- sequent doubts as to the legality of the votes taken in them, appeal was made to the Superior Court. The se- lectmen, who had been in disagreement with the school board, said in their 1901 report:
Your board of selectmen told the school board that it was ready to carry out the vote of October I on the consolidation of schools, but the school board did not consider the vote legal, so would not act. A petition of 259 citizens was presented to the selectmen asking that mandamus proceedings be brought to compel the school board to act. Proceedings were brought by your selectmen, the town furnishing counsel on both sides, and the Superior Court sustained the school board.
The much harassed school board felt disposed to say its last word on the subject, too, in its report to the town:
We cannot but believe it is time to say that the con- tinual agitation on the question of returning to the old district system is very detrimental to the educational interests of the town. The suspense and uncertainty as to what is to be done from year to year, holds all true progress in check. Last year an attempt was made to vote on the question, but doubt as to what the vote meant was so prevalent that the matter was brought to the Superior Court for settlement. If for no other rea- son, it would be unfortunate for the town to vote in favor of the district system, because of the great field of litigation it would open. Before the vote could take effect, each district would have to take action and lay a tax, assessing polls and property for the last seven
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years. The injunction still resting on the collection of the former tax further complicates the matter. The evident intent of the law is not to make it easy to go back. If all the zeal spent in this agitation should be turned toward the encouraging and fostering of our schools, they would rapidly improve under any sys- tem.
And that settled the question for all time!
Much justifiable fault had been found for years with the unhealthy location of No. 8 School in Whitneyville, close to the lake and below the street level. Eli Whit- ney, 3d, offered the town the plot of land at the north- east corner of Whitney Avenue and Davis Street for a school site. The old two-room brick school was con- demned and sold to the Water Company, and while the new four-room building erected by George W. War- ner was being prepared, classes were held in the Austin Putnam house, which burned to the ground soon after. The bell of the old Rectory School was presented to the new school by Dr. George Joslin, and a belfry was erected to house it. In commenting on the $6,950 ex- pended for schools, the school board said that it believed a larger sum might be wisely invested. "It is a policy ruinous to the well-being of the town to pauperize the public schools." Beginning in 1900, it urged free text- books for all public-school children; and in 1902 the board reported with pride that the town made no mis- take in voting to supply them.
In 1903, unsuccessful mandamus proceedings were brought by the school board against the town treasurer, who had refused to honor its warrants. The board was not satisfied to let the matter drop, and persuaded the legislature to amend the law governing the question, reporting with jubilation: "This has been done exactly
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in accordance with the position of the Committee." In this year a new school in Hamden Plains was built by George Warner, who was low bidder for the contract. He discovered, after accepting the bid, that he had for- gotten to figure in his labor! The businessmen from whom he bought his supplies generously made allow- ance for this in their prices to him!
The town officials had been at odds so often with the school board that some of them decided that the best way to curb it was to set up a board of finance, which they naïvely believed would have the power to hold the school board in check. At a Senate committee hearing, the proponents of the change did most of the talking. Afterwards, the Senate committee invited the secretary of the school board to appear before them and explain the board's position. He made it clear to them that the board's only concern was that the town's educational advancement be unhampered, and suggested that the proposed measure be amended by the addition of a pro- tective clause. When the enemies of the school board heard that the bill had passed, they openly boasted, "Now the school board will have to toe the mark!"
But their elation soon gave way to consternation, for while the act creating a board of finance provided that the school board should submit to such board a yearly estimate of the expense of maintaining the schools, this estimate had to be reported to the annual town meeting without change. It could be accompanied merely with recommendations. The final clause of the act read, "nothing in this act shall be held to affect such powers of the town school board as they may have under the General Statutes of this State." "Why that spoils every- thing!" said one of the disgruntled ones, "We only wanted a finance board so as to hold down the school
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board!" The first members of the board of finance were Edwin Potter, George Atwater, Friend Peck, Frank A. Warner, and Willis Benham. Their first printed estimate was issued in 1908.
The General Statutes provide that the school board shall maintain good schools, using its judgment as to place and time for them. It has charge of the schools, care and management of buildings and lands; it deter- mines how many pupils shall be admitted to each school and their qualifications; provides transportation, if it is needed; employs and dismisses teachers; and suspends or expels incorrigible pupils.
The money appropriated by the town for the main- tenance of schools is expended by and at the discretion of the school board, which may transfer unexpended bal- ances from one item to another. In these actions it is not under the control of the board of finance. It has the sole right of deciding what rules and regulations will best promote the schools, and what may be taught.
The town on its part must meet the cost of maintain- ing proper schools, and the school board must carry out the work. For that purpose the board is clothed with large discretionary powers, in the exercise of which it is agent of the law and not of the town. The town is lia- ble for the board's lawful contracts and obligations, and in this sense the board is agent of the town. The town is supreme in the selection of sites and their cost. In other words, a school board, upon its own motion, can- not build a new schoolhouse and charge the expense to the town; neither can the town build a schoolhouse unless the plans are approved by both state and local school boards.
A test case was soon at hard in connection with the new school for Highwood. The school board submit-
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ted the following estimate of school expense: $12,500 for grade schools, $2,000 for high-school tuition, and $9,000 for the Highwood school. The board of finance struck out the $9,000 and recommended that no new building be erected. Yet the State Board of Health had condemned the old school as a nuisance and for- bidden its use beyond the school year. In the call for the town meeting the proposed appropriation for a new Highwood school was not included; and when the meet- ing voted to build the school, an injunction was sworn out, alleging that the want of notice in the call made the vote illegal. So another town meeting was called, and the school board was authorized to build on what- ever site it might select. Thereupon another injunc- tion was issued, on the lack of a two-thirds vote to change the site. Because it was so manifestly the will of the town that the schoolhouse be built, the school board went to law and won both cases, the Superior Court upholding the legality of all the town votes on the subject. The Morse Street property was sold, and the new school was built on Dixwell Avenue.
The secretary of the school board was the pastor of the Whitneyville Church at the time of his accession to it, but in the meantime, in reverse order to Reverend Austin Putnam's change of professions, he had left the ministry for the practice of law. Once in a heated dis- cussion in town meeting, the pastor of the Hamden Plains Church expressed the opinion that Mr. Clarke took the school board to law repeatedly, in order to make business for himself. Mr. Clarke replied, "If everyone did as he ought to, there would be no need for either ministers or lawyers."
The schools still were being inspected by visitors, one of them invariably a clergyman. In their reports often
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appeared detailed comments on the teachers, of whom there were then twenty-six.
Her work has given satisfaction to an unusual degree.
Her thoroughness of work is eminently worthy of remark.
Miss Blandina Dickerman has a model school, the chil- dren are in perfect accord with the teacher, who has a gift of interesting them and teaching the little tots, that is charming to behold.
This school prospers under the diligent and winsome care of Miss Dorman.
Father Dullard praised when praise was due, but he could censure too. Some of his criticisms were:
The work in this school for the past year was not par- ticularly good. There seemed to be a restlessness on the part of the scholars, and a most annoying habit of asking unnecessary questions, the answering of which consumed valuable time and was detrimental to good discipline.
Whilst praise is due to the higher and primary grades, the same cannot be said of the intermediate grade of this school. It seems that it was in a state of chaos for the first two terms, and this was partially due no doubt to the two new inexperienced teachers who proved themselves totally incapable of maintaining discipline or order.
Some parents severely chastise their children at home, but will not allow the teacher to touch them at school. This is a most ignorant and sad mistake. The teacher must sometimes administer rebuke and discreet chas- tisement.
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It is safe to assume that the teachers opened the an- nual town report with some anxiety, to see what the school visitors had written for the whole town to read! Sometimes the remarks about the teachers were accom- panied with comments upon the buildings.
Miss Elizabeth Fury not only uses the methods of the State Normal School, but has a thorough knowledge of what they mean and makes them work. The out- buildings need attention.
The schoolhouse is commodious and has pleasant sur- roundings, and has suitable registers for the escape of bad air. Many outside closets are delicately screened.
The first superintendent of schools, James Oldham, was appointed in 1905, when no member of the school board could again be persuaded to accept the arduous duties and responsibilities of school visitor. Mr. Old- ham remained until 1909, when Richard Tobin suc- ceeded him at an annual salary of $ 1,000.
HIGHWAYS
The laying of hard roads, beginning with the macad- amizing of Dixwell and Whitney Avenues, continued. The town bought a road roller, crusher, and watering cart in 1899. Gas lights and hydrants were installed along Dixwell and Whitney Avenues. In 1902 the Whitney Avenue trolley line was extended to Center- ville. Dr. Joslin had been the first paying passenger to the Country Club in 1896, and paid his fare to David Corey, the president of the company. He was so much interested in trolley service for Hamden that he gave a tract of land south of his house in Mount Carmel, for
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a car-barn. The trolleys ran to Mount Carmel in 1903, and a wooden waiting shelter was built on the Avenue near the depot. It was not long before trolley service was extended to Waterbury, and railroad passenger travel in and out of Hamden was practically at an end.
In 1903 complaint was made of the highway near the car-barn, that there was barely room for two teams to pass. Mr. John Rice, who owned the adjoining prop- erty, generously deeded to the town a strip of land which permitted widening of the street.
Once more Robert Dickerman offered to improve a road at Hamden Plains. Having signed an agreement with the town, he gave it a section of stone road on Maple Avenue, and work was completed on a Telford pavement on Gilbert Avenue. "As our townspeople know," said the town report, "Mr. Dickerman has already spent several thousand dollars for good roads. His example should be commended, and the citizens do what they can to assist him."
Gilbert Avenue has old associations with the names of other pioneers. It is in the region where Griswold Gilbert (selectman and dairyman) lived, and Matthew Gilbert before him was one of the first settlers on Ham- den Plains. Mr. Dickerman offered to harden Gilbert Avenue on condition that the town build a bridge over Sackett's Brook, and a little farther to the west is Wil- mot's Brook. At the same time one of two streets named Warner was renamed Woodin Street, for the family which had settled there in the earliest days.
Prominent among the later Woodins was Benjamin Woodin, born in this neighborhood in 1828. He was employed in the Candee rubber shoe factory, and at Churchill's auger shop, enlisted in the Civil War, and thereafter was a market gardener and fruit grower. He
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served Hamden as an assessor, and in 1887 was repre- sentative in the legislature.
And while remembering the oldest family names as they still exist in Hamden Plains, it is interesting to note that three Dormans served the town as selectmen -Joseph in 1802-1805, Roger in 1812-1814, and Rufus in 1849-50. In searching out genealogy of that period in Blake's History, one finds complete data about fathers, sons, and grandsons, but records were very in- complete in regard to the female lines, not only as to dates of marriage and maiden names-but in the list of many a man's children, all statistics concerning sons are there-followed by the apparently unimportant information, "He had several daughters."
When Dr. Walter S. Lay became health officer in 1904, there were several vexing problems, chief among them the scattering of manure along the highway in Hamden Plains, when it was carted in open vehicles from the railroad siding near Broadbent's store. Dr. Lay's appeal to the State Board of Health resulted in an order requiring manure to be hauled in tight wagons, and to be covered with canvas firmly tied down.
An epidemic of measles, probably amounting to more than the eighty-one reported cases, was followed by the disinfection of all the schools. Dr. Lay made the fol- lowing report on the Dunbar school:
The building is old and overcrowded. It is situated nearly, if not quite, four feet below the level of the road. Following heavy rains the water from the road and adjacent hillside surrounds the building, and at times even flows beneath the doors in on the floors. This state of affairs is certainly not conducive to the health of those in attendance there, and it should be speedily remedied.
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Largely through his efforts the town voted to build a new school, but the Dunbar people could not agree upon where it should be located. Reporting in 1906, Dr. Lay hoped that the committee would be allowed to com- plete a building before cold weather, as he would under no circumstances permit the old one to be opened again in winter.
Schoolhouse doors were designated as the legal place for notices of town meetings to be posted, twelve inches wide and five days in advance, for sessions still held at 2.30 in the afternoon. A special meeting was called to take action upon a recommendation of the board of finance that $3,800 be appropriated for a number of things-the widening of Whitney Avenue from Tread- well Street to Davis Street; $ 500 for improvements on highways by the town hall; and $1,320 for the costs sustained by the school visitors in the suit brought against them by the teacher of No. I school. All of these appropriations were made, and a 2-mill tax to cover them was levied on the grand list for 1906.
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