USA > Illinois > Madison County > Centennial history of Madison County, Illinois, and its people, 1812 to 1912, Volume I > Part 47
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"Sect. 3-Be it further enacted, That there shall be one annual meeting of the said trus- tees on the first Monday in March in cach and every year: the chairman of the board .buildings as may be necessary for the accom- shall have the power to call special meetings, giving five days previous notice thereof; a majority at any stated, adjourned, or special "Sect. 5-Be it further enacted, That the said trustees or a majority thereof, at their annual meeting in the month of March shall be authorized to appoint a collector to col- lect the tax aforesaid, who shall give bond with one or more securities, in double the sum to be collected in each and every year, to be approved of by the said board of trus- tees, for the faithful performance of the duties of his office, and for faithfully pay- ing over to the treasurer of the said town of Alton all the moneys he shall collect pursuant to any tax list that shall be delivered to him by the trustees aforesaid; and as a compensation for his services the said col- lector shall be allowed to retain such sum an- nually as to the trustees shall appear to be just and reasonable. meeting shall form a board or quorum, and a majority of them shall be capable of doing and transacting all the concerns of the said school; and particularly for the entering into contracts for the erecting and repairing of any building or buildings necessary for said institution, of making and enacting by-laws and ordinances for the government of the said school not contrary to the laws and con- stitution of the United States or of this state; of filling vacancies in the board of trustees oc- casioned by death, resignation, or removal out of the place; of electing and appointing the principal instructor and other instructors of the same school, of agreeing with them for their salaries, and of removing them for mis- conduct or breech of laws of the institution ; of appointing committees of their own body "Sect. 6-Be it further enacted, That the said trustees shall in like manner be author- to carry into execution all and every the reso-
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ized to appoint annually a treasurer, whose duty it shall be to reserve and safely keep all moneys belonging to the said town; and to pay over no moneys whatsoever except upon order or warrant of the said trustees; he is to give receipts to the collector for all such mon- eys as he may receive of the said collector for the use of the said town, and for all other per- sons.
"Sect. 7-Be it further enacted, That the said trustees and their successors, by the name and style aforesaid, shall be capable in law to purchase, receive and hold, to them and their successors, any lands, tenements, goods, and chattels of whatsoever kind the same may be, either given, devised, or pur- chased, or leased for the use of the said school, and may sell and dispose of same as shall seem most conducive to the interest of said institution ; and shall be persons in law capable of suing and being sued, pleading and being impleaded, in all courts and places whatever; and shall be authorized to fill all offices provided for by this law, but which are to expire at first annual election after the pas- sage of this law.
"Sect. 8-Be it further enacted, That the several persons herein named be, and they are hereby appointed, trustees in the town of Al- ton, in the county aforesaid, to contime in office until the election of their successors as is herein provided, and who shall within twenty days after their election assemble and choose their chairman and other officers. They shall settle their rules, and keep a jour- nal of their proceedings, and enter the yeas and nays on a question, resolve, or ordinance, at the request of a member, and their delibera- tions shall be public.
"Sect. 9-Be it further enacted, That the said trustees shall have the power and author- ity to pass by-laws and ordinances to prevent horse racing in the streets and lanes of the said town, and to prevent drunkenness and disorderly conduct, to prevent and extinguish
fires, to cause the streets to be cleared, cleansed and repaired by the inhabitants thereof, and to impose reasonable and appro- priate penalties for the breaches of their or- finances, recoverable before any justice of the peace of the county, and to pass such gen- eral regulations for the better government of the said town as they shall deem necessary. Provided, That nothing therein contained shall be inconsistent with the law and constitu- tion of this state or of the United States; and it shall be the duty of the chairman of the board of trustees to cause the said laws and ordinances to be published in three of the most public places in the said town, for the information of the citizens and all concerned : and it shall be his further duty to cause the said by-laws and ordinances to be car- ried into effect : he shall remain in office for the term for which he was chosen a trus- tee, but in case of his absence at the meeting of the board, the board may appoint a chair- man pro tempore: that on the death, resigna- tion, or removal of any one or more of the trustees, the vacancy or vacancies shall be filled by the remaining trustees, who shall ap- point a successor or successors to continue in office until the next election ; and in case there should not be an election at the time appointed by this act, the trustees in office shall continue in office until their successors shall be chosen at the next general election.
"Sect. 10-Be it further enacted, That the limits of the said town or incorporation shall include all that part of section seven (7) in town five north of range nine west of the third principal meridian, lying and being south of a tract in said section commonly called the Hodges tract, of two hundred and fifty-five acres ; and all free white male inhab- itants of the age of twenty-one years and up- wards, who shall have resided for six months immediately preceding the election within the limits of said town or incorporation, as afore- said, shall be, and they are hereby authorized
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to elect seven trustees annually on the first Monday of September in each and every year ; who shall serve for the term of one year, ex- cept as aforesaid. And it shall be the duty of some one of the constables residing in or near the said town, who shall be designated by the said trustees to give twenty days' previous notice, in three of the most public places in the town, that such election will be holden at such public place in said town as such con- stable shall designate; and it shall also be the duty of said constable to superintend and con- duct the same; and he may employ a clerk to assist him in keeping the poll, for which ser- vices compensation shall be made by the said trustees; and it shall be the further duty of the said constable, within ten days after such election shall have been holden, to make com- plete return of the number of votes given, and make a certificate of the persons elected, and deliver such certificate to the chairman of the board of trustees.
"Sect. II-Be it further enacted, That it shall be and is hereby made the duty of the collector to be appointed by virtue of this act, to make personal application to the person or persons charged with the tax on the list of the assessment, if they shall be residents of said town, before he shall expose to sale or sell any lot or lots, to make the amount of the tax due from the owner or owners of such lots; and if the said tax be not paid in one month after such application, or in case any of the owners of such town lots, be non-residents of such town, in either case, if the tax be not paid, it shall be the duty of the said col- lector to give thirty days previous notice in three public places of said town, to make sale of the said lots to the highest bidder, or so much thereof as will be necessary to pay the said tax or taxes due thereon, and shall give
to the purchaser or purchasers thereof a cer- tificate of the fact of sale as aforesaid, which shall vest the title in such purchaser or pur- chasers to whom the same may be sold, unless the same shall be redeemed by the owner by paying to the purchaser or purchasers, within twelve months after such sale, the amount of the purchase money with fifteen per centum thereon.
"Sect 12-Be it further enacted, That every child of a suitable age, living within the limits of said town, of whatever description, shall at all times have a right, on conforming to the discipline and regulations of said school, to be taught and instructed in all such arts and sci- ences as shall be taught in said school; and no child shall be excluded from the said school, except as aforesaid, on any pretense whatever.
"Sect. 13-Be it further enacted, That the chairman of the said board of trustees of the said town shall be, and he is hereby author- ized to commence suits in his own name, as such trustee, against any person who may have been an officer of said board, and who retains money belonging to the same in his hands, and against every person committing a breach or breaches of the ordinances of said trustees, for the penalty or penalties thereby incurred, which suits may be commenced and prosecuted to final judgment and execution before any justice of the peace in the county of Madison, subject to an appeal as to other cases.
"Sect. 14-Be it further enacted, That this act shall be taken and deemed to be a public act, and as such shall be considered benignly and favorably, in all courts and places, for every beneficial purpose therein mentioned; and the same shall take effect and be in force after its passage."
CHAPTER XLIV
PROGRESS OF EDUCATION
ALTON'S EARLY PRIVATE SCHOOLS-PUBLIC SCHOOLS-ORGANIZED PUBLIC SYSTEM-AL- TON'S LATER PUBLIC SCHOOLS-BOARD OF EDUCATION.
The following sketch of early schools in Alton is mainly compiled from the first an- nual report made by the late George S. Kellen- berger, superintendent of schools, in 1860, supplemented by facts supplied by the late M. G. Atwood and others. The report first enumerates the private and select schools es- tablished prior to the advent of a public school system.
ALTON'S EARLY PRIVATE SCHOOLS
In November, 1831, a preparatory school was opened by H. Davis over the store of S. E. Moore & Company on the north side of Second street between Market and Alby. Two months later it was amplified into "Al- ton Seminary" and removed in 1833 into a new two-story brick building on Second near Alton street.
In 1832 a school of the same name was opened in Upper Alton by the Rev. Hubbel Loomis which became the foundation of Shurtleff College.
In 1833 or '34 Abel R. Corbin kept a school in a log house at the junction of Second and Third streets. He subsequently moved to St. Louis.
Also about 1833 J. M. Krum, afterwards Alton's first mayor, taught a school in Lyceum Hall at the corner of Alby and Second streets. He was succeeded at the same place by a Mr. Boswel. In 1837 Miss Sophia Loomis, later
Mrs. Cyrus Edwards, mother of Mrs. C. K. Hopkins, taught school on the corner of Grove and Common streets, now Central avenue, in Middletown.
In November of the same year William Ryrie, uncle of two of our present leading citi- zens, Messrs. J. M. and G. M. Ryrie, opened a school "under the office of T. P. Wooldridge on Second street opposite the Baptist church."
In 1838 D. V. Wainwright taught a school at the corner of Second and Market streets. In 1838-'39 a school was taught in a stone building on Second street that stood on the site of a brick residence now owned by the Dim- mock estate.
At the same period a Mr. Warner was teach- ing in a building north of Salu street in Mid- dletown.
In 1839 Miss Relief V. Everett, later Mrs. J. W. Buffum, opened a school in a building in block 5, Edwards' addition, Middletown, and was succeeded in 1840 by Miss Caroline Loomis, later Mrs. Z. Newman. Her succes- sor, in 1841, in same building, was D. A. Rich- ardson. The school was subsequently removed to a three story frame building at what is now the corner of Seventeenth and Liberty streets.
Between 1842 and 1845 a Mr. Haylay taught school in what is now the north part of the Fourth ward.
About the same time Miss Anna Gay, later Mrs. Jesse Ketchum, taught in a building on
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
Liberty street, north of the present residence of Mrs. S. J. Duncan, originally the M. G. Atwood homestead. .
Along in the early forties Rev. Mr. Brit- ton, an Episcopal clergyman, taught school near the corner of what is now Sixth and Easton streets.
In June, 1846, Mr. Utten Smith, an Eng- lish gentleman, began school in the basement of the Episcopal church (old building) cor- ner of Third and Market streets, and con- tinued it until 1855. He had previously taught in Surrey county, England. Among his pupils there were four sons of the novelist, Capt. Marryatt, and also a son of Lockhart, son-in-law of Sir Walter Scott.
In 1850 Miss Lizzie Stanton, later Mrs. J. A. Ryrie, taught school in a building on upper Common street. She was succeeded in same place by Miss Sarah Colby.
During the same period Miss Abbie Cham- berlain conducted a school at the corner of Twelfth and Henry streets.
Between 1850 and 1860 there were various other private schools maintained in the city. Among those who conducted them were Prof. Washington Leverett, Miss Godfrey, Miss Henrietta Williams and Miss Elizabeth Hes- lop, later Mrs. Johnstone. These several schools were located in the basements of the Baptist and Presbyterian churches on Second street.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The city charter of 1837 provided for the establishment and maintenance of free schools but no action was taken by the council thereon until September, 1842, when Messrs. William Martin, Dr. B. F. Edwards and B. B. Barker were appointed a school committee. On the 3d of July following the city council, on mo- tion of Dr. B. K. Hart, appropriated $100.00 for the purchase of block 19, Pope and Others' addition, for school purposes. The block was valued at $200.00 but the owner, Judge
Nathaniel Pope, donated $100.00 to the cause. At the same meeting Dr. Hart, M. G. At- wood, B. B. Barker and T. G. Starr were ap- pointed a committee to consider the advisabil- ity of building a school house thereon. Noth- ing seems to have been done, however, at the time, but on February 18, 1845, Messrs. Wil- liam Hayden, M. G. Atwood and Isaac Scar- ritt were appointed a committee to receive proposals for a school building on the block purchased. A month later the bid of Lowe & Parks, for erecting the building, was ac- cepted at the contract price of $580.70. Messrs. E. Marsh, E. Levis and T. P. Wool- dridge were appointed to superintend its con- struction. The building was of brick and of the most primitive arrangement. A discon- nected frame annex was subsequently added to its educational facilities. These buildings occupied the site where Lincoln school is now located.
Rev. L. S. Williams was appointed teacher of this school July 21st, 1845, and was thus Alton's first public school teacher. He was succeeded in Sept. 1847, by W. F. Guernsey.
The school buildings were not, subse- quently, numbered in the order of their erec- tion, the first one becoming known as No. 2.
Another building was erected by the city in 1851, on Seminary square, at the corner of Fifth and Langdon streets, at a cost of $1,- 983.20. It became known as No. 3. It was opened in February, 1852, and W. F. Guern- sey placed in charge with Mrs. Guernsey as as- sistant, Mr. James Newman being placed in charge of No. 2 with Miss Sarah A. Robinson as assistant.
A third building was erected in 1853 on State street, at a cost of $4.396.84. Like No. 3 it was a two-story brick. It was later des- ignated as No. I. It is still standing and is occupied as a dwelling.
George Crego was appointed the first prin- pical and Miss Lizzie Stewart, assistant.
School buildings Nos. 4 and 5 were both
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
erected in 1856 at a cost of $2,300 each. an organized system and the connection of the The first was located on Common street, near Stanton. It is still standing and occupied as a dwelling. It was later known as Washing- ton school. Its successor is on a different site. The second building was located on Walnut street, near Fifth, and was later known as Humboldt school. A Miss Reed was the first teacher at No. 4, in 1856, and was succeeded by Miss Kate A. Foote, later Mrs. E. Marsh, Jr. Number 5 was opened the same year by Mrs. A. E. Newman.
To give the names of all the teachers em- ployed in the public schools between 1845 and 1860 would exceed the limits of this chapter, but for the first five years, in addition to those mentioned, appear the names of Mrs. James Newman, Miss Caroline Baker and Miss Rachel Corbet.
From 1850 to 1860 among those who taught were John Henry, J. A. Bruner, J. E. Peten- gill, N. M. Mann, Miss Mary Hazard, Mrs. John Brown, Miss Laura Clement, Miss Hall, J. H. Underwood, G. W. I. Carpenter, M. I. Lee, A. T. Richmond, Burt Newman, Miss Dorcas Terry, Miss Emma Davis, Miss M. A. Cross, Miss M. E. Godell, Miss Kate Lee, Miss Mary E. Robinson, W. H. Knicker- bocker.
The Advanced School, as it was called, was opened in the basement of the Unitarian church, Feb. 22nd, 1858, with James Newman as principal and Miss M. E. Richmond, as- sistant. Miss E. D. Richmond was added to the faculty a few months later as the school increased.
The Colored school was organized in 1858 with Mr. John Robinson in charge. This school was continued until some years after the war when the pupils were admitted to the white schools in accordance with the law.
ORGANIZED PUBLIC SYSTEM
With this review of the early days of the public schools we now come to the period of
city with their development. In the year 1851 the council appears to have transferred the duties of supervision and visitation from its school committee to a Board of Visitors, but this arrangement, which was continued for eight years, proved unsatisfactory and in 1859, by special ordinance, a Board of Edu- cation was created by the council. The rec- ords kept between 1851 and 1859 were meagre and incomplete, but a stronger interest was manifested in the schools by the citizens, and many prominent men labored for their welfare and seconded the efforts of a noble band of self-sacrificing teachers. Among the pioneers in advancing the interests of the schools may be named Dr. B. K. Hart, M. G. Atwood, William Hayden, Samuel Wade, Isaac Scarritt, J. L. Blair, Lewis Kellen- berger, J. H. Murphy, Rev. A. T. Norton, Rev. S. Y. McMasters, A. S. Barry, L. S. Met- calf and others The board of education was created by the above ordinance. It met on the 19th of September, 1859, and organized by electing William Hayden, chairman, and George S. Kellenberger secretary of the board and superintendent of the schools. The board was later reduced to five members with a superintendent and secretary and a school treasurer. The city charter was amended by the Legislature of 1864-5, giving authority for the establishment of high schools and a com- plete system of graded schools. The school tax was also made, by this amendment, gen- eral on personal property and real estate for purposes of education. Under the reorgan- ized and readjusted system now made pos- sible the board of education for 1866 con- sisted of M. G. Atwood, president; John L. Blair, H. Hamlin, D. D. Ryrie and George H. Weigler. Isaac Scarritt secretary of the board and superintendent of schools.
At this point the history and progress of the public schools is continued from the rec- ords by Prof. R. A. Haight, the accomplished
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
veteran educator, who has been connected with the Alton public schools for over thirty- six years, and for the last thirty-one years as superintendent.
ALTON'S LATER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
In the year 1865 a few public spirited men, foremost of whom were the late Moses G. Atwood and Isaac Scarritt, secured an amend- ment to Alton's special school charter enacted by the state legislature in 1837, thus making the city of Alton a school district under the general control of the Alton city council. The city, at that time, was divided into five sub school districts, in each one of which was located one school building.
The board of education consisted of five members, appointed by the Mayor, one from each sub-district. The term of office was three years. The members of the board elected their own president, secretary and treasurer.
The school buildings were known as No. I, No. 2, etc., each one taking its name from the sub-school district in which it was located. These buildings were small and unpretentious, No. I containing two rooms and a basement ; No. 2 was composed of two small one room buildings, No. 3 a building of two rooms, and Nos. 4 and 5 buildings of one room each.
Thus it will be seen that in 1865 there were but five public school buildings in the city of Alton, containing all told, eight rooms.
These buildings did not possess sufficient accommodations for the school children, and again Alton's public spirited men came to the front and secured a bond issue for the erec- tion of a commodious public school building.
This building, now known as the Lincoln school, but at that time as No. 2, was erected on Alton street, between Tenth and Eleventh, and was ready for occupancy in the fall of I866.
This building was a three story, twelve room edifice, costing about $40,000.00, and at
that time was considered one of the finest public school buildings in the state.
A general superintendent of schools was now appointed by the Board of Education, a Mr. Raymond being the appointee.
The course of study pursued covered ten years of work, two of which were carried on in the high school.
Mr. Raymond served two years as super- intendent and was then succeeded by a Mr. Smith, who also served two years. No record has been preserved of Mr. Smith's administra- tion.
In the summer of 1870 the board of educa- tion secured the services of E. A. Haight as superintendent of schools. Mr. Haight was a graduate of the Michigan State Normal, and also of Shurtleff College. He had served four and one half years as principal of the Preparatory Department of Shurtleff College, and six months as professor in the Normal Department of the Missouri State University. He came to the Alton schools eminently fitted for the position to which he had been ap- pointed. Upon taking up his duties in Sep- tember, 1870, he had a teaching force of eighteen members, two of whom were em- ployed in the high school. One of Mr. Haight's first official acts was to secure a change in the course of study in the high school from a two years' to a three years' course. Hence the school had no graduating class in the summer of 1871.
The slow but steady growth of the popula- tion in the eastern part of the city necessitated the building of a new school house there. This building, a two story brick containing eight rooms, was erected at the corner of 5th and Walnut streets and was occupied for the first time in January 1879. The building and fur- nishings cost about $10,000.00.
Mr. E. A. Haight served as superintendent . of the Alton schools for ten and a half years, voluntarily severing his connection with them in January, 1881. At the close of his adminis-
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tration the school enrollment was about 1,200, and the number of teachers employed, 23.
Mr. R. A. Haight, brother of the outgoing superintendent, for five and a half years prin- cipal of the Alton High school, was elected superintendent of the Alton schools in Jan- uary, 1881, and is still at the head of the pub- lic school system.
The school building known as No. I, being too small to accommodate the increasing school population in the west end of the city, the board of education proceeded to erect a two story, four room brick building at the cor- ner of State and Bluff streets. This building which was completed and occupied in March, 1883, is now known as the Irving school. The building and furnishings cost about $12,000.00.
For several years after the erection of this building, the city seemed to be at a standstill as to growth in population. But in 1888 it began to take on a new lease of life and the erection of another new school building be- came a necessity.
A four room brick building was therefore erected in sub-district No. 3, at the corner of Sixth and Langdon streets. This building, now known as the Garfield school, was occu- pied for the first time in September, 1891. The building and equipment cost about $18,000.00.
About the year 1894 a large tract of land in the northeastern part of the city, known as the Buckmaster tract, was purchased, graded, divided into lots and streets and added to the map of the city as Highland Park Addition. A steady influx of population to that part of the city now made the erection of a new school building in sub-district No. 4, impera- tive. This building, a two story, four room brick, was completed and occupied in Septem- ber, 1896. The building, now known as the Washington school, is located on Curdie Ave., and cost, all told, about $18,000.00.
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