USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > Valley of the upper Maumee River, with historical account of Allen County and the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Volume I > Part 59
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Guided by these wise and judicious views, the framers of the first constitution of Indiana, in 1816, adopted as a fundamental principle the following which was verified by the people. " Knowledge and learning generally diffused through a community being essential to the preserva- tion of a free government, and spreading the opportunities and advar- tages of education through the various parts of the country being highly conducive to this end," " it shall be the duty of the general assembly," " to provide by law for a general system of education ascending in a regular gradation from township schools to a state university, wherein tution shall be gratis, and equally open to all." The language of the revised constitution of 1851 differs slightly from this, but is essentially
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of the same import. It makes it the duty of the general assembly " to encourage by all suitable means, moral, intellectual, scientific and agri- cultural improvement; and to provide by law, for a general and uniform. system of common schools, wherein tuition shall be without charge, and equally open to all."
In the enabling act authorizing the state of Indiana, congress, to ensure the carrying out of the directions of the ordinance of 1787, pro- vided that section sixteen in every township should be granted to such township for the use of schools, and also provided that two whole townships should be appropriated to the use of a seminary of learning.
Private and Church Schools .- There is a tradition that the earliest school, in what now constitutes Allen county, was established at a very early day by the Society of the Friends, but no records or reminiscences whatever, concerning such school can be found. In IS21, while Allen county still formed a part of Randolph county, Rev. Isaac McCoy was sent as a missionary and teacher to the Indians by the Baptist missionary society. Opening a school in the old fort for these, he also received the children of such white parents as desired his services. In this school, which was small, he was assisted at various times by Matthew Montgomery, by Mr. and Mrs. Potts, and Mr. Hugh B. McKean.
Leaving Mr. McCoy, Mr. and Mrs. Potts taught school in a house on the banks of the St. Mary's river, near the present gas works office.
In 1825, after the organization of the county, the first school-house built in Fort Wayne, was erected on a lot adjoining the old grave-yard, in the rear of the present jail, and was known as the County seminary. In this building for many years, under the old ideas so admirably and tersely put by " Pete Jones," the young of the place, male and female, were taught by Mr. John P. Hedges and his successors in office. About the same time Henry Cooper, afterward well-known as a lawyer, taught in an upper room in the old log house on the southwest corner of the public square. The barred windows of this primitive school-house must have served to depress the spirits of the scholars in the bright spring weather, while the rough floor and seats could have had little resemblance to the comfortable and even elegant appliances now pro- vided for the scholar.
Mr. Aughinbaugh, after teaching in the old Masonic hall of that day, had charge of the seminary in 1832-3, being followed in 1834 by Small- wood Noel, who died many years later an honored and respected old man. He in turn was followed by Mr. James Requa in the following year. About the same time Mr. Beggs taught in a small building on Columbia street.
In 1835-6 Mr. Myron F. Barbour, a most popular and successful' teacher, still living, had charge of the seminary where he laid the foun- dation of a solid and practical education, to the benefit of many of the. best business men and citizens of the town. He was followed by Mr .. John C. Sivey, afterward well-known as a civil engineer engaged on the Wabash & Erie canal, who became a resident of Wabash.
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An anecdote still lives in the memory of the old men of the city, con- cerning an applicant for the position of teacher in the seminary, against whose moral character the examineers entertained suspicions, and want of moral character being apparently no ground of action, they endeav- ored to defeat him by a strict and thorough examination in the essen- tials, an examination, however, which in less than an hour resulted in the utter defeat of the entire board, and the issuance of the license.
In the spring of 1836, Miss Mann, now the honored wife of ex-Secre- tary of Treasury McCulloch, and the mother of Charles McCulloch, president of the Hamilton National Bank, and Miss Stabbell, the late Mrs. Royal Taylor, came from the east and opened a school in a room in the old court-house, but after teaching there for a short time joined the Rev. Jesse Hoover, who had, on August 2, 1836, opened a school in the basement of the Presbyterian church, near the corner of Berry and Lafayette streets, then the first and only church in the town. Mr. Hoover was succeeded by the Rev. W. W. Stevens, with Alexander McJunkin, as assistant. Mr. Stevens subsequently built a school-house on West Berry street, where with his wife, he taught for many years.
Probably no teacher of Fort Wayne, certainly none of the earlier ones, has so impressed himself upon the memories and respect of his pupils, as did Alexander McJunkin. After leaving Mr. Stevens, he built a house, now standing on Lafayette street, between Berry and Wayne streets, where he most successfully taught school for many years, until in 1852, when he became the treasurer of the Fort Wayne & Chicago railroad company. A fine scholar, a good instructor, and a stern, strict disciplinarian, he most forcibly impressed his ideas and teachings upon the minds of his scholars, and not infrequently with equal force upon their bodies.
In the fall of 1845 the Presbyterian church opened a ladies' semin- ary, under the charge of Mrs. Lydia Sykes, which promised great use- fulness, but after a year and a half's very successful work, Mrs. Sykes' health failed, and she was succeeded by the Rev. James, who came to the town in 1846. Prion to teaching in the seminary, this gentleman had no permanent school-house, but taught in various buildings succes- sively. Many other small schools were taught in Fort Wayne, with vari- ous success, by residents of the town, amongst them the present Mrs. Barbara Ronan.
The Methodist college, now the Fort Wayne college, at the west end of Wayne street, was opened in 1849, for higher education, under the charge of Prof. A. C. Huestis, still living an honored retired life. Mr. Huestis was possessed of marked ability and great originality as a teacher and educator, and it is impossible fully to estimate the good seeds that were sown by his labors, or the fruits that have grown from them. The institution, with a life of varied success and depression, has continued, with some interruptions, till the present time. Under the ju- dicious management of its present president, Dr. Herrick, its promises to regain much of its former strength and importance, and do much val_
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uable work. It is an institution much needed in such a country as ours, and cannot fail, under wise direction, to produce an immense amount of good beyond the reach of the larger and more expensive institutions of the land.
In August, 1853, the Presbyterian academy was re-opened, on the site of the present Central grammar school, in charge of Mr. Henry McCormick, with Jacob Laniers as assistant. This school was contin- ued under various teachers, with varying success until 1867, when it was abandoned as the public schools were more economically carrying out its objects, and the lots sold to the board of school trustees.
In the year 1883, Miss Carrie B. Sharp and Mrs. Delphine B. Wells, two of the strongest and best qualified principals of the public schools, opened the Westminster seminary. This institution has had a career of usefulness and success which the writer earnestly hopes may continue till the present principals and their successors and pupils for many gen- erations, have passed to their higher rewards. Large and well organized parochial schools have, from time to time, been organized under the care and direction of the Roman Catholics, Lutheran and other churches, which are well managed, well appointed, and successful in teaching their pupils the fundamental elements of religion as held by the respective churches, in connection with the more secular subjects of education. So extensively are these parochial schools patronized by the families con- nected with the respective religious bodies, that in connection with the private and the public schools, no excuse whatever, can exist for an ignorant child or an illiterate adult. Excluding those above the age of fifteen years who are at work, and those out of school on account of ill health or youth, the scholars of the parochial, private and public schools, together, make up nearly ninety-five of the children of school age.
One of the most famous schools outside the city before war times was the Perry Center seminary, incorporated and established in Perry township in 1856, by Nathaniel Fitch, Jacob Kell and George Gloyd. They were moved by a laudable desire to establish a worthy institution of learning, and, with that end in view, erected near the center of the township a large frame building, and in the winter of that year, secured the services of T. W. Tilden as teacher. In 1860 there were formed three departments or grades, and Prof. Tilden was retained as principal with two assistants in the other grades. The pupils of this institution came from Noble, DeKalb, Allen, LaGrange and other counties. The course was academic, including the languages, higher mathematics, phil- osophy, astronomy, etc. It was a prosperous institution until 1862 or 1863. Then a number of its pupils enlisted in the army, and its princi- pal resigned. Though it never rallied, and the building is now a ruin, its work still lives, and is commemorated in the useful careers of those who studied there.
Public Schools .- The constitution of 1851, which so fully recognized the principles of the ordinance of 1787, in its article 8, section 2, on ed- ucation, declares that the common school fund shall consist of the con-
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gressional school fund and the lands belonging thereto; the surplus revenue fund, the saline fund and the lands belonging thereto; the bank tax fund, and the fund arising from the 114th section of the charter of the State Bank of Indiana; the fund derived from the sale of county seminaries and all properties held for the same; of all fines and forfeit- ures under state laws; all escheated lands and properties; all lands and the net proceeds of the sales thereof, including swamp lands; and taxes on the property of corporations that may be assessed by the general as- sembly for common school purposes. Section 3 declares that "The principal of the common school fund shall remain a perpetual fund, which may be increased, but shall never be diminished; and the income thereof shall be inviolably appropriated to the support of the common schools, and to no other purpose whatever."
Under the law of 1852, passed by the general assembly, to give force to these constitutional provisions, Hugh McCulloch, Charles Case and William Stewart were, in 1853, appointed the first board of school trustees to organize and manage the public schools of the city. They found themselves in charge of the school affairs of a city of some 5,000 persons, 1,200 school children, no school building, no school appliances whatever, and not a dollar with which to buy them. They rented the McJunkin school-house, on Lafayette street, in which Isaac Mahurin, and his sister, Miss M. L. Mahurin, began to teach; and a small house, on the site of Henry Paul's present residence, belonging to Mr. A. M. Hurlburd, who with his wife, were engaged to teach in it. Both schools were opened in September, 1853, with a tuition fund for their support of $330.72, and no special fund whatever. To acquire the funds necessary to continue the schools, the trustees, as provided for by law, called a public meeting to vote upon levying a tax for that purpose. The pur- pose of the meeting ignominiously failed, and the trustees resigned, and were succeeded by James Humphrey, Henry Sharp and Charles G. French. These gentlemen, under a modification of the law, assessed a tax of two mills on the dollar for school purposes.
With the growth of the city the demand for additional school accom -. modation grew rapidly, but the means under control of the trustees did not grow. In 1855 the board, Mr. Henry Sharp having been succeeded by William S. Smith, determined to do all in their power for the relief of the pressing needs, purchased the site of the Clay school from Judge Samuel Hanna, and that of the Jefferson school from Dr. Charles E. Sturgis, and advertised for proposals to build the Clay school. They adjourned from time to time, but no bids being received, with a magnifi- cent exhibition of moral courage, they assumed a responsibility, the ex- tent and weight of which cannot now be readily appreciated. They proceeded with the work themselves, letting it in portions as they found opportunity and persons willing to assume the risk. After overcoming many and great difficulties, and in the face of innumerable discourage- ments, they opened the building on February 9, 1857, with appropriate exercises, appointing the Rev. George A. Irvin superintendent. Those,
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and only those, who have themselves experienced such trials and difficul- ties can fully appreciate their feelings upon the completion of their labors.
In September of the same year, ten gentlemen of the city mortgaged their personal realty for $500, each lending the full amount to the trustees, who agreed to protect the mortgages and pay the interest as it became due. With this money the trustees built the Jefferson school, which, with the Clay school, furnished accommodations for about 600 pupils. With the heavy debt hanging over them the trustees could do nothing further, although the number of children entitled to school privileges was con- stantly increasing.
In 1861 the supreme court decided the then school law unconstitu- tional, and the schools were closed for a short time. A new law was passed, but under circumstances so depressing and disheartening that the constitution of the school board was constantly changing. In June, 1863, the Rev. George A. Irvin resigned the position of superintendent, to become a chaplain in the Federal army, and was succeeded by Mr. E. S. Green, under whose admisistration a re-organization of the schools and the course of study, was attempted, but owing to the difficulties in the way, without much success.
Early in 1865 the school law was so amended as to empower the city council to elect the school board, to consist of three members, to serve for three years each. In April of that year, the Fort Wayne council elected Oliver P. Morgan, Edward Slocum and John S. Irwin, trustees, who entered at once upon the duties of their office. In the following June they graduated the first class who had passed through the high school, a class of four young ladies of marked ability, two of whom are now teaching in the schools.
At the close of the schools in June, Mr. Green resigned his position as superintendent.
The new school board found the schools with totally inadequate accommodations, themselves the inheritors of a magnificent debt, and not a dollar of money. They had, however, a keen appreciation of the importance of their work, and great faith in the eventual recognition of that importance by the community. They elected Mr. James H. Smart, now Dr. Smart, the president of Purdue university, as superintendent. With a high reputation for teaching ability acquired in the Toledo school, and strong powers of organization, he entered at once upon the accurate and practical grading of the schools, bringing the work within a reasonable number of years, and elevating the standard to the highest practicable level. From this time the growth of the schools, both in numbers and popularity, was rapid and steady.
In 1866 the board purchased part of the present site of the Hoag- land school, and, rich in faith but poor in money, built thereon a plain one-story frame building of three rooms, seating when closely filled some 200 pupils. Two rooms were opened in September, but it soon became necessary to open the third. This building has, at various times, been enlarged and modified so that now it contains thirteen classes, all full.
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In 1867 they purchased the sites of the present Central grammar, Washington and Hanna schools, and built the high, and Washington, schools, opening them in September, 1868. This was rendered pos- sible only by the liberality of the city council, who, under the provisions of the law, issued bonds, the proceeds of which were applied by the trustees to the erection of the buildings, the sites being paid for in installments out of the special school fund.
In 1869 the Hanna school was built and opened with one teacher to furnish accommodation to the southeast part of the city.
In the same year the German reformed schools were transferred to the board, the east school finding accommodations in the Clay school and the west in its own building on West Washington street which the trustees rented, adding a second story. These schools, much enlarged, still remain under control of the board, greatly to their own advantage as well as to the strengthening of the public school system.
In September, 1870, the one-story frame building, which had been moved from the site of the high school to the northwest corner of Han- na and Jefferson streets, was opened as the Hanna school, with one teacher, but the next year it was necessary to add two more rooms to it.
In 1871 the villages of Boonsville and Bloomingdale, north of the city, were added to the corporation, and the school, a one-story frame, with a single room, opened in September, but it became necessary the next year to add two rooms to this building also.
In 1874 small districts were added to the city on the north, east and south, each having a small school building, which the board immediately occupied. They also rented another small frame building on the north for a grammar school. These districts, with one exception, have been returned to the respective townships to which they formerly belonged.
In 1875 the growth of population on the north side compelled the sale and removal of the frame Bloomingdale school-house, and the erection of a fine substantial brick building of eight rooms in which all the schools on the north side were consolidated. This building has since been enlarged to a twelve-room building and is again full to overflowing.
In IS76 a like condition of things in the east end required the replac- ing of the frame Hanna building with an eight-room brick building substantially like the Bloomingdale, into which the east German school was moved, and which is now so full as to require one class to recite in the hall.
In 1877 it became necessary to remodel the Washington and Hanna buildings, changing them from four- to eight-room buildings. At the same time a large addition was made to the high school, adding four large recitation rooms, and a drawing room 24x72 feet in size. Since then the Washington and Hanna schools have been enlarged to twelve- room buildings, and the high school building has became overcrowded. Since the last date given, the growth of population in the outer districts of the city has been rapid, and the board, fully realizing the necessity for its relief, and especially for that of the primary scholars residing
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therein, in 1886, built two-room brick buildings on Boone and Fry streets, northwest, and on Holton and Creighton avenues, southeast, and a four- room brick on Miner and De Wald street, south, for the primary grades, which were all opened in November of that year. These latter build- ings are so constructed as to admit of enlargement, and of a second story with comparatively little trouble or expense. In 1888, for the relief of the Hanna school, a four-room brick, similar to the Miner street school, was erected on McCulloch street, east, and two rooms opened in January, 1889.
Fully recognizing the fact that the character of the school largely depends upon the character of its teachers, in 1867, Mr. Smart, under direction of the board, established a training school for the education of teachers. As a rule, graduation from the high school was a necessary precedent to admission to this school. The wisdom of the measure was rapidly manifested in the higher ability of the teacher, the broader, more accurate, and more solid character of their work, and in the rapidly growing reputation of the schools amongst prominent educators. In 1877 the instruction in this school was limited to the primary grades, and another opened for instruction in the higher grades. This latter school was continued for two years only, and the former until June, 1886, when, upon resignation of the principal, the board deemed it wise to discontinue it for the present. The undoubted advantages gained from its work lead to the hope that it may before long, be re-organized. Mr. Smart having been, in October, 1874, elected superintendent of public instruction, resigned his position as superintendent of the city schools in the early part of March, and was succeeded in June following by John S. Irwin, who had for ten years been a member of the board of trustees, and who still fills the position.
The growth, prosperity, and character of the schools have been largely dependent upon the skill and labor of the Hon. James H. Smart. Elected superintendent in 1865, when a young man for the position, he gave to the work abilities of a very high order, energy and persever- ance that knew no tiring or defeat, knowledge, theoretical and practical, in his profession, much beyond his years, and brought out of virtual chaos, a system well arranged, with courses of study well adapted to the wants of the community, and productive of practical results, valuable to the pupils, serviceable to the communiny, and honorable to the superin- tendent and the teachers.
In 1877 the " colored" question, which had given much anxiety and trouble, was satisfactorily settled by placing the colored children in the grades and districts for which their advancement fitted them.
In March, 1878, moved by various considerations, the board changed the name "high school" to its present one, "the Central grammar school." The old name, while giving no additional strength to the schools, at that time excited useless but very unpleasant opposition. The whole term of school life were then divided into primary, interme- diate, and grammar grades, of four years each. The standard of the
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work required has not been in any way lowered, nor its extent lessened. The course of study, while by no means faultless, has proved itself val- uable by the success of our graduates, both in higher institutions of learning and in the professional and business walks of life. It is the aim of all in charge not to weaken the schools but rather to strengthen them, and that rather by the thorough and accurate prosecution of a few solid and necessary branches, than by the superficial skimming of the whole field of art, literature, and science.
At present the board have under their charge thirteen buildings with some 4,300 seats, well furnished with desks, apparatus, and reference books, and a general library of over 6,500 volumes. There are 124 teachers regularly employed, of whom six are special teachers, having general charge of drawing, reading, writing, music, stenography, and book-keeping. The school enumeration of the city including transfers from the townships is nearly 12,000, of whom nearly 4,000 are in the public schools, and nearly as many in the private and parochial schools. Of all the children enumerated over the age of fifteen, not more than 300 are in any school whatever, but are almost universally at work. Excluding these and also those whom, by reason of their youth and physical disability, their parents keep at home, it would seem that not more than five per cent. of the school population are out of school.
It has been the fortune of the present superintendent, and except for two years, that of Mr. O. P. Morgan to have been officially connected with the graduation of every class that has left the schools. The first class was graduated in June, 1865, two months after the election of these gentlemen to the board. From 1865 to the present year, both in- clusive, there have been graduated from the high school and its succes- sor the Central grammar school: 17 from the post graduate course, 45 from the classical, 163 from the Latin and 141 from the scientific course, of whom 265 have been ladies, and 101 gentlemen. In addition to these, 174 young ladies have been graduated from the training schools.
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