USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Granville > History of Granville, Massachusetts > Part 21
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As a rule, Methodists are not a lukewarm lot, and this little group was no exception to the general run. By means of hard work and no small amount of personal sacrifices, they set their shoulders to the wheel. They established a Sunday School; also a Ladies' (Aid) Society; then they collected the nucleus of a library. They seemed to be rugged enough to withstand the ordinary set-backs of life, so on February 15, 1881, they formally organized their church, with the following charter members :
Samuel Davis Mary A. Davis Edward A. Collins Dryden P. Collins Lavinia C. Collins George W. Peck
James H. Andrews Sybil Andrews
Harvey B. Stever
Annie A. Stever
Almira O. Clark Betsey Rose
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HISTORY OF GRANVILLE
This church was always a small group, but it was quite active. In 1882 the membership of its Sunday School had grown to the number of seventy, and the members of the church in 1885 numbered forty- five, and in 1890 the number had risen to ninety. The church was never large enough to support its own minister and it usually com- bined with the parish at Mundale, although twice it was united with the parish at Southwick.
An interesting side light on the character of the women of this Methodist church appears in the Secretary's record of the meetings of the Ladies' Sewing Society which was formed May 26, 1880, by members soon after the church was organized. They were earnest, serious minded, austere and Calvinistic to the last degree, as appears by the following excerpt from the rules which were adopted at that meeting: "They shall not have any Frosted Cake, and no Frosted Pie and not any Preserves. There shall be no Table set and That each one shall bring Plate, Cup and Saucer, Knife and Fork." As if to indicate that these rules meant business, this came next: "Any one breaking over these Rules shall be fined 25 cents."
The ideas of those good ladies about sociability were not much like the ideas of the present generation about afternoon teas, but they were just as happy as we. The record states that the attendance at their regular bi-weekly meetings varied from thirty-five to eighty, depending upon the weather and the time of year.
As time passed, the need arose for facilities to meet the demand for social work. A conveniently located and sufficiently commodious building was found and purchased in 1884 by Mrs. Lavinia M. Beach who generously gave it to the church. Later it was enlarged and equipped for socials, church suppers and various entertainments given by the church. This building, now known as Grange Hall, was the center of its social life until the church ceased to function.
Of the ministers serving this church, two were conspicuous for the success of their labors. The Rev. Elwin Hitchcock, the second pastor serving the church, was an important factor in getting the little church to functioning and building up the membership, and the Rev. Edgar A. Brownell, whose practical christianity endeared him to the entire community and was an uplift to the whole Town.
Another noteworthy fact in connection with this church is that
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THE CHURCHES
its choir was led by the late Miles J. Rose from the time the church was established until his death in 1915, and that his wife was the organist during the same period. Mr. Rose had an unusually clear and strong tenor voice and under his direction the choir maintained a position far above the average of the ordinary country choir.
A rather unusual fate overtook this church. It succumbed, not for lack of funds, but for lack of members. The younger ones went to other places far and wide, and the older ones died. This resulted in the enfeeblement of the church, which became progressive, and when their numbers were reduced to a very few, they yielded to the inevitable and ceased to continue in 1922. In all its more than forty years of existence, it had worshipped in the Universalist meeting house, never having had one of its own.
The Federated Church
The passage of time works many unexpected changes. One hun- dred and fifty years ago, schisms in churches were not uncommon. If a group of church members let their beliefs wander from the channels of orthodoxy, the inevitable result was that they organized themselves into a new church body of kindred believers and two churches existed where only one had been before.
In the early part of the present century, the tendency was other- wise. Churches in rural areas which found it difficult to continue were willing to unite with one or more of the neighboring churches, and by this procedure the church in a community would be strength- ened and become more of a church influence. Instead of there being more weak churches, there came to be fewer and stronger organi- zations.
In due time this condition manifested itself in Granville with the result that in July, 1937, the First Church of Christ in Granville and the Granville Baptist Church decided to pool their resources and formed the Federated Church of Granville. Under the terms of the federation, each church keeps its own identity in order to retain the use of certain funds, and the Federated Church is the opera- tional body. One minister serves the community formerly served by two. Services are held in the Congregational meeting house
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HISTORY OF GRANVILLE
on the Hill during the summer season and in the Baptist meeting house the remainder of the year. The federation has thus far been very successful and the Federated Church has become a commu- nity affair.
Other Religious Denominations
Religious services of other denominations have been held in Granville at infrequent intervals, but not, so far as can be learned, continuously for any considerable period. For a few years Roman Catholic services were held once a month in the old Academy Build- ing in Granville Center. Then too, there was a period along in the 1880's when a group of residents became interested in Spiritualism and seances were held at the homes of those who were mystically inclined.
After the Danish residents had become established here, Lutheran services were quite frequently held at the homes of members of that denomination, although at intervals they used the Universalist meeting house.
The Schools
T HE beginnings of Granville's school system have not come down to us. However, we know certain facts concerning these beginnings. The eastern part of the area formerly called Bedford began to be occupied by settlers in the latter part of the 1730's; the central part in the 1740's; and the western part in the 1750's. Some of these pioneers had children before they came to Bedford, others had them after coming. It cannot be thought that these early settlers, coming from the sturdy Puritan stock from which they were descended, would overlook and neglect the education of their chil- dren. Care for their schools followed close upon care for their church. So although there appears to be no record of schools or school affairs in Bedford, or in the earliest years of the District of Granville, it is certain that this phase of their life was adequately provided for, because at the annual meeting of the District on March 8, 1762, the sum of £20 was to be raised to support "school- ing" in the District of Granville, and this sum was to be "distributed into several of said districts for the benefit of the whole." Thus it appears that in 1762 there then existed school districts, but how long they had been in existence, or when they sprang up, does not appear. But how many there were is settled by the vote of the following year when it was determined that the money raised that year (1763) should be divided as follows :-
Southeast District £3-15s First District £6- 0s
Northeast District 1-11 Second District 3- 0
Middle District 3-18 Third District 1-16
Just where these individual districts were is not of such great con- sequence, except so far as their names may indicate their where- abouts, but the necessary implication to be derived from the fore- going is important. One sees that the burden of raising funds for carrying on the schools was upon the District of Granville, and all the other school duties, engaging teachers, maintaining school houses, and spending the money, was upon the school districts. Thus we see the start of that curious, and probably unique, school system
228
HISTORY OF GRANVILLE
which was to encumber Granville for more than a century. Its weak- ness is at once apparent. Almost at once, difficulties of the system began to present themselves. There arose a demand for another school house and consequently more or less pulling and hauling as to where it should be located. Those who wanted it near the then only meeting house in the District took it to a District meeting on February 3, 1764, and the Selectmen finally approved their location near the "Grate Rock."
So a few years passed with Granville raising the money and the school committees spending it. Soon, however, the incongruity of the situation began to dawn on these taxpayers, for when a demand was made for a somewhat higher degree of "schooling," and it was decided to have the grammar school studies taught, the good tax- payers took away some of the power of the school committees, and at a meeting August 1, 1769, voted that "Nathan Barlo, grand juror, shall appoint times when Grammar School shall be kept in each district." Apparently this plan did not work out to everybody's satisfaction, for a little later, at the annual meeting on March 16, 1772, it was voted that "the selectmen have the whole business of the schools in Granville, as to teacher, times, places and money for the ensuing year." So the school district committees were practically shorn of all their authority, and this condition of things lasted for a quarter of a century.
If the amount of money raised by taxation in Granville is of moment, and if it gives any idea of the relative importance of affairs of church, school and town, the appropriations made at the annual meeting March 22, 1774, are significant. This was the last year when such matters were not affected by the approaching War for Independence. In that year there was raised for Rev. Mr. Smith £55; for schools £40; for expenses of conducting the other affairs of the District £25.
During the Revolution, all public affairs were subordinated to the main business of the war. To be sure the schools were maintained after a fashion, but they no longer occupied even the second place in public attention. They just got along as they could.
After the war was over and economic and social conditions became more settled, and business functioned with less disturbance,
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THE SCHOOLS
Granville's schools benefited by the new order which had gradually grown up. The Town still continued to raise the money for support of the schools, but the selectmen had no more to do with them, for in 1797 there was chosen a Town School Committee. This first Town Committee consisted of John Phelps, who lived in the Middle Parish, a man of education, a lawyer who was later to be the first Sheriff of Hampden County; Bela Scoville, who lived in the West Parish; and Timothy M. Cooley, of whom much has been said hereinbefore, who lived in the East Parish, and was to be a member for more than fifty years. Whether or not this idea of a Town School Committee was one put into effect by the young minister, as it well may have been, it was a step in advance. This was the first indication of order in the then much muddled manner of conducting the school business. After a few years the School Committee con- sisted of the pastors of the three Parishes, Rev. Timothy M. Cooley, Rev. Aaron J. Booge and Rev. Roger Harrison, which was of great benefit to the schools, for their affairs then began to be conducted in a systematic and methodical manner. One of the first things they did was to establish and define the limits of each school district. These various districts had theretofore been only vague areas, and many arguments, and some hard feelings, arose out of this uncertainty. It was in May, 1802, when the skillful hand of Dr. Cooley made this move. The number of districts had increased from six in 1763 to thirteen in 1802. The names by which the various districts were designated then are very generally the names used for that purpose as long as the districts existed. In the East Parish there were five districts; Meeting House, South Lane, North Lane, Northeast and Southeast. In the Middle Parish there were five; Ore Hill, Beech Hill, Capt. Barnes, North Lane and South Lane. In the West Parish there were three ; Meeting House, North- east and Northwest. On April 7, 1806, the district known as the Southwest Quarter was established and in the following month another district was established in the northwest corner of the Town. On November 7, 1808, the Ore Hill district was divided into two. On April 3, 1815, the Stow district was set off and established.
So, as the Town grew in population and wealth, the school system
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HISTORY OF GRANVILLE
grew to keep pace. It was inevitable that some districts should come to have more scholars than others, and equally inevitable that some districts should come to have a larger grand list than others. All of which led directly to argument, and sometimes very heated argu- ment, as to how the money raised by the Town for school purposes should be divided among the districts. What basis should be used in making the division of the Town money? Should it be divided according to the whole number of scholars in the several districts, which was colloquially termed "on the scholar," or should it be divided according to the grand lists of the different districts, which was called "on the list"? The more populous districts wanted it to be divided "on the scholar" and the wealthier districts wanted it divided "on the list." Naturally. This was bound to be a perennial source of conflict. The first definite attempt to settle the argument on this point was made at the annual meeting April 4, 1825, when it was voted "to distribute the school money to each district pro rata for the school children on May 1st, from four to sixteen years of age." And it was further voted to have a committee to take a census of the school children. Thus we can see order coming out of chaos, but the awkward method of Town Committee and district committees still obtained.
It is of interest to note how much money was being raised for the schools about this time. In 1836, one hundred years after the settlement of the Town, the sum raised for school purposes was $500.00, and at the annual Town meeting March 5, 1838, it was voted that all the money raised for school purposes should go for wages of the teachers. This was merely a manifestation of the old desire of the taxpayers to force the school districts to pay part of their own expenses, and the desire of the school districts to get all their school expenses out of the Town money. This demonstrates one of the weaknesses of the curious school system then prevailing. At that same Town meeting, it was voted to apportion the school money, one half of it "on the scholar" and the other half "on the list."
In another couple of years, the next move came in this continuous backing and filling. It came at the annual Town meeting March 16, 1840, when it was voted that all school districts must choose their
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THE £ SCHOOLS
own committees. It looks as though the districts had been trying to throw off upon the Town School Committee all their minor duties, such as furnishing wood for the winter fires, repairing the school houses, providing for the board of the teachers, etc., and that one way in which they sought to evade these duties was not to elect any committees.
By 1854, one hundred years after the Town was incorporated as a District, the population had declined so much from its high point, about 1830, that the number of scholars to be instructed was mate- rially less, and though the sum of $500.00 raised in that year for schools was no greater than the sum raised twenty years before, the sum per scholar was greater, because there were fewer scholars. Fortunately some of the school census figures have survived, and though few, they will suffice to show what was happening to the Granville schools.
Scholars in West Granville by districts.
1840
1846
1851
1857
Ore Hill
65
66
43
33
Beech Hill
33
24
20
24
South Lane
42
42
31
19
Northwest
20
24
25
10
South
14
20
13
174
156
139
99
School census figures for the districts in East Granville are not available for complete comparison, but the figures for the years 1846 and 1857 will serve to show the relative numbers in the two parts of the Town.
1846
1857
Northeast District
53
31
Southeast District
52
40
Center District
53
34
Southwest District
41
11
Northwest District
42
43
Stow District
6
9
247
168
Thus it will be seen that the total number of scholars in Granville
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HISTORY OF GRANVILLE
between the ages of four and sixteen years in 1846 was 403, and the number had been much larger forty years earlier. In 1857 the number had dropped to 267.
A few notations taken from the record of the Ore Hill School District covering the period from September 24, 1806, to Novem- ber 1, 1814, will give a glimpse of that school at that time. It was during this period that this district was divided into two. The Town had voted to make this division November 7, 1808, but from the district record it seems not to have been accomplished until some years later. At a meeting at the school house September 24, 1806, it was voted "to raise $16.00 for wood at a Dollar per cord." At another meeting October 22, 1807, it was voted "to build a school house and set it on Mr. Hezekiah Parsons' garden near the west end of the stone wall, it to be one story high with two chimneys and to be 20 feet by 30 feet and arched over head." And further "to raise $400.00 for the purpose and $50.00 additional to be paid in work and materials." The materials were to be paid in by March 1, and the cash by June 1. Levi Curtiss, Perry Babcock, Joel Parsons, Charles Curtiss and Nathan Parsons were chosen to be the building committee. Whether this building was an additional school house for the district, or was to take the place of one outgrown or destroyed by fire, is not at all clear.
At another meeting October 21, 1811, it was voted "to get 1/2 a cord of wood to each Scholler." And to inject a little excitement into an otherwise dull session, it was voted "to Draw for the getting of the wood." The name of the loser in this gamble does not appear. Further, it was voted that "if 1/2 cord per schollar" was not enough, then the committee was to get the balance.
At a meeting February 17, 1814, it was voted that the District Committee "save the Remains of the Late School House," and that "the Committees of the two Schools divide the wood." This vote would seem to indicate that the school house in the Ore Hill district had either been torn down or else partly destroyed by fire. In any event, Ore Hill was due to have one school house at least. In those days, even as now, the building of a school house was a task of no small difficulty.
At a meeting July 7, 1814, it was voted to build a school house
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THE SCHOOLS
on the southeast corner of Hezekiah Robinson's land and to level off the ground where "the late school house stood" and build a house without a fire place, and build it twenty feet by twenty-four feet with "a porch in front about four feet square." This building was to be nine feet between floors and to be finished by November 15, 1814. Also it was voted "to bid off the building of the house at vandue at the loest bidder." The committee was to get bids.
At a meeting on August 1, 1814, it was voted to raise money enough to pay the entire expense of building, and pay it in by November 1, 1814. It is very likely that the land on which the school house actually stood was given by the owner, upon the condition that when it ceased to be used for school purposes, it was to revert to the donor or his heirs. That was the custom in those days.
The situation was quite different in the then called "Meeting House School District" in East Granville where Israel Parsons gave a deed of a site for a school house to the Inhabitants of the Meeting House School District, dated June 18, 1816, which had a rather unsatisfactory description of the land given. It is stated to be "a piece of land in said District on the southwest corner of my Heater Lot, so-called, on which the new school house stands." There is nothing to indicate whether the area conveyed is large or small. This deed is recorded in Hampden Registry of Deeds in Volume 69 at page 343. The school house which stood on this land described in the Parsons deed is incorporated as a part of the house formerly occupied by Charles Flagg. It is the ell part extending toward the north from the main part of the house.
The records of the Northeast district, which in the early part of the nineteenth century was one of the large districts in town, if not the largest, throw more light on the schools. The records of this dis- trict appear to have been first kept in a book devoted to that purpose in 1824. Prior to that time, in some other districts at least, and very likely here as well, the record of each school meeting would be written out on a sheet of paper. If the district clerk was careful and methodical, the various record sheets would be kept together; but if he was not of that type, such single sheets would never be where they should be, and would soon be lost and gone. Without doubt
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HISTORY OF GRANVILLE
no written record ever existed of the earliest school meetings. This record of the Northeast district tells the story of that school from 1824 to 1857. The location of the first school house in that district is not now known, but the school building in use in 1824 was in all probability on the same spot, or very near the spot, where the school house built in 1854 or 1855 stood. It was a typical little red school house and it was situated on a knoll on the east side of the then used road near the Alanson Warner place, so-called. The school house in use in 1824 was heated by a fire-place and must have been far from being a new building, because its need for repairs was one of the subjects brought up at every meeting. The money to pay for such repairs was raised by a tax "on the schollar," as the clerk stated in the vote. This tax was laid by a committee chosen for that purpose and was collected by the district collector. The business of the school districts was conducted similarly to the business of the Town.
In addition to the ever present need for repairs, the matter of fuel was always needing attention. Of course the fuel was wood, but it had to be provided for; the amount needed must be fixed, the price per cord, the length of the stick, etc. Sometimes the man who furnished the wood would not pile it up, or would not throw it into the shed. And then it seems that sometimes the measure would be short, or it would be of a poorer quality than bargained for, so that every year a committee was chosen to "inspect the wood" and see that it conformed to the bid. The prevailing method of fixing the price was by auctioning it off to the lowest bidder at the school meeting. In 1824 it was bid off for seventy-five cents per cord. In 1826 it was to be furnished by the families sending scholars to the school. That year the supply was to be "3/4 of a chord for a schoolar" and those who failed to furnish their quota were to have the value of their share added to their school tax. In 1831 it was bid off at fifty-nine cents per cord. The next year it was fifty-eight cents. In 1851 it was struck off at forty-five cents per cord for eight- een inch wood. In 1856 it was forty-eight cents. The length of the wood was undoubtedly made to accommodate the stoves which were in use after the days of the fireplace.
On September 15, 1831, it was voted "to hire a stove for the
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THE SCHOOLS
ensuing winter with the privilege of returning it or buying it." Apparently this new fangled heating apparatus gave good satisfac- tion, for the next year the district voted to buy it and the pipe for $26.46, and to raise the money to pay for it by a tax "on the scholar." After a few years, however, this stove had served its pur- pose and was past its useful days, for on December 31, 1838, (a real nice time to have the heating plant break down) it was voted "to put a box stove in the school house, and sell the old stove and andirons."
The chief duty of the district committee was to fix the terms of the school and hire the teachers, when the Town committee did not usurp these functions. There were usually only two terms in a year ; summer term and winter term, and their length was ordinarily determined by the amount of money received from the Town. The winter term was three or four months long, beginning quite gen- erally the first Monday in November. In this district (the North- east) in 1824 it was voted to use two-thirds of the Town money for the winter term and to have a summer term to last as long as the money held out. The committee was usually composed of one. In 1830 it was voted that "the Committee hire a school dame" for the summer term, which was to run as long as the money lasted. In 1836 it was voted "to hire a man three months," but "if a female, then four months," and to hire the female boarded. For the winter term of 1837-8 a woman teacher was had. Theretofore only a man had been employed, as it was thought only a man could handle the scholars, some of whom were twenty years or more of age. In 1845 it was voted to have the committee hire teachers upon the condition "that they shall leave if the district is dissatisfied." In 1853 it was voted "that the Comttee hire teachers on condition that if he or she does not give general satisfaction, the teacher shall leave and the Comt. shall Lock up the house." There is no room for doubt about the meaning of that vote.
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