USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Our country and its people; a descriptive and biographical record of Bristol County, Massachusetts > Part 64
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In the years 1825 and 1826 the school fund was only $600, but it was soon raised to double that sum and remained at $1,200 during the years 1828, 1829 and 1830. In the latter year a school house was built at a cost of $350. In the last named year, also, Sheffield Weaver was authorized to sell the "old school house" in district No. 2, and the house "on the Indian Land," and also the land of the town where the old poorhouse stood. The building on the Indian land went to James G. Bowen for $1,750; the poorhouse land to Micah H. Ruggles for $4,250, and the other school house to Thomas Sanford for $350.
In March, 1827, an attempt was made to establish an infant school.
606
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
A long notice appeared in the Monitor, signed by Arnold Buffum, stating that tuition would be $1.50 per quarter, and fifty cents " for books, slates, prints, pencils, etc." The school was opened "in the chamber next door to the post-office for the reception of scholars from one to eight years of age." This school probably did not long continue.
In 1832 the school fund was raised to $2,500, and in 1833 it was $2,671.40. In the latter year a census was made which showed the number of families and also the number of scholars, as folows:
Children between 3 and 21.
Districts.
Children between 3 and 21.
District.
No. Families. 146
518
8
No. Families. 22
44
2
72
141
9
7 23
3
34
49
10
10
27
4
38
75
11
230
722
5
27
57
12
187.
569
6
17
39
13
16
36
7
10
26
14
29
68
845
2,402
What was known as the "green school house " was erected in Frank- lin street in 1832.
It will be noticed that in the date under consideration the number of divisions had increased by subdivision to fourteen, but no record is found of how or just when it was done. The Annawan grammar school was opened in 1834 in the old Congregational church, which was pur- chased and alterations made to adapt it to school purposes. Joseph F. Lindsey was principal.
In 1834 $3,000 was raised for the support of schools, and an interest in the old town house was transferred to district No. 4. In 1835 the school fund was $2,856.44, and in 1836 it was $3,500. In 1837 the treasurer was authorized by vote to subscribe for 160 shares of stock in the Fall River Athenaeum, costing $800, these shares to be repre- sented by the School Committee and to be held for the benefit of school children.
In April, 1837, it was voted that the town would sell a lot to school dis- trict No. 1, from the north part of the town hall lot, for $25 a rod. On June 5 of that year it was voted that the income accruing from money received from the State, as its portion of surplus revenue, be appropri- ated for the benefit of the common schools.
The school fund for 1838 was $4,575.67, and for the decade begin- ding with 1840 the fund was as follows:
1
1
1
607
THE CITY OF FALL RIVER.
1840, $5,000; 1841, $4,500; 1842, $5,200; 1843, $5,800; 1844, $5,800; 1845, $6,000; 1846, $7,000; 1847, $7,500; 1848, $8,600; 1849, $11,000. In the year 1841 a code of school regulations was issued by the General School Committee to which many took more or less exception, and two additional members were appointed on that committee. The matter was a subject of much discussion and considerable opposition, but the regulations were finally adopted.
In 1843 the number of districts in the town was still fourteen, with three schools in district No. 1; three in No. 2; six (five primary and one grammar) in No. 11; four (three primary and one grammar) in No. 12. A redistricting of the town took place in 1844, by which the former district No. 11 was made No. 1; No. 1 was made No. 2; No. 2 was made No. 5; No. 4 was made No. 7; No. 3 was made No. 6; No. 5 was made No. 8; No. 6 was made No. 9; No. 13 was made No. 10; No. 8 was made No. 11; No. 7 was made No. 12; No. 10 was made No. 13, and No. 9 was made No. 14. (For further details of this division see vol. III, pp. 66-9, town records. )
In 1845 the High Street grammar school was organized and districts Nos. 2, 4 and 5 were united to make a new No. 2. The school was opened for a short time in a small house on Franklin street, until the new High Street building could be completed. This structure was called by the local press, " a noble structure."
In 1846 the sum of $850 was appropriated to purchase school appa- ratus, under the direction of the committee. In 1848 the first effort was made to raise funds for opening evening schools.
The time had now arrived when the need of a high school was felt, and measures were adopted in 1849 to establish an institution of that kind. It was voted that $1,500 out of the $11,000 appropriated in that year should be devoted to founding and opening a high school, and the General School Committee was given authority to carry out the plans. The school was opened under the principalship of George B. Stone, in a small building at the east extremity of Franklin street. A like sum was appropriated for the school in 1850, in which year a proposition came before the committee to purchase fifty-two rods of land from the school lot of district No. 2 for $500, to be used as a site for a high school building. Another proposition of that year was to make this purchase and erect a stone building at a cost of $5,000, for which the money was to be borrowed. In July it was proposed to appoint a committee of sixteen persons to take full charge of the project; when voted upon
608
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
this proposition was lost. In April, 1851, the high school matter was referred to a committee of five, consisting of Dr. Foster Hooper, Jesse Eddy, Israel Buffinton, Nathaniel B. Borden and P. W. Leland. This committee made an early report in favor of at once erecting a suitable building for the school, and suggested several sites, among them the corner of Rock and High streets, at a cost of $3,100; corner of June and Locust streets, costing $1,000; on the east side of Main street, costing $3,100; the west side of Main street, at $50 per rod; the Exchange Hotel property on Rock street, at $4,000. The committee decided that $6,500 would purchase the lot on the corner of June and Locust streets and build thereon a wooden school house, or $8,000 for a brick struc- ture. The Selectmen decided to build of wood and appointed a build- ing committee of three. A further appropriation was subsequently made of $1,000 for furnishing the building. The school was removed to this building in January, 1853. Principal Stone resigned his position in May, 1855, and was succeeded by James B. Pearson.
A grammar school was opened on June street in 1851, where ninety scholars attended that year. In 1855 a new school building was erected on Maple street, and a school opened under Principal Albion K. Slade, with 130 scholars that year. From 1850 to 1852 inclusive the annual school fund was $11,000, out of which $1,500 was annually appropri- ated for the High School. For the remainder of that decade the funds were as follows:
Year.
Schools.
High School. Schools. Evening
Year.
Schools.
High
Evening School. Schools.
1853
$10,220
$1,524.07
1857
$15,988
$500
1854
10,000
2,000.00
1858
15,500
1855
13,500 15,000
2,000.00
$500 500
1859
16.000
600
1856
1,855.97
The number of scholars in the village was now 2,855. In 1855 the number of scholars between the ages of five and fifteen years was 2, 738. There were then thirty-one schools in the city, employing sixty five teachers. The locations of the schools were as follows: Grammar schools on Annawan, High and Maple streets; two primary on Anna- wan street; two on Canal street; two on Columbia street; two on Town avenue; two on Bedford street; two on High street; two on Maple street. All of these were conducted on the graded system. In 1858 eleven of the schools were still in what was termed " the rural region," and all the other buildings, excepting No. 7, were, according to a report, "small, old, and dilapidated;" from which statement it will be seen
609
THE CITY OF FALL RIVER.
that the present splendid educational system and facilities of Fall River are the creation of comparatively recent years. In 1862 there were in the city twenty-six school houses and forty-three schools. The acces- sion of Rhode Island territory when the boundary was changed added six districts and ten schools. There were then seven grammar schools, three of which were in charge of a principal and two assistants; these were on High, Annawan and Maple streets; the others were taught by a single person. On the 22d of May, 1862, a special school was opened for children who were employed a part of each day in factories. Charles C. Terry was the principal and the attendance on the first day was 146. The number of school children at that date was 3,086, be- sides 823 brought in with the new territory, making a total of 3,909. In 1864 the district system was abolished and the duties of the former prudential commissioners devolved upon the city committee on public property.
In 1863 three grammar schools, Fourth street, Mount Hope and No. 6 on the Taunton Road, were changed to intermediate schools, and a grammar and primary school were established on Osborn street. The Bedford and the High Street buildings were enlarged and a new one built "over the pond." The number of school children increased to 4,012, and the estimated amount of the school fund was $23, 500, and $500 for evening schools.
There was little further change in the educational situation in the city, aside from the normal growth, until 1865, when the Council, on recommendation of the School Committee, passed an ordinance creat- ing the office of Superintendent of Public Schools, and Rev. Daniel W. Stevens was the first person to hold that office. At this time, when there were four Normal schools in the State, only two students were in attendance from Fall River; in the previous year there was none, and the committee thought there should be an immediate change in this respect. The new superintendent reported that he found the school houses " poor, ill-ventilated and not properly heated." The number of school children was then 4,164. In 1866 the superintendent began making improvements in the High and Grammar schools. Statistics showed that at this time Fall River was the lowest in the whole State, ex- cepting Peru, in proportionate average attendance. This condition was, of course, due largely to the extensive employment of children in the mills. The average attendance was 2,688, and the number of school children was 4,330.
77
610
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
In 1867 a grammar school building was erected on Morgan street for accommodation of 560 scholars; the High Street grammar school build- ing was remodeled and Malcolm W. Tewksbury succeeded Mr. Stevens as superintendent.
In 1868 the records show that there were then in operation in the city one high school, with four teachers; three grammar schools with eleven teachers; twelve intermediate schools with thirteen teachers; twenty-three primary schools with thirty-three teachers; ten mixed mixed schools with ten teachers; one factory school with four teachers, and two evening schools-fifty-two in all. The number of school chil- dren was then 5,734.
In 1869 it was decided to ask for three new two story school build- ings; one on Bedford street above the Merchants Mill; one west of South' Main street, near Washington; one at Bowenville, north of Pres- ident avenue. The number of school children was 6,089. The follow- ing table shows in concise form the increase in school expenses from year to year in the decade of 1860-70:
1860
expended $15,704.26
1861
17,000.00
1862
19,231.00
1863
20,864.17
1864
24,123.75
1868
66
38,200.00
1869
43,705.78
The three new school buildings before mentioned were erected in 1870, of brick, and an industrial and mechanical drawing school was opened with attendance of 250. The records show that in 1871 there were fifty-nine schools, employing eighty teachers, besides three even- ing schools. The value of school buildings and lots was estimated as $299,184.65, as against $183,013.79 in 1870. Measures were adopted that year for building a new school house at Steep Brook, which was accomplished in 1872, and five others were recommended. Their erec- tion was generally favored by progressive citizens and the public press of the community. In 1872 William Connell was chosen superintend- ent of schools and very efficiently performed the arduous duties of the office until his death, June 23, 1894, when he was succeeded by the present superintendent, William C. Bates. Measures were adopted in the school year closing April 13, 1873, authorizing the school committee on public instruction of the Council, in February, to obtain plans for
611
THE CITY OF FALL RIVER.
three new school buildings on lots previously bought, and erect houses at a cost of not more than $200,000.
The report for the school year closing in April, 1874, shows that the city owned twenty-nine school houses, four of which were of brick, and twenty-five of wood, and one building was hired for school purposes. At that time there had just been built or were in process of building, one on Flint street, one at Copicut, one at Quequechan called the Davis school, one at Globe Village called the Slade school, and one on Brant street. All of these are the well known structures still in use. The Davis building, of brick, contained ten rooms; the Slade building is a fine granite structure. A law of 1873 instituted compulsory school at- tendance in the city.
The great benefits derived from opening the early factory schools, the first one in 1868, were at once perceptible, and they were rapidly increased in number and accommodations until in 1875 there were eight in operation and all were well attended.
In 1875-6 the Fourth Street school was removed to Warren street and used for primary purposes, and measures were adopted for the erection of a new house on Tucker street. In the report of the committee of that year the rapid increase of parochial schools was deplored, and the fact stated that there were more than 1,000 scholars in attendance at such schools at that time, most of whom were of primary school age. The teaching in these schools was mainly in the French language. In that year also the factory schools were abolished and a law went into effect requiring children from ten to fourteen years of age to attend the regular schools at least twenty weeks of each year.
In the year 1876-7 the High. School was divided and placed in two buildings in separate parts of the city, the new one being opened in the Davenport building, with two teachers. The old National Hall was removed from Morgan and South Main streets to Osborn street and re- modeled for school purposes. A new one story wooden building was erected on Tucker street and the Border City two story brick house was completed. In the next year a two-story wooden building was erected on Pine street. In 1878-9, three buildings, one on Pleasant street, one on Danforth street, and one on Lindsey street in Mechanics- ville, were completed, giving the city thirty-two school houses, of which one was of granite; seven of brick, and twenty-four of wood. Follow- ing are statistics of the decade from 1870 to 1880:
612
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Expended. No. of children
1871
$53,000
5,878
1872
60,000
6,968
1873
70,000
7,581
1874
90,000
9,062
1875
86,684.31 9,988
1876
97,000
8,864
1877
100,000
9,047
1878
95,000
9,604
1879
78,000
9,155
1880
80,000
_9,363
In the winter of 1880-81 the new school house. on Broadway was completed. In this year the training of teachers was instituted by placing inexperienced teachers in various schools to serve one term without pay, thus giving them practical experience in the lower grades of their profession and fitting them for the higher.
From 1880 to the present time the material growth of the Fall River schools may be briefly summarized. In 1881-82 buildings were erected on Lincoln and Cambridge streets; the fund for new buildings in that year was $22,693.40. In 1882 an addition was made to the Ferry Lane building. On February 5 of this year a proposition was communicated by John S. Brayton from Mrs. Mary B. Young to the effect that she would erect and furnish on a lot bounded by Locust, High, Cherry and Rock streets, a high school building and present it with an endowment fund of $50,000. This very generous offer was at once accepted by the city through a special committee, consisting of Henry K. Braley, James F. Jackson, A. M. Jackson, William Connell, Thomas F. Eddy, Hugh McKevitt, Henry H. Earl, J. Henry Wells and M. H. Connelly. The building was commenced in 1883 and was completed and occupied in the fall of 1887. This magnificent structure occupies a commanding situation and covers an area of over 20,000 square feet. The exterior walls of the four elevations are of granite, surmounted with steep slated roofs, the whole in the modern renaissance style. The conspic- uous features of the architecture are seen in a clock tower, an observa- tory tower and a central pavilion, with the steep roofs. The plan of the building is somewhat irregular in outline, with a length of 253 feet, a greatest width of ninety feet and smallest width sixty feet. The in- direct steam heating plan was adopted, which gives perfect ventilation. The building is equivalent to four stories in height, with a subterranean story. It contains twelve school rooms, a chemical laboratory, a chem- ical lecture hall, a physical lecture hall, library, masters' and reception
613
THE CITY OF FALL RIVER.
rooms, exhibition hall, gymnasium, mechanical drawing room, and a large room for industrial science. All of the floors of the corridors and the roofs are constructed of iron and masonry, and the other floor sur- face throughout the building is made fire proof. The corridor floors are tiled in marble, and the general interior finish is oak. The observ- atory tower is surrounded by a copper-covered dome, revolving on the most modern principle, and equipped with a fine Warner & Swasey telescope, fitted with modern mechanism. Altogether this school building, which bears the name of the B. M. C. Durfee High School, in honor of Bradford Matthew Chaloner Durfee, whose untimely death is still mourned, is hardly surpassed by any structure for similar pur- poses in the country. The dedication of the new High School took place on the 15th of June, 1887, which was the anniversary of the birth of Mr. Durfee, in presence of more than 1,500 people. Mrs. Mary B. Young, accompanied by her brother, John S. Brayton, took her place in the audience just before the beginning of the exercises, while the whole audience rose to do her honor. Mr. Brayton acted as president of the day, and delivered an address in which he gave a history of the great benefaction, which was followed by an oration by Rev. Roswell D. Hitchcock, D. D., LL. D., president of Union Theological School, New York. Other speakers on the occasion were Governor Ames, and Hon. John W. Dickinson, secretary of the State Board of Education. The formal presentation of the building to the city was then made by Mr. Brayton, which was followed by an address of acceptance for the city by Mayor Cummings.
The principalship of the High School was resigned by James B. Pearson in August, 1858, who was succeeded by Charles B. Goff. He was followed in 1864 by Albion K. Slade, who was succeeded in 1874 by William H. Lambert. W. T. Leonard succeeded in 1879, and was succeeded by Mr. Lambert, who died in 1889, when, in 1890, Robert T. Leighton accepted the position and held it until his death on No- vember 4, 1890. The present principal, Charles C. Ramsay, then took the position.
Returning to the history of the other schools of the city in 1882, it is found that they then included the following, the names being those by which they are generally known : High, Borden, Davis, High Street, Maple Street, Morgan Street, Slade, Annawan Street, Border City, Brown, Broadway, Cambridge Street, Danforth Street, Davenport, June Street, Linden Street, Mechanicsville, Pine Street, Robeson,
614
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Bedford Street, Canal Street, Columbia Street, Chace, Flint Street, Ferry Lane, Lincoln Street, Osborn Street, Pleasant Street, Town Avenue, Third Street, Almshouse, Copicut, Indian Town, Lower New Boston, Steep Brook, Tucker Street, Upper New Boston-thirty-seven in all. Most of these titles indicate the locations of the schools. In the following year another school was added in Buffinton street. Of these thirty eight buildings one was granite, seven of brick, and thirty of wood.
In August, 1884, the law went into effect providing that every school committee should purchase at the expense of their city or town, text books and other school supplies to be given to the scholars free of charge. Fall River had adopted a free school book system ten years earlier (in 1873) under a permissive act. The School Committee at that time voted that they would purchase at the expense of the city all text books, stationery, etc., needed in the public schools. The super- intendent was directed to make the purchases. The system went into operation in 1874 in which year $11,261.90 were expended for the pur- pose. The annual cost after that year down to and including 1883 is as follows: 1875, $5,288.15; 1876, $4,370.65; 1877, $5,342.51; 1878, $5,425.60; 1879, $4,966.58; 1880, $6,609.02; 1881, 6,709.06; 1882, $6,093.68; 1883, $6,408.06. The principal benefits resulting from the adoption of this system were the relief afforded to the poor; a great saving in total cost of books used; prompt supply of books when needed, and increased school attendance.
In 1884 the sum of $35,830.87 was expended in school buildings, those erected being on Mt. Hope avenue, Covel 'street, and Brownell street. New rules and regulations governing the conduct of the schools and school officials were adopted in 1886 and these were again materially changed and extended in 1894. The occupancy of the new Durfee High School in 1886 made it possible to vacate three rooms in the Davenport school building and the whole of the June Street build- ing. On the 19th of March of that year the City Hall was burned, destroying nearly all the school records and documents.
An act took effect October 1, 1887, against the employment of chil- dren under fourteen years of age who could not read and write Eng- lish, excepting in vacations or where evening schools were in operation, and fines were imposed for violations of the law. The School Com - mittee were, however, given power, in their discretion to issue permits for such employment of children in exceptional cases.
The records of 1888 show that the city at that date owned forty-two
RT Davis
avro
615
THE CITY OF FALL RIVER.
school buildings, containing 182 study rooms, and thirty recitation rooms; six of the buildings were of one story, twenty-seven of two stories, and nine of three stories; thirty-three were of wood, two of granite and seven of brick.
In 1889 the Davis Prize Fund was established by Dr. Robert T. Davis, a progressive citizen and active friend of education. The fund con- sisted of ten shares of Robeson Mills stock, the income from which has been expended in prize medals for meritorious scholarship in certain directions.
In 1890 school buildings on Eastern avenue, Fulton street and Laurel street were begun and preliminary steps taken for erection of a new structure on Flint street. At that time there were 137 district schools in the city, employing 246 teachers.
In 1891 a teachers' training school was successfully and permanently founded, and has continued in prosperous existence since, to the great benefit of local teachers. In the next year the new Flint school and a building on Osborn street were erected, containing eight rooms each and accommodating about 800 scholars. The Flint street building was given the name Davol school, and the one on Osborn street, that of Osborn school. In 1893 two rooms each were added to the Tucker Street and Buffinton Street buildings, and the Robeson and Borden buildings were remodeled and their capacity doubled. An eight room structure was in process of construction on Pleasant street (the Cough- lin school) and one of the same capacity (the William Connell school) on the Eight-rod Way; also a four-room brick building on Harrison street. These were finished and occupied in 1894-5, greatly increasing. the school accommodations. At the same time and in response to pop- ular desire and generally acknowledged necessity, the heating and ven- tilation of several of the older structures were modernized and im- proved.
The following additional school statistics, in continuation of those already given, bring the record down to the present time:
Year.
Appropriated.
Children Enrolled.
Year.
1882
$93,000
10,361
1890
Appropriated. $134,000
11,339
1883
96,000
10,242
1891
135,000
11,732
1884
102,500
10,433
1892
145,000
12,185
1885
108,000
10,430
1893
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