USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Dedham > The record of the town meetings, and abstract of births, marriages, and deaths, in the town of Dedham, Massachusetts, 1887-1896 > Part 50
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DEDICATION OF
branch Library at East Dedham; and also that the com- mittee mentioned above, "consider the expediency of pro- viding suitable accommodations for such Branch Library, in the proposed new Avery School-house building."
At an adjourned meeting of the Town held on May 14, upon the report of the Committee, it was
Voted, That the Town proceed to erect on the Avery lot, in place of the present school-house, a nine-room school-house with a hall on the second floor, at an expense not exceeding $35,000, including contingent and unforeseen expenses.
At the same meeting the Town voted to purchase addi- tional land on the south side of the lot, of Felix Dowd, at a cost of $1200, and to appropriate $800 for grading the lot as enlarged. The Selectmen and Treasurer were authorized to borrow the $37,000, thus voted, " upon the bonds, notes and script of the Town, payable in such instalments as are re- quired by law, over a period of twenty years, with interest payable semi-annually, and at a rate not exceeding 4 per cent per annum." " To carry into effect the foregoing votes relating to the purchase of land and erection of said school- house," the Town chose a committee consisting of Frederick D. Ely, Thomas P. Murray, Robert H. O. Schulz, James T. Clark, and Julius H. Tuttle ; and this committee was given power "to sell at public auction the present Avery school- house building. " The Building Committee immediately entered upon the work entrusted to their care ; and a state- ment of their doings will be found in the Appendix.
On April 1, 1895, at the annual Town meeting it was voted to raise and appropriate additional money for the com- pletion of the building, furnishing the same, and grading the grounds. At the same time $3700 was appropriated to pur- chase land to add to the Avery school-lot, as follows: "Land of Dowd, extending from line of present lot of Avery School to Mother Brook, and bounded on the east by land of Green- hood; land of Greenhood, between Dowd land and proposed street ; land of McCarthy, bounded by land of Greenhood,
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THE AVERY SCHOOL.
Avery School, Chauncey street and proposed street." The School Committee were authorized and requested to make this purchase ; and they were also requested to "allow the Superintendent of Streets to take, from time to time, such material as in their opinion will not injure said land for school purposes," and all material so taken was "to be credited by the street department to the schools, at the same price as would be paid elsewhere." For convenience the amount paid for land, under this vote, has been inserted in the finan- cial statement of the Building Committee.
Again on September 16, in Town meeting assembled, it was voted to raise and appropriate "the sum of $2500, for finishing and furnishing the Avery School-house, grading · the lot on which it stands, and digging and building cess- pools on said lot." A vote was also passed "to instruct the School Committee to insure the new Avery School building against loss by fire ; " and the amount paid in accordance with this instruction will be found in the financial state- ment of the School Committee.
The new Avery building was completed and ready for the exercises of dedication on September 2, 1895, and for the use of the school on the following day ..
TABLET PLACED ON THE BUILDING.
1 784. AVERY SCHOOL.
1895.
NAMED IN MEMORY OF DR. WILLIAM AVERY, OF DEDHAM, PROMINENT IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE TOWN, WHO IN 1680 GAVE £60 TOWARDS THE SUPPORT OF A LATIN SCHOOL.
£
THE SCHOOL HALL.
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EXERCISES IN THE SCHOOL HALL.
SEPTEMBER 2, 1895.
ON the afternoon of Labor Day, at the appointed hour, two o'clock, the hall of the new building was filled with an audience fully in sympathy with the day, and the event which had thus called them together. Every feature of the occasion was an inspiration to something better, and every patriotic sentiment from the platform found a quick and hearty response from the hearers. Interest in the welfare and progress of the young people of the town underlay the common purpose of the gathering. It was a pleasant sight to see both young and old so deeply interested in the new building, and the noble purposes to which it was about to be dedicated.
A noteworthy feature of the occasion was the chorus of fifty pupils from the school, under the leadership of our director of music in the public schools, Mr. Samuel W. Cole. The excellence of the music, combined with an interesting flag movement. added much to the pleasure of the afternoon. .
The Chairman of the day, Hon. Frederick D. Ely, then spoke briefly :-
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£
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DEDICATION OF
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :- We are convened on this occasion to dedicate this new and commodious structure to the uses of our free public schools. Let us all reverently join with Rev. Lewis P. Cushman, while he invokes the divine blessing.
I.
PRAYER.
REV. LEWIS P. CUSHMAN.
ALMIGHTY GOD, maker of heaven and earth, judge of all men and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank Thee that we are not a nation of Atheists; we thank Thee that we are not a nation of Polytheists ; we thank Thee that we are not a nation of Infidels. Upon the coin of our country we inscribe " In God we Trust." We thank Thee for the form of Christian civilization under which we have received our birth, our education and are spending our probationary state. We thank Thee for the men and women who early settled this country and gave to us the Christian Church, an open Bible for every man to read and to form his own theol- ogy between himself and his God alone. We thank Thee for the system of education they established and for their willingness to sacrifice in the midst of their poverty to secure an education for their sons and daughters. We thank Thee that the early settlers of this town maintained a similar interest. We thank Thee for an Avery in whose honor this magnificent building, so perfect in all its arrangements, is dedicated to the purposes of education. We crave thy blessing upon the authorities of this town, upon the school board and upon the educators in our public schools ; help them ever to remember that this is America and that the common school is ever one of America's peculiar children.
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THE AVERY SCHOOL.
And now, O Father, accept of this offering that the people of this town have made, and let the streams of influence which go from it be like the river of life, proceeding from the throne of the Eternal, and to Thee, O Father, Son and Holy Ghost, will we ascribe all the glory and praise. For ever and ever. Amen.
THE CHAIRMAN,-Ladies and Gentlemen, the next number on our programme is a hymn written for this occasion by the Rev. Joshua F. Packard. It is so excellent, and so aptly expresses the meaning of this occasion that, with your permission, I will read it, and then it will be sung by the children.
II.
ORIGINAL HYMN.
REV. JOSHUA F. PACKARD.
TUNE-AMERICA ..
Our country, thou art dear ; In love we gather here, To sound thy praise. Joyous the song we sing, Glad tribute now we bring, And before Heaven's King Our voices raise.
Our country's flag we love, That in the blue above, Floats in the breeze ; Long may that banner be Emblem of liberty, Floating in majesty On land and seas.
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DEDICATION OF
To-day with joy we come, Thankful for bliss of home Where freedom rules. Grateful to God are we, That strength of liberty Is found, and ere shall be, In public schools.
This temple now we give To truth that e'er shall live, And shall not die. Long may the structure stand, Proclaiming in our land Truths which are ever grand, Truths born on high.
THE CHAIRMAN,-Ladies and Gentlemen, the keys of this building will now be delivered by the Secretary of the Building Committee, Mr. ROBERT H. O. SCHULZ.
III.
DELIVERY OF THE KEYS BY THE BUILDING COMMITTEE.
ROBERT H. O. SCHULZ.
[The substance of his remarks will be found in the Report of the Committee, given in the appendix.]
Mr. Schulz gave briefly an account of the work done by the Committee, and the several steps in the construction of the building. He spoke of the satisfactory manner in which all the details have been carried out. In conclusion he said that the new building would be a lasting benefit to the peo- ple of East Dedham, and one of which they could justly feel proud.
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THE AVERY SCHOOL.
THE CHAIRMAN, - Ladies and Gentlemen, the keys will now be received by the School Committee, through one of its members who is also a member of the Building Committee, Mr. JULIUS H. TUTTLE.
IV.
RECEPTION OF THE KEYS IN BEHALF OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
JULIUS H. TUTTLE.
MR. CHAIRMAN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :- In behalf of the School Committee, it gives me pleasure to accept these keys in recognition of the trust now placed in our charge, and at the same time, to assume the responsibility for its best care and highest service to the people of Dedham. I am happy, also, to express the complete satisfaction of the Committee with the building and its convenient, well-lighted rooms ; and also to express the belief that it will continue to be a source of encouragement and inspiration to all who have any connection with our public schools.
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As we receive this charge to-day, we are reminded anew of the obligation resting upon us to give to your children the most complete and practical education which our common schools can afford. To this end the thorough development necessary is interwoven with those influences which lead to strength of character and to good citizenship. To aid us in our efforts you have caused this building to be erected, and have generously contributed for the purpose. Such liberal- ity is highly commendable, and, while it will serve as a good example to follow hereafter, it will at once have a decided tendency to elevate the standard of our school system.
It is especially fitting that this new structure should be dedicated at the threshold of another 250 years of our school
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DEDICATION OF
history, marking, as it does, the period of our recent celebra- tion and a new step in the progress of our public school education. Lying at the foundation of our civil and social structure, the schools have never ceased to receive the most careful consideration of the people of this town since its early days. They have never failed to show their true mis- sion to thoughtful persons, and they still appeal to parents and citizens for undivided support and attention. We look to them as the promoters and the safeguard of our civil institutions.
From the entrance to school until graduation the young mind is developed into a strong and noble character, fitted for practical life, not alone, but side by side with other chil- dren, without distinction of any kind, either social, political or otherwise. Here all stand upon an equal footing; and in such a relation there begins and is fostered that unconscious influence which binds our people together in a common pur- pose and a common destiny. The strength of such associa- tion, growing during the tender years of youth, is not easily broken and forms the golden thread of our progressive American life, and becomes a rich legacy to our people.
The Avery School has an interesting and instructive history, and in point of time it nearly spans our independ- ence as a nation. Its record has always been good, and to-day the high degree of efficiency attained is due to the devotion and noble efforts of Mr. Dorus F. Howard, our principal, during fifteen years of service, and to the faithful, conscientious work of his associate teachers. Such a con- dition of things, in a large measure, finds repetition in the schools of the town under the present wise and skillful superintendence. These are both subjects of congratulation by us all, and merit our warmest approval. With these pleasant surroundings, I am sure that both teachers and pupils will find cause for added interest and encouragement in their work.
THE AVERY SCHOOL. 17
It is clear that parents and citizens have never failed to express their deep convictions of the importance of a gener- ous support of the public schools ; and it is needless to say that they recognize in them a great blessing to the com- munity far beyond the value of dollars and cents. It is this measure of their service which makes our duty plain and which prompts us to continued and active exertions for the education and welfare of our children. We desire to ex- press to the citizens of Dedham our appreciation of the prompt and timely action in furnishing the means for the erection and completion of this beautiful structure, and to express the hope that it will stand, an enduring monument to such action and to all that is best for the good of our schools.
V.
SONG.
How Merry the Life of a Bird must be. BY THE SCHOOL.
VI.
ADDRESS OF DEDICATION.
HON. FREDERICK D. ELY.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :- To-day Labor looks up, and is glad in the midst of its toil. It is Labor's holiday. The offices of the departments of the State Government are closed, the honorable judges of our courts suspend their labors, the great financial institutions, the princely mercantile houses, the manufacturing and agricultural industries pause, and all our people, with one accord, devote this day to a universal and harmonious expression of the value and dig- nity of labor.
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DEDICATION OF
The entire history of Massachusetts is filled with good works, as is the firmament with stars upon a cloudless night. Here, as nowhere else, have the rights and interests of the plain people been promoted and preserved. Twice, at least, in her history, has this fact been pre-eminently exemplified. In her colonial days she passed an ordinance by which edu- cation for the first time in the annals of mankind was made universal and free. In 1869 she established the first bureau of the statistics of labor recorded in the history of the world. It was the duty of this bureau to collect and publish "statis- tical details relating to all departments of labor in the Com- monwealth, especially in its relations to the commercial, industrial, social, educational and sanitary conditions of the laboring classes, and to the permanent prosperity of the pro- ductive industry of the Commonwealth."
Difficult would be the task of him who should seek to find in the decrees, ordinances or laws of the nations of the earth two other governmental acts as equally freighted with blessings to the toiling masses of humanity. Education of the people and elevation of labor? Richest jewels in the diadem of our beloved Commonwealth !
No radiant pearl which crested Fortune wears, No gem that twinkling hangs from Beauty's ears,
Not the bright stars, which Night's blue arch adorn, Nor rising suns that gild the vernal morn, Shine with such lustre.
Deeply imbued with the distinctive significance of this holiday consecrated to the interests of Labor, and thoroughly alive to the influence of education in promoting the pros- perity and welfare of all our people, and especially of our wage-earners, your Committee, with great propriety, as they believe, have selected this day for the dedication of this new building to the uses of our free public schools.
It is interesting to note the order of the establishment of our public schools. It indicates the centres of population as they formed successively in the several sections.of the town.
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THE AVERY SCHOOL.
Confining ourselves to the schools within the present bound- aries of Dedham, you will all remember that the first free public school was established on the first day of the eleventh month, 1644-5, (new style, January 11), and continued to be the only public school in Dedham until the year 1717. At a town meeting held May 13, 1717, the town voted to re- move the school to several parts of the town. The following winter the school was kept in the school-house near the meet- ing house until January 20, and from that date till the general meeting in March at the house of James Fisher, at the Clapboardtrees. Thus was organized the Fisher School. This school was not, however, named for this James Fisher, but in honor of Ebenezer Fisher, who, in his will, made a be- quest of $600, the interest of which was to be expended an- nually for the support of the school. This plan of keeping the school by removal in several parts of the town continued for nearly 40 years. A little later than 1717 one teacher kept the school one half the year in the schoolhouse near the meeting house, one quarter of the year at the Clapboardtrees, and one quarter at East Street. Thus originated the Endi- cott School.
The fourth school, known as the Dexter School, dates from about 1774. The Colburn School was probably estab- lished about the same time, and the Burgess School about 1778. Next in order came the Avery School. It was the seventh of Dedham's present schools, and the last established in the eighteenth century. The High School was established in 1851, the Quincy School in 1872, the Oakdale School in 1873, the Islington in 1876, and the Riverdale in 1885.
The origin of the Avery School is found in a vote of the town, at a meeting held on May 27, 1784, in the meeting house of the First Parish, by adjournment from May 10th of the same year. The record is as follows :-
The Town took into consideration the Petition of ME. Israel Fairbanks and others, praying that they may draw their propor- tion of School Money, S' Petition being referred from March to this Meeting.
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DEDICATION OF
Whereas We your Humble Petitioners which have not an Equal Privilege to Sending to School that other Parts of the Town have by reason of being so great a distance & the present Schools so full we find but Little Benefit of our Proportion of School Money which has movd we the Subscribers to Request this favour of the Town to Be Set off from the School we now Belong and to Draw our Proportion of School money and to Dis- pose of it to the Use and Benefit of Schooling as the Petitioners see fit.
DEDHAM, Jan'y 29th 1784
Signed by
Israel Fairbank Wm Paul Jonathan Daman Joseph Swan Samuel Daman Thomas How Thomas How J' Wm Whiting Israel Fairbank J' Stephen Whiting Solomon Whiting Joseph Whiting Moses Whiting Aaron Whiting Abner Whiting Paul Lewis Paul Whiting Joseph Whiting J' Eben" Paul Lem1 Badlam William Badlam.
The Town Voted to Grant the foregoing Request, and that the Petitioners be allowed to draw their proportion of School Money, and to use it according to the Prayer thereof.
The first teacher of this school, so far as the record shows, was John Wiswall, who had charge of it in 1786-7 and 1787-8. This John Wiswall appears to have been a sensible man, for, although a citizen of Newton, he had mar- ried a few years earlier one of the fair daughters of Dedham, Lois Worsley.
The date of the building of the first school-house in this district is unknown, but it stood on Walnut street, nearly opposite the residence of Dr. Babcock. That part of High Street new remaining from the railroad crossing in Dedham Village to Boyden's Square was not laid out and accepted by the town until Nov. 3, 1806. Prior to this date the most direct road between the two villages was East Street and Walnut Street. The school-house was therefore naturally located on Walnut Street as the principal street of the vil- lage. This original schoolhouse is said to be still in exist-
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THE AVERY SCHOOL.
ence, transformed into a dwelling-house, and standing at the corner of Curve and Belknap streets.
I find few records of this school district until the year 1808, but from that time onward the records are well kept and in good condition. In these early years the schools were under the direct control of the town; and, although the school district was recognized as an entity for certain purposes, it was not made a corporation empowered to hold property until 1817.
In the earliest records of this district I find two prac- tices which are curiosities to us of the present day. At a meeting held in 1808 it was voted that the boarding of the master be put out to the lowest bidder. Accordingly the auction was held, 10 shillings, ($1.67) per week was the lowest bid, and Rufus Whiting the successful bidder. At a meeting held in 1809 it was voted that the several individuals of this school district furnish half a foot of pine wood to each scholar they send, and that Rufus Whiting inspect and measure the wood. Clearly, Rufus Whiting was an impor- tant man in the district.
The smallness of the first school-house for the needs of the growing district became serious in 1822. and certain al- terations were made. But these proved insufficient, and at a meeting of the district, held on Sept. 28, 1825, it was voted by a vote of 11 to 1 to build a new schoolhouse. A commit- tee was appointed to consider what the building should be, who reported on Oct. 5 in favor of a structure of brick, 30 feel long and 25 feet wide. The meeting decided to build of wood. A. lot of land was purchased, located on High Street, being the lot or part of the lot on which the Elmwood House now stands, and the new schoolhouse was erected in 1826. The building committee, consisting of Lemuel Whit- ing, Frederick A. Taft and George Ellis, made their final report on April 3, 1827. The land cost $15, and the build- ing, $661.16. The committee sold the old schoolhouse for $30.
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DEDICATION OF
This schoolhouse proved inadequate within 12 years, and at a meeting held on March 11, 1839, the district appointed a committee to devise the best method of building a new schoolhouse ; but the project hung in suspense five years. At a meeting held on March 26, 1844, however, "after a very able address by Ezra W. Taft," as the record tells us, the district, by a vote of 35 to 22, voted to build a new school- house. A building committee was appointed, consisting of Ezra W. Taft, Thomas Barrows, William Whiting, Isaac Whiting and David Wilder. A part of the present site was purchased. The erection of the building was immediately begun and prosecuted with vigor, and the final report of the committee was dated March 10, 1845. The building and land cost $3612.27. Fourteen years later this building was likewise found inadequate to the needs of the school, and after some delay, on May 28, 1860, the district voted to en- large the schoolhouse. A committee of fifteen, with Ezra W. Taft as chairman, was appointed, with full power. This committee moved the old building further from the street, and erected a transverse front, 62} feet long by 31} feet wide, at an expense of $5911.80. The final report of the committee was made and accepted December 19, 1860.
However well this building served the requirements of the school in the years following its erection, it outlived its usefulness several years ago. The school district having been abolished, the duty of erecting a new schoolhouse rested upon the town. In a number of able reports, the School Committee urged the necessity of immediate action. Once the town voted to build a new schoolhouse, and appropriated $50,000 therefor, but almost immediately thereafter rescinded its action. At another time the question was considered and debated in town meeting and referred to a committee, but no further favorable action taken. Everybody admitted the unfitness of the existing structure, but the main question was embarrassed by questions of location and consolidation of the Avery and Quincy Schools, and no agreement was possible. The School Committee again brought the subject
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THE AVERY SCHOOL.
to the attention of the town in their report of 1893, and, at the annual town meeting, the town voted to erect a new school-house. The structure in which we are convened is the result.
In the erection of this building it was the purpose of the town to meet all the requirements of the best art and skill of the architect and builder of to-day, and to construct a building that in its plan, finish, ventilation, heating and sanitary properties, should be of the best modern type. In carrying out the purposes of the town, the building Com- mittee have been faithful. It is for you to say whether or not they have been successful.
Two hundred and fifty years have rolled away since the inhabitants of this town,
Taking into consideration the great necesitie of providing some meanes for the education of the youth in or sd Towne, did with an Vnanimous consent declare by vote their willingness to promote that worke, promising to put too their hands to provide . maintenance for a Free schoole in our said Towne,
and established our first free school. Five years later they built a school-house, the length 18 feet, being 14 feet besides the chimney, the wideness 15 feet. To-day, to the memory of these pioneers in the cause of education we dedicate this commodious and costly edifice. The building of their school-house made the erection of this one possible. We also dedicate this edifice to the memory of Dr. William Avery, who in 1680 gave £60 for the encouragement of a Latin school in Dedham, and in whose honor this school is named. We dedicate it to the memory of the faithful teachers, who, in their day and generation, served this district with zeal and devotion.
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