USA > Maine > Waldo County > Unity > A history of the Town of Unity, Maine > Part 12
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Although the efforts of establishing an academy did not materialize, Unity supported a private high school as early as 1848.43 This was started by a few teachers, who showed a special interest in the older scholars and formed special classes for advanced instruction beyond the ordinary district school curriculum. When George C. Chase was a boy in Unity, a schoolmaster "of exceptional ability and reputa- tion" held a private school during a winter term in a town adjoining Unity.44 More than sixty pupils came from miles around.
A private "free" high school was in session during the fall of 1851 under the principalship of J. B. Meservey who was assisted by Erastus Johnson, a teacher of drawing and painting. The printed catalogue stated "Unity High School was started with the design of providing a school in which the youths of both sexes might receive a thorough and practical knowledge of those branches of education which per- tain especially to the every-day business of life and also those higher branches of finished education which are taught at boarding schools and higher seminaries."45
41. Nelson Dingley, Jr., is credited with forming a debating club at Unity in January 1847 called the "Unity Lyceum." Its members were dismissed from school in the middle of January 1847 in order that they might hear Governor Edward Kent, and learn an example of oratory. (See Life of Nelson Dingley, Jr. p. 8) Also his biography mentions a , high school public speaking exhibition at which young Dingley recited an original poem (p. 9).
42. Private and Special Laws of Maine, 1852, Chapter 516, p. 508. This institution incorporated, March 22, 1852.
43. Miriam S. Anderson, The History of Secondary Education in Waldo County and Piscataquis County in Maine, University of Maine Studies, Second Series No. 48, Vol. XLII, November, 1939, Univer- sity Press, 1939, p. 27.
44. Chase, George C. Chase, p. 12.
45. Catalog of Unity High School, 1851. Only existing copy in the . possession of Mrs. E. D. Chase, Unity. Undoubtedly Meservey started his private free high school before 1851.
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SCHOOLS IN UNITY
This school offered three courses of study; the primary, "high Eng- lish Department" and the "Classical Department." The subjects of- fered were the following:
Primary
High English Classical Dept.
Algebra
Latin
Trigonometry
Latin Grammar
Navigation
Latin Reader
Surveying
Ovid, Virgil,
Bookkeeping
and Cicero
Natural Philosophy
French
Chemistry Astronomy
Mental Philosophy Botany
The cost of tuition was two dollars a term for the primary; three dollars for the English course, and three seventy-five for the classical. The student body founded an organization called the Unity Lyceum, "a flourishing literary association which affords students excellent facilities for improvement in forensic speaking, declamation, and com- position."46 Also the school compiled a weekly paper called the "Weekly Visitor," a forerunner of the present-day school publications. The first editor of this little magazine was Hezekiah Bacon, assisted by Fidelia Hollis. There was also a "Teachers' Lyceum" which served as a debating society. Thirty-three members participated; seven- teen boys, and sixteen girls. Isaac Higgins served as president, James Vickery and Hepsibah Bartlett, vice presidents; and George Barker and Amos Billings, secretaries.
Fifty-two students attended Unity High School during this fall term of 1851. Whether this high school functioned for very many years is not known, but it is doubtful if it survived very long. The student body consisted of the following:
Gentlemen
H. Adams, Unity James Adams, Unity Stephen Boothby, Unity Amos Billings, Unity Hezekiah Bacon, Unity
Ralph J. Harmon, Unity Benjamin Hunt, Unity Andrew Myrick, Unity Samuel Myrick, Unity Louis H. Murch, Unity
Stephen Blethen, Jackson George Barker, Boston Joseph Bacon, Unity
Thomas Parkhurst, Unity Aaron Perkins, Unity Billings Rice, Unity
George Chase, Unity
Thomas Stephens, Montville
Alonzo Carter, Unity Frank Dingley, Unity Scott Davis, Unity Melville Eliot, Unity
John Watts, Waldo
Arthur Whitcomb, Thorndike Charles A. Wiggin, Unity
Isaac Higgins, Thorndike George Higgins, Unity
Ladies
Hepsibah Bartlett Helen Bartlett Sarah Billings, Albion Elizabeth Bacon
Martha Parkhurst Mary Perkins Hannah Sturgis Lydia Vickery
46. Ibid. Nelson Dingley, Jr. was one of the founders of the "Unity Lyceum" in January 1847.
English Grammar Arithmetic Modern History Geography
Jonathan Sayward, Montville James Vickery
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A HISTORY OF UNITY, MAINE
Delia Britt
Marcia Whitehouse
Lucena Whitmore
Lydia Chick Helen Chandler Elzada Dodge Ellen Chase
Melissa Whitmore
Achsah Waterman
Mary Whitcomb
Jerusha Haines
Martha Wiggin
Fedelia Hollis
Charlotte Murch
Melissa Otis
Between the eighteen thirties and the eighteen seventies except for the periodic private schools conductd by Charles Greenleaf, William Henry Hobby, J. B. Meservey and others, Unity paid little attention to actual secondary education.
In the middle eighteen fifties and at several different times, John Perley conducted a writing school in Unity in which he taught pen- manship, drawing, and bookkeeping. Perley was a rather well-known teacher of penmanship throughout the state, as he traveled from one school to another teaching his writing courses.
Only three towns in the county before 1873 kept public high schools supported by taxation." A few Unity boys and girls attended Free- dom Academy, Oak Grove or Kent's Hill, in order to gain the bene- fits of higher learning. Because of the lack of adequate school facili- ties Nelson Vickery moved to Pittsfield in 1866, where Maine Cen- tral Institute had just been established.
In 1873, Maine passed a law called the Free High School Act, to aid the establishment of free high schools. "Under the provisions of this law, any town raising and expending funds for the maintenance of a school or schools giving free instruction in academic subjects to children who were competent, for at least ten weeks during the year, would be reimbursed for one half the sum expended for teach- ers' wages and board, provided that no town should be paid a sum exceeding five hundred dollars.4$ Also school districts in town could receive state support when the town failed to make any provision for the support of a high school.
Unity tried its first venture in maintaining a free high school in 1874. A two-story wooden building had now superceded the old brick school house49 and here in the upstairs portion the older stu- dents attended "free" public high school. Edward Towle was one of the first schoolmasters, but his teaching was not too successful. "Mat- ters grew worse every day but Towle made no effort to quell dis- turbances, or even tell the scholars it was wrong to do so and so .. . and they knew equally as well that he hadn't force enough to cuff any of them, so they went on without fear or respect of the teacher, till troubled and tried he turned tremblingly toward Thorndike."50 James Libby, Jr. then took charge and soon straightened out the un-
47. Anderson. A History of Secondary Education in Waldo and Piscataquis Counties, p. 27.
48. Ibid., p. 31.
49. This is the present Masonic Building. Not known when it was built, but was probably built around 1850.
50. Ms. Superintendent's Report, 1875, in possession of author.
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SCHOOLS IN UNITY
ruly boys. "The scholars were deeply interested in their studies and made a rapid and thorough advance."51
In 1879 the State suspended the aid to the town high schools, con- sequently many of those in Waldo county were discontinued. How- ever, in 1880 the law was reenacted, but carrying as its maximum aid only two hundred and fifty dollars.52 Unity was unable to main- tain a high school in the late seventies, but in 1882 reopened one. The fall term commenced on Monday, August 28, 1882, and con- tinued for ten weeks. The principal was the respected and well liked Prince Edwin Luce of Waldo, a teacher of "higher English", mathe- matics and "natural sciences."53 His assistant was Ida Morelen, who taught in the lower grades. There were four courses (grades) offered: a primary, normal, business, and scientific courses. 54
The primary course included reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic, geography and grammar. When this course was completed, the stu- dent was entitled to receive a certificate of promotion to the high school.
The normal course was a sort of general program of study with emphasis upon practical subjects.
First Year
Second Year
Third Year
Fall Term
Arithmetic
Algebra
Higher Algebra
Geography
Physiology
Astronomy
Grammar
History of U. S.
Chemistry
Penmanship
Bookkeeping
Rhetoric
Winter Term
Arithmetic - percentage to involution
Algebra Geometry
Chemistry
Geography
Physiology and Anatomy
English Literature
Penmanship
Philosophy
Spring Term
Geometry
Science of Government
Arithmetic Algebra
Philosophy
English Analysis
Astronomy
Bookkeeping
Rhetoric
The business course offered a chance for those who wished to ac- quire a thorough knowledge of penmanship, bookkeeping, commercial correspondence, business forms, and commercial law, natural philoso- phy, rhetoric, English grammar, United States History, as well as arithmetic, physical geography and chemistry.
Second Year
Third Year Fourth Year
Fall Term
Higher Algebra Latin
Latin Physiology
Natural Philosophy
Chemistry
French and Geology
Latin Bookkeeping
Astronomy
Elocution
51. Other principals of Unity High School before 1880 were Jo- seph H. Freeman from Bates College and Marcellus Dow of Brooks. 52. Anderson, A History of Secondary Education, Waldo County,
p. 33.
53. Catalog of Unity Village School, 1882.
54. Ibid., p. 3.
Higher Algebra
Botany
Grammar
Botany Economy School laws of Maine
Algebra
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A HISTORY OF UNITY, MAINE
. The scientific course was designed for those who expected to attend college. The first year was the same as the Normal Course. :
Winter Term
Algebra
Geometry
Latin
Natural Philosophy
Latin
French or Geology
Latin
Astronomy
Natural History
Rhetoric
Botany
Elocution
Physiology
Spring Term
Higher Algebra
Geometry
Latin
Latin
Latin
French or Moral Science
Rhetoric
Botany
English Literature
Chemistry
Physiology
Elocution
Tuition in the last years of the nineteenth century was unbelievably low. The cost per pupil ranged from a dollar and a half for the primary course to four dollars and a half for those who took lan- guages. On the completion of any of these courses, the students re- ceived a diploma. Also at the close of each term there were special exercises consisting of prize declamation, readings and essays. A first prize was awarded to the "gentleman" excelling in public declama- tion; a second prize to the lady excelling in public reading. Com- mencement exercises were held at the close of the spring term. Each graduate was required to prepare a graduation theme, "a copy of which must be deposited with the teacher four weeks, at least, before the close of the term."
All classes of the high school were held upstairs. The boys sat on one side of the room, and the girls on the other. Each had a seat- mate, and even as late as this, the pupils carried slates to school.55 Principal Luce was a strict disciplinarian, who stood for no nonsense. He conducted a good high school. The high school continued having classes held in this white-painted two-story structure until 1898. It is now converted to use by the Star in the West Lodge of Masons, who have lodge rooms upstairs and a banquet room downstairs.
The present village grade school building was built in 1898 by Jo- seph Sawyer of Fairfield and Joseph Brown of Clinton. The building committee was James R. Taber, L. H. Mosher, and Nathaniel C. Knights. All grades through high school were housed here until after World War I, when overcrowding made the construction of another buiding imperative.
The high school student body published a school paper called "The Lilac." The first issues of "The Lilac" appeared in January and March 1900 under the editorship of Guy Hunt, and Grace Pendleton, associate editor.56 From the editorial of March 1900 we learn that for the first time an assistant teacher was engaged to assist in the
55. I. believe that this was chiefly by the elementary and intermedi- ate grades.
56. Others: Grace Bartlett, literary; Business Manager, Edgar T. Whitehouse; and Personals ,and Locals, Nina Van Deets and Lyle Stev- ens.
97
. SCHOOLS IN UNITY
high school. "By this arrangement, the recitation periods are not so crowded and each teacher finds more time to devote to hearing recitations."57
The high school was still ungraded in 1900. This caused "The Lilac" editor to complain in an editorial, "This school cannot do itself justice while it remains in its present ungraded state. A course of study might be adopted and pupils required systematically to follow it. Now we are allowed to follow or drop any study we may choose . .. Just grade us and see how much better we'll work."58 Evidently this article had some effect, but probably the demands of the teachers had something to do with instituting an adequate graded high school. In 1908 the high school was graded and definite courses provided.
Also at this time there were the first efforts to have athletics intro- duced into the school program. In 1903 the high school had a base- ball team, but did not play any games. Also the girls were "talking of basketball."59 Although the high school was graded, no class was graduated until that of 1912, which had only four members.
In the early nineteen twenties it was apparent that the town needed a separate high school building. At the town meeting of March, 1922, the town voted $16,000 to construct a new building. At town meeting a building committee consisting of E. D. Chase, James Pillsbury, C. M. Whitney, Charles Fowler, F. A. Whitehouse, J. H. Far- well, Ira Libby, and including the selectmen and school board was chosen to superintend the construction. After some talk they selected a site across the road from the present grade school, which was taken by the right of eminent domain from the Rice farm. The original town appropriation proved insufficient, and a special meeting was held in order to secure more funds. The completed building cost about nine- teen thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine dollars.60
In the fall of 1922 the four classes moved into the new building. Mr. Roy Hayes was the principal, a conscientious and scholarly man who became one of the outstanding educators in the State. Under Mr. Hayes the annual, "The Monitor," was first published.61
In the spring of 1922 Roy Thomas started on agriculture course, which Charles Wood (agriculture teacher) then carried on in the fall.82 Mr. Wood was a very successful teacher, who cooperated with the farmers toward improving potato growing and poultry manage-
57. The Lilac, March 1900.
58. Ibid, "Editorial."
59. Ibid, 1904. In 1925 Unity's girls basketball team was unde- feated (the first championship team). On the team were Allie Wal- ton, Dorothy Rollins, Susie Jones, Marion Moulton, Thelma Fogg, and Thelma Leadbetter.
60. Unity Annual Report, 1922, p. 24.
61. The first issue of "The Monitor" issued in April 1923, Leola Ward, editor-in-chief.
62. Unity Annual Report, 1922, p. 34.
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A HISTORY OF UNITY, MAINE
ment in this area. Also the 4-H Club was first organized under Mr. Wood's direction. Richard Dolloff continued the exceptional agri- cultural work accomplished by Wood and encouraged 4-H club proj- ect work. In 1930, Mr. Merwyn Woodward succeeded Dolloff and taught the agriculture course with considerable success, placing great emphasis on dairying and project work. While Mr. Woodward was here, he formed the first Future Farmers' Club.
In 1936, a home economics course was added to the curriculum. 63 It proved a great attraction, and in 1938 thirty girls were enrolled. In the late thirties there was somewhat of a de- crease in interest in the agriculture course, and the superintendent recommended that a course in manual arts be substituted. In 1938 the superintendent's report showed that only five out of the twenty- four enrolled were potential farmers, and of the seventy-five boys then enrolled in the elementary schools only twenty-six actually lived upon farms. However, the agriculture course was continued, but dropped in September, 1942,64 because of the war. In its stead a manual arts course was offered by Mr. Crockett and then by Mr. Farrow of Wa- terville. While there was no manual arts teacher between 1936 and 1942, the agriculture teacher placed a great deal of emphasis upon industrial education. With the war over, Mr. Farrow, who was only a volunteer teacher, returned to his book store in Waterville and the agriculture course was re-instated. The 1949 report shows that twenty-three boys were enrolled; seventeen were Unity lads.
The trend since World War II is toward consolidation. In the spring of 1949 there was considerable agitation by leading citizens to get the adjoining towns to build a consolidated school which would serve Troy, Burnham, Thorndike, Freedom, Albion, and Unity, but while the movement met with some response, Albion and Freedom remained cool toward the idea. The recent statistics show Unity High School as having five teachers, and sixty-six students, about equally divided between boys and girls.
FREEDOM ACADEMY
The private academies and young ladies' seminaries during the nine- teenth century became a prominent feature in the development of secondary education in Maine, especially before the establishment of the free high school. There are many yet in existence; some now semi- private, others have become preparatory schools for college. Among them are Kent's Hill, Oak Grove, Maine Central Institute, and Frye- burg, Gould, Hebron, and Freedom Academies. In these schools many young men and women acquired some further education. In the 1820's Hezekiah Chase sent his daughters, Martha and Esther, to the Cony Female Seminary in Augusta. James Connor sent his daugh- ter, Esther, to another seminary in Bangor, while George Ranlett and
63. Ibid., 1938, Superintendent's Report, p. 43.
64. Annual Report, 1942, Superintendent's Report, p. 33.
99
SCHOOLS IN UNITY
Solomon Hunt attended China Academy. The Quakers sent their children to Oak Grove in Vassalboro. Peter Ayer's children went to Kent's Hill but, his younger children attended Freedom Academy.
In the winter of 1836 twenty-four men formed a corporation and sent George Rigby and Bradford S. Foster to petition the State legis- lature to grant a charter to establish an academy in the town of Free- dom. On Feb. 18, 1836, the legislature passed an act for the incor- poration of Freedom Academy.65 Lincoln Hussey drew up plans for a building which would cost $1175. John True donated the land and generous citizens contributed this amount; consequently, in September of the same year, the school was ready for occupancy. Probably Al- bert Shaw was the first preceptor, followed by George T. Field, and in 1839 Loring B. True of Pownal, graduate of Bowdoin College, class of 1838.66
In a notice in the Republican Journal in August 1839 Nathan Hus- sey, secretary of the Academy, announced that classes would start Sept. 9, with instruction in Greek, Latin, French, Spanish, German, astronomy, geology, chemistry and botany. In 1844 Rinaldo Elder assumed the duties of headmaster. Elder was a self-educated man, mastering higher mathematics and Spanish without the aid of a teacher. Mr. Elder also read his Bible in Latin .- Tuition at this time was only twenty-five or thirty cents a week, which was collected by the preceptor who received this money for his salary. Students re- mained as many terms as they wished, learned as much as the school- master could teach, and were unrestricted as to age or amount of preparation in order to enter the school. It was not until 1884 that the students were assigned to classes. In that year eleven students partici- pated in the first graduation exercises.
In September 1852 A. J. Billings, later President of the Board of Trustees, started his career as principal of Freedom Academy, before he chose to become a doctor. Billings was described as a popular and enterprising instructor with a thorough classical training enabling him to offer Greek, Latin, French and geology. Later Billings studied medicine and returned to Freedom where he practiced his profession until his death in 1900. He was president of the Board of Trustees of Freedom Academy during the last quarter of the century
Many Unity boys and girls have attended Freedom Academy and
65. The Trustees of Freedom Academy were: Joseph Hockey, George Rigby, Samuel Flint, Thomas B. Hussey, Nathan Foster, Joseph Chandler, Theodore W. Moulton, Samuel Hadley, Benjamin Thompson, John Smith, Bradford S. Foster, Alfred McAllister, Ithamar Bellows, John Sproul, Jeremiah Clements, Thomas Mclaughlin, Richard Moore, David Webster, Henry Dodge, Nathan Hussey, Butman Decrow, Daniel Maddocks, Oliver Bowen and Ivory Whitten.
66. Other principals of Freedom Academy were Jonathan Hatch, 1851; A. J. Billings 1852-4; Samuel Bryant; Joel Steel; Jefferson B. Meservey; Nathan Luce, 1866; F. B. Foster, 1872; George Croxford; and Prince E. Luce, 1884.
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A HISTORY OF UNITY, MAINE
this old institution has served a long and useful purpose. In 1947 the old building burned, but the citizens of Freedom contributed gener- ously to replacing it with a modern building where once more eager teenagers pursue their studies.
HERBERT RAND'S BOYS' CAMP CAMP WINNECOOK
Between 1903 and 1935 Herbert Rand, a native of Unity and a teacher of Salem, Massachusetts, conducted a boys' camp known as Camp Winnecook. The camp was located on the shore of the lake across the cove from Windermere Park. Under the direction of Mr. Rand, his wife and sons, this camp was a pioneer in what has become one of Maine's summer attractions. The camp usually opened just before the Fourth of July, and here the city boys between the ages of ten and sixteen enjoyed six weeks of camp life and wholesome out-of- door activity. Counselors gave instruction in swimming, life-saving, horseback riding, tennis, archery, woodcraft, and nature study. One of the best attractions of the season was watching an Indian "pow- wow" replete with bareback riders, war paint, fire dances, and beat- ing drums
After Mr. Rand's death his son, Edwin Rand, operated the camp for two seasons. About 1946 Mrs. Russell Franz of Worcester, Massa- chusetts, bought the camp and opened its facilities to girls. She man- aged it for four seasons, and then sold it to Mr. George Constable, who now owns it.
CHAPTER VII
MILITARY HISTORY
Brave men were they who settled a savage land. American history is a long narrative of the heroic struggle of men in war and peace, striving to establish a noble republic for themselves and their posterity. The annals of these brave men unfold a saga rich in valor and heroic in vision.
Throughout the long stream of United States history Unity men have contributed their part in protecting the ramparts of our republic. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter of local military history is presented from a personal viewpoint in an attempt to record their loyal service from the glorious colonial wars to the world conflicts of the twentieth century.
Unity was settled shortly after the struggle for independence from Great Britain. Many who came were young men under forty; how- ever, a few had fought in the local military companies in the forests against the French and Indians, or on the sea during the years 1755 to 1760. Among these colonial veterans were David Vickery, Ebenezer Pattee, Thomas Pearson, Walter Murch, Jonathan Parkhurst, and possibly several others.1 The dearth of names suggests, for the most part, that Unity was settled by a younger generation whose fathers had previously served under the Britannic flag
Following the Revolution the promising farmlands beckoned the footsore and weary soldiers, heroes of Saratoga, Valley Forge, Mon- mouth and Yorktown. Some possessed scrip, mostly worthless, to which they clung with the hope of purchasing land; others, practically penniless, had only their hands and crude tools to help establish them- selves in the inhospitable wilderness. The following men were Revolu- tionary soldiers who settled in Unity; Benjamin Ayer, Joseph Bartlett, Peter Bither, Thaddeus Carter, Reuben Cookson, Francis Brooks, Thomas Fowler, Matthew Fowler, Ichabod Hunt, Amos Jones, Aaron Kelley, John Melvin, James Pickard, Nathan Parkhurst, Da- vid Vickery, Daniel Whitmore, and John Carll.
The war of 1812, or Mr. Madison's war, as his contemporaries referred to it, affected the farmers of Unity economically, rather than causing them any extended military service. New England shipping
1. David Vickery belonged to Loring Cushman's Cape Elizabeth company of militia; Ebenezer Pattee was a private in a Georgetown militia company and later in a Vassalboro company. Walter Murch of Gorham was a veteran.
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