USA > Maine > Lincoln County > Bristol > History of York, Maine, successively known as Bristol (1632), Agamenticus (1641), Gorgeana (1642), and York (1652) Vol. II > Part 23
USA > Maine > York County > York > History of York, Maine, successively known as Bristol (1632), Agamenticus (1641), Gorgeana (1642), and York (1652) Vol. II > Part 23
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MILL AT BASS COVE
It is probable that a mill was in existence at this inlet long before 1800, as it was naturally adapted to tidal power, but when it was first so used is not of record. A grist mill was in operation there in 1790, and was running as late as 1875, with the dam near the mouth of the Cove. It was run by a wooden wheel, set flat-wise, which was later replaced by a smaller iron wheel with cups to accel- erate the power transmission. It was last under the management of George Goodwin, who had acquired it from Josiah W. Fernald, and the site is now in the grounds of the Country Club.
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CHAPTER XVI SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION
It has been generally considered that the provision and amount of opportunity for the education of the young in a town has been the criterion of its civic standards and ethical culture. It is not possible to pass judgment on these points to establish their relation to York in respect to the extent of such educational facilities, owing to the loss of the early records. The situation of this town as a frontier settlement doubtless had its effect, before the First Indian War, on provisions for a schoolhouse and the sending of children unprotected for any distance to learn the Three R's.
In 1673 York was presented by the Grand Jury "for not providing a schoole and schoolemaster for the æduca- tion of Youth according to Law." (note: "which the town hath provided"). In 1675 four towns of the Province were presented by the Grand Jury in several indictments for not taking care that the children and youth of their towns be taught their catechism and educated according to law. As York was not among those indicted it may be accepted as negative evidence that this town was doing at that time what the others had neglected, and it may therefore be fairly stated that school facilities existed here at that date. Positive evidence is available showing that Edward Woolcock, who was called a school teacher in 1676 (Deeds v, pt. 1, 19), presumably had been employed in that capacity before that date. He was a surveyor by occupation and came here from Kennebec, where he was Clerk of the Writs. Traces of him are found up to 1680, but whether this was the end of his stay in York is unknown. It is possible that he may have been son of Edward Woolcott, baptized December 18, 1636, in the parish of St. Sidwell, Exeter, England. He was in York as early as 1669 and married Mrs. Patience, widow of Philip Hatch (Ibid. vii, 135). What became of this first recorded schoolmaster of York is unknown but his widow was living in 1709 in Berwick. If a schoolhouse existed at that period it does not appear in any of the
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existing land records and it is probable that he taught pupils in his own home, which may be assumed as in Lower Town after his marriage. This was situated directly opposite Harmon Park. The next information on this sub- ject is more definite and dates from 1701. The first recorded vote was passed March 20 of that year in these words: "The town heath Impowered the Select men to Settle A Scool Marster in this town." The orthography of this sentence indicated the need of such action in which adults might well have been placed in the primary grade. On April 15 following, a specific vote was taken on this subject:
Att Meeting of the Select men of York Aprill ye: 15th: 1701
Pursuant to a vote of this town for a Scool Master the said Select men Indented and Bargened with Mr. Nathael ffreman to Ceep a free Scool for all the Inhabitance of our Town of York for which the Town to pay said ffreman for one year Eight pounds in or as Money and three penc pr. week for Taching to Reade: and four penc per week for Writing and Sifering and no Moor.
Mr: ffreemans year began
May: ye: 5: 170I
Wittness Abram: Preble Town Clr.
Nathaniel Freeman was probably son of Ralph Free- man of Dedham who had been living in Boston immedi- ately before his coming to York. The occasion of his com- ing was probably his marriage to Alice, daughter of John Penwell of York January 18, 1699, as he occupied the small lot previously owned by his deceased father-in-law after his settlement here. In 1702 his salary was increased to fio for "teaching to Read Write and Siffer." As was always the case with educated men, he was employed to draw deeds and wills to add to his slender income. In 1704 the town of Portsmouth endeavored to secure his services as appears by its records. They voted £6 to Nathaniel Freeman "by way of incoridgement" to teach in the outlying districts of that town "provided he use his diligenc and care to scholl thos parts." This supplies similar evidence that that town needed education of its Selectmen. As far as known he did not accept this change of location as the "incoridgement" offered was less than he was receiving in York. In 1711 a more formal and detailed agreement was made with him which furnishes such particular information regarding methods of school teaching at that period that it is reproduced here in full:
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HISTORY OF YORK
"Agreement with ye School Master"
Articles of Agreement made concluded & agreed upon between Mr Nathel Freeman, on ye one partie, & ye Selectmen of ye Town of York in ye behalf of ye said Town on ye other partie. Viz: Arthur Bragdon Senyr Samel Came, Richard Milbury, Joseph Young & Joseph Moulton Selectmen .. . In ye first place ye said Nathel Free- man doth for himself Covenant, Bargain & promise to and with ye said Selectmen of said York that he will from the first day of January in ye year of our Lord one thousand Seven hundred & Eleven keep a Free School to instruct & teach all persons that belong to this town of York from five years old & upwards that Shall come unto him, in such place & places as he Shall have prepared for ye Conveinency of keeping of said School by said Selectmen which come to him in Season- able Schooltime to begin at Eight of ye Clock in ye morning & to con- tinue until Eleven in ye forenoon, and in ye afternoon to begin at one of ye Clock, and to end at five of ye Clock, or according to ye Custome of Schools: to Teach all such as come unto him in Reading, Writing & Cyphering as they are capable & so faithfully and truly to perform ye office of a School Master ye full term and time of Seven Years, next coming, from ye above said first day of January: & in case of neglect or default on said Freemans behalf, respecting said school, he ye said Nathel Freeman will pay unto the said Selectmen in behalf of said York all damages health only excepted and in ye next place ye above Selectmen of said York: viz: Arthur Bragdon, Samel Came, Richard Milbury, Joseph Young & Joseph Moulton, by virtue of a Town Vote, so in behalf of said Town, Covenant, engage and promise for ye encouragement of said Mr. Nathel Freeman above named as Schoolmaster to Build for his own proper use & benefit forever upon ye Land that was his Father Penewills a Dwelling house twenty two foot long, Eighteen foot wide & Eight foot between Joynts, with a brick Chimney with doors floors & Stairs Conveinient, suitable to live in, at or before ye last day of Sept. in ye present year 1711 : and further ye said Selectmen of said York so Covenant & engage to pay to ye said Freeman for his Sallary Thirty pounds pr Year the whole time of Seven Years next comeing, or as long as said Freeman doth faithfully keep school with us: the one third part in provisions as money & ye other two thirds in Passable Money of New England to be paid constantly as due at each Quarter of a years end from the above said first day of January ... to the true performance of these presents and every part thereof the said Nathel Freeman, on his part, and the said Arthur Bragdon, Samel Came, Richard Milbury Joseph Young and Joseph Moulton on their part, in the behalf of the said town of York, have hereunto Interchangable set to their hands and Seals this Thirty first day of January in the year of our Lord 1710 / II
It will thus be seen that five years was the minimum age for entering the school and that seven hours was the daily task of his pupils. It is probable that the house authorized to be built for him was designed for school purposes as well as for private occupation. It was located
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on the Penwell lot below the late steam railroad bridge on the southwest side of the road.
In 1718 Joseph Emerson, grandson of the former minister Rev. Joseph, and son of Edward Emerson, was teaching school in this town, but whether in the public schools or on a private venture is not known. He was a young man, just graduated from college (H. C. 1717), and was only eighteen years of age. There is no record of his employment (Sprague, Annals of the American Pulpit, i, 245). He became a clergyman and was the father of two sons who settled here later.
Mr. Freeman continued teaching the young idea how to shoot until his death October 3, 1723, aged about fifty- three years. The town records contain no further names of schoolmasters succeeding him, and the house built for him passed to his heirs.
To remedy this condition in 1725 it was
Voted that a school house shall be built at the Lower end of the Town on the Ministerial land this year at the Towns Cost and Charged, and that the School shall be kept in said house yearly six months, and three months at the upper end of the Town, and three months on the South side of the river during the time there is but one Schoolmaster.
From this time forward the usual problem confronting towns with distinct settlements widely separated from the main village had to be met by some provision for satisfy- ing these outlying communities and the device of a "mov- ing school" was adopted by which the school year was divided according to population among the more important of these hamlets. In 1726 it was
Voted that the Select Men be impowered to agree with a Moving School Master on the Towns Behalf & to order his Motions.
This scheme, however, was unsatisfactory to repre- sentatives of Scotland and the inhabitants of the South Side, and though the plan was adopted against their vote they registered the following protest :
The persons hereafter named enter their Dissent against the three last Votes, viz: Thomas Baker Peter Nowell Arthur Bragdon James Allen John Booker
Nathaniel Whitney Alexander Junkins Ebenezer Blasdell Joseph Hoult
Robert Gray Constant Rankin
Micom McIntire
Andrew Grover
Elihu Parsons
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HISTORY OF YORK
The moving school became an institution in the educa- tional plan of the town but the opposition soon secured a definite division of the school funds and the time of the schoolmaster.
SCOTLAND
Scotland was the first to be accorded a separate school- house when, at the Town Meeting held in 1726, it was Voted that Forty Pounds be allowed & paid out of the Town Tax towards the bilding a School House above the Mill Creek the present Year
As the inhabitants of the Second Parish were then engaged in building a Meeting House, the project of combining the two buildings was favorably considered at the annual meetings of 1727 when it was
Voted that the forty pounds granted the last year for the Building of a School House at the upper end of the Town, above the Mill Creek be paid out of the Town Tax, the ensuing year by the Select men to a Committee to be chosen by the Inhabitants there & that the Same be laid out towards finishing the New Meeting House, which may be improv as a School House.
This coalition was evidently effected and in answer to a further demand for definite allotment of funds it was voted in 1742 that the share of money available for schools be divided and one quarter be allotted to that section.
YORK CORNER
Still another insistent cry for school accommodations came from the people living in the vicinity of what is now known as York Corner, and in response to it the town in 1745 "voted that a school shall be kept at Lewis Banes House or thereabouts three months of the year ensuing." In the following year this time was increased to four months, but this did not satisfy the people of that sec- tion who desired a separate schoolhouse and the town in answer to this demand:
Voted that such of the Inhabitants of this Town as are Dispos'd Have Liberty hereby granted them to build a New School House within twenty Rods of Mr. Lewis Banes Dwelling House upon their own cost & charges.
It is probable that the people there availed themselves of the privilege of erecting such a building for the accom-
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modation of their children, but it appears that its con- struction did not proceed beyond the bare requirements of actual protection from the elements as in 1755 the town Voted there be Two pounds thirteen shillings & four pense paid out of the Town Stock towards finishing the upper School House near Lewis Banes.
The location of this schoolhouse is shown on the Town Map of 1794 drawn for the state by Daniel Sewall.
LOWER TOWN
In 1746 it was voted that a school be kept for four months "at or near the Dwelling House of Lt. Samuel Black deceased." He lived on a lot which abutted on the Country Road and extended northeast opposite the mouth of Meeting House Creek.
John Williams, called a "schoolmaster of York," died in 1753, and his widow Thankful was appointed administra- trix of his estate, and had the bringing up of one child. She married a Shaw before 1756. He had taught in Wells, Saco and Scarboro (York Probate, Case 20480).
Thus far these records relate to the common school of the elementary studies - the little red schoolhouse of song and story. From about 1750 the votes of the town covering educational matters became annual formalities and the requirements of the children as above detailed satisfied their needs for the next half century. The town votes from this time on merely stated that the schools should be kept "as usual." This simple language was used during the entire period of the Revolution, showing that the interests of the children were not neglected in this crisis.
In 1785, after peace was restored, the town took the following action towards developing the facilities for increased instruction :
As the Number of Children are increasing, The Schools for their Instruction in useful knowledge ought likewise to be increased: It is therefore Voted That Moneys sufficient for providing Five Months English Schooling, in addition to the 12 months Grammer-Schooling, be drawn out of the Town Treasury for the Use of the Center District for the current year 1785. And that there be also drawn out of the Town Treasury a Sum of Money for each of the other School Districts Respectively, equal to the Center District, by comparing their Taxes with the Taxes of the Center District to the end the several School
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HISTORY OF YORK
Districts may have as much of the School Money as they actually pay into the Town Treasury (T. R. ii, 240).
NEW SCHOOL DISTRICTS
The regional divisions heretofore used for school pur- poses - the Village, Scotland, South Side and Cape Ned- dick - came to be inadequate as population increased, and in 1796 the town laid out seven school districts as follows:
No. I. Centre District. Bounded by the Groundroot Hill Road crofsing the foot of Cape Neddick Pond until it meets the great road leading to Berwick by the dwelling house of Nathaniel Simpson: thence in the same South Westerly direction to Lymans Millpond, then by the Millpond and river to the Sea: and from the Groundroot Hill Road, where it crofses the foot of Cape Neddick Pond, on a line running South Easterly to the Sea Shore, at the Barbary Marsh.
No. 2. Cider Hill & Scituate. To adjoin South Easterly on No. One, and to include the polls and Estates in the first parish, on the North East side of the river as far North as to include Col. Josiah Chases at the foot of Cape Neddick pond.
No. 3. The upper Parish. The polls and estates in the 2nd Parish, Exclusive of such as are to the Northward of Hastys Mill- brook & Cape Neddick pond.
No. 4. South side of the River. The polls and Estates in the first parish lying on the Southweft side of York River.
No. 5. Cape Neddick. The polls & Estates in the first parish lying on the Seacoast to the North East of No. One, Exclusive of Groundroot Hill and the Inhabitants between groundroot Hill and Wells Line.
No. 6. Groundroot Hill. The polls & Estates from Cape Ned- dick pond, Exclusive of Col. Josiah Chase & including groundroot Hill, & the Inhabitants Northerly of Agamenticus to Wells line.
No. 7. Tatnic & Agamenticus. The polls & Estates from Hastys Mill Brook to Berwick and Wells line including the Village of Tatnic, and Inhabitants, as far Easterly as the third Hill.
It was explained that it was for the purpose of a more equitable division of available funds, but the arbitrary division lines were not to be applied literally and children were allowed to attend any district which was most con- venient for them. The location of the schools in the several districts was to be determined by the major part of the male inhabitants of those districts. The Centre district was allowed to have a school for the entire year. Dis- tricts No. 2, 3, 4 and 5 were to draw support in proportion to the taxes collected in them. Districts No. 6 and 7 were allowed a school for twelve weeks with a reading and
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SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION
writing master "provided it doth not exceed Thirty eight Dollars."
In 1791 provision was made for keeping school at Ground Nut Hill and in 1792 another was arranged for Tatnick, each to be kept for three months.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
The first school committee was elected in 1800, con- sisting of the following named persons: Jeremiah Clarke, Edward Emerson, Jr., Col. Esaias Preble, Samuel Young, Elihu Bragdon, Jonathan Wilson, John Emery, Joseph Bragdon and Eliot Raynes. In 1801 Theodore Webber, Daniel Sewall, Abel Moulton and John Nowell replaced Clarke, Young and the two Bragdons.
GRAMMAR SCHOOL
The need of a more advanced education than was afforded by the primitive schools of the previous century as well as the growth of the town in population was not met by the townsmen until prodded by the Provincial authorities. In 1714 the Grand Jury presented York "for wont of a gramer scoole Master." It was not until 1717, however, that this indictment received practical response from the townsmen. It was
Votted that this Town will have a Gramar School Master for one yeare to Tach our Children in the Larned Things, and to Reade write and Cypher: to keep said School in the Senter of our said town of York: which said School Master is to be paid and Subsisted by our said town.
There is not sufficient evidence in the town votes to state where this new schoolmaster gave his instruction but it is presumed that he utilized existing facilities when- ever available or possibly the Meeting House became his first school building. The grammar school was made a moving one at first but the need of a special building was soon apparent, and in 1722 the town
Voted the town shall determine where the Senter of the town is for a Scool House.
Voted that a Scool House shall be built upon the Parsonage Land neer the Meeting House.
Wee whose names are under writen have declared our decent that the Scool House shall not be bult on the Parsonage Land, but we Stand by the towns Vote of it being in the Centure of the Town:
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HISTORY OF YORK
Arthur Bragdon Jonathan Bane
Joseph Moulton
Arthur Bragdon, Jr.
James Grant
Joseph Banks
Josiah Maine
John Sayward
John Bane
Able Moulton
Lewis Bane"
In 1726 it was voted "that the Grammar School be fixed down at the School House the present year," but in 1730 it was decided that it should be kept six months at this new schoolhouse, three months on the South Side and the other three months at Scotland.
The only instances in which the names of school- masters occur in the records appears in the year 1734 when it was
Voted that the Select Men agree with Mr Amos Maine to keep sd (grammar) School after Mr John Hoveys Quarter is expired with the Provision the sd Maine will keep School as cheap as any other School Master.
Others who taught before 1740 were Paul Nowell, Joseph Moody and David Love.
In 1740 it was voted that this school be kept for nine months in the First Parish, and Scotland was allowed to have an additional grammar schoolmaster at the town's cost. This arrangement continued for the next half cen- tury.
SCHOOLHOUSES
There is little that can be said of the architecture and construction of the schoolhouses of Colonial days. They were small, barnlike affairs of one story and contained only one room. At first they were rarely finished inside and the open fireplace and log fire were the only means of rendering them habitable. The furnishings would hardly be recognized at the present time as belonging to a school. The teacher usually sat in the middle of the room and the children were supplied with a sort of shelf or ledge attached to the wall and sat facing it with their backs to the teacher. The lighting, of course, came through win- dow openings, rarely glazed at first and often covered with oiled paper through which a dull light filtered and made the schoolroom a gloomy place. At first the scholars were mostly young boys, as it was not considered desirable or necessary that the girls should receive an education or if it were conceded they scarcely ever proceeded beyond the elementary reading, writing and arithmetic. The first
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SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION
book from which the children of the Colonists learned their letters by which to spell was not a book in our accep- tance of the term. It was what was called a hornbook. Probably not a half dozen of these curious contrivances exist today in New England and a description of them may not be inappropriate. It resembled, as nearly as can be described, a square mirror with a handle made of a
ABCDEFGHI
STUV
2 bcd e
.
ft
x
1234 5
€ 7 8 9
Cur Father, who art in Hear- en,kallowed be thy lane, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth la it is La Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our Trespartes, as we fer give those who trespa"s againat ue. Lead us =ct Into Temptation, but deliver us from Evil, for thine is the Power and Glory for ever and ever, AMEY.
ANCIENT HORNBOOK
thin piece of wood four or five inches long. Upon this a printed paper was laid and a thin sheet of yellow horn, not as transparent as glass but permitting the letters to be read through it. This horn was fastened to the wood by narrow strips of metal, usually brass, tacked down by fine nails. The printed matter underneath this horn began at the top with the alphabet in capital and lower case letters followed by simple syllables such as ab, eb, ib, ob, etc.
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HISTORY OF YORK
ending with the Lord's Prayer. The little handle was often pierced with a hole through which a string was passed which enabled it to be carried around the neck or hung by the side. These were the wellsprings of primitive education in York. This was followed by the New England Primer which during the entire eighteenth century was the most universally studied schoolbook that has ever been used in this region. Its contents were largely a com- bination of religious, political and pedagogical information. It has been fitly called "the little Bible of New England." It was a poorly printed little book of about eighty pages, duodecimo size. It contained the alphabet and easy syl- lables beginning with one and running up to six. A set of rhymes alphabetically arranged are known to everyone who is familiar with Colonial history. Most of them relate to Biblical characters. Starting with A
"In Adam's fall We sinned all."
ending with Z
"Zaccheus he Did climb a tree His Lord to see."
It was illustrated with crude woodcuts, the most famous of which was the picture of John Rogers, the martyr, being burned at the stake and displaying his wife looking on "with nine fmall children and one at her breaft." After the year 1750 a few short stories were added to this grue- some collection and were probably all the children's stories that many of them had ever read. The Shorter Catechism or Spiritual Milk for Babes written by John Cotton con- sisted of questions and answers. Learning these cate- chisms was enjoined by law and Cotton Mather advised parents to "continually drop something of the Catechism on their children as Honey from the Rock." Several mil- lion copies of this schoolbook were printed before it was superseded in 1792 by Webster's Spelling Book. The latter, with its illustrations for each simple sentence - "This is a cat", "This is a horse," -- is remembered by the older generation of this age.
The third R in the elementary Triad was studied without printed books of arithmetic. Manuscript "Sum
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SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION
Books" were provided by the teacher as copy for the scholar to write down examples in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. These were copied by the scholars until they might well say
"Multiplication is my vexation And division quite as bad. The Golden Rule is a stumbling stule And Practice drives me mad."
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