History of Detroit and Wayne County and early Michigan: A Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present, Vol. I, Part 117

Author: Farmer, Silas, 1839-1902
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Detroit, Pub. by S. Farmer & co., for Munsell & co., New York
Number of Pages: 1094

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TRINITY CATHOLIC SCHOOL.

property has cost fully $30,000. From 1859 until 1872, the girls' school was taught by the Sisters of Charity, and since the latter date by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In 1870 there were four teachers at the boys' school at the corner of Porter and Fifth Streets, with an average attend- ance of one hundred and seventy-five scholars ; at

722

CHURCH SCHOOLS.

the girls' school there were six teachers, with an average attendance of two hundred and twenty-five. In 1880 there were fourteen teachers and seven hundred and fifty scholars, with an average attend- ance of seven hundred. The schools were sup- ported at a cost of about $4,000 yearly, which was obtained from the funds of a school society and from collections at the first two masses on each Sunday.

ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC SCHOOL.

St. Mary's German Schools.

A school for girls was established in this parish in 1850; the first year it had eighty scholars, and seven years later one hundred and eighty. At first it was taught by lay teachers. In 1866 it was placed in charge of the Sisters of Notre Dame from Milwaukee. In 1882 there were five of these teachers. The Brothers of the Christian Schools opened their schools for boys on September 24, 1852. Be- fore the year closed they had three hundred scholars. In 1857 they had three hundred and fifty. The brick school-house, on the south- west corner of Croghan and St. Antoine Streets, was completed in August, 1868. The size is fifty by one hundred and twenty-five feet, and it cost $40,000; the lot cost $6,000. In 1870 it had nine hundred pupils of both sexes. In 1880 it had six hundred pupils, with an average attendance of five hun- dred, the pupils being about equally divided as to sex. The yearly cost

of maintaining is about $2,600. In August, 1877, the boys' school was transferred to the care of seven members of the Franciscan Order. Most of the scholars pay fees of one dollar or two dollars per month; some are taught free of charge. In 1855 the church erected an Orphan Asylum for girls, on the west side of St. Antoine Street near Lafayette, at a cost of $4,000. Since 1866 it has been occupied by the Sisters, who teach school. The property in 1882 was worth about $10,000. In 1873 a large brick residence, on the south side of Macomb Street between St. Antoine and Hastings Streets, costing $12,000, was erected for the Brothers. The lot was donated by Judge Moran. From 1877 the building has been occupied by the Francis- cans.

Schools of SS. Peter and Paul.

The first school in connection with this parish was established in the rear of the cathedral in 1858, under the charge of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. It was continued by them for three years, and was then taught by lay teachers. In 1870 it had four hundred scholars, with an average attend- ance of three hundred and fifty. On September 9, 1864, it was placed in charge of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. They left in Septem- ber, 1881, and the boys' school was put in charge of one of the Jesuit Fathers, who was aided by lay teachers. In 1880 the parish had two schools, one for girls and one for boys, with a total of two hun- dred and fifty-four scholars, and an average attend- ance of two hundred and twenty-eight. Six teach-

ST. JOSEPH'S CATHOLIC SCHOOL.

723

CHURCH SCHOOLS.

ers were in charge, the girls being taught by Sisters of the Sacred Heart.

St. Joseph's School.

A school for this parish was in existence in 1850, with nearly one hundred scholars. In 1856 a school was established by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, on the grounds now in part occupied by the priest's residence. The school continued there until 1867, when the school building on the north- east corner of Orleans and Jay Streets was erected. Its size is sixty-eight by seventy-two feet, it cost about $18,000, and it accommodates eight hundred children. In 1870 the average attendance was seven hundred. In 1874 the old church was moved from Gratiot Avenue to Jay Street, and fitted up for a school. In 1880 the two buildings accommodated eleven hundred scholars, with an average attendance of one thousand. The cost of maintaining the schools in 1882 was about $4,000. Scholars pay from ten shillings to two dollars per quarter. The boys' school was in charge of the Christian Broth- ers, the girls in charge of the Sisters of the Immac- ulate Heart of Mary, from Monroe. A new residence for the Brothers was erected in 1882 on Jay Street, between Orleans and Dequindre, at a cost of $5,000.

St. Boniface School

is located on the west side of Thirteenth Street just north of Michigan Avenue. The property, including the lot, cost $10,000.

The building was erected and the school estab- lished in 1869, and in 1870 there were two teachers and one hundred scholars, with an average attend- ance of about ninety. In 1880 there were four teach- ers and three hundred and twenty-five scholars, with an average attendance of three hundred. The girls are taught by three Sisters, members of the Order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and there is a lay teacher for the boys. The yearly ex- pense of maintaining the school is $2,000. Scholars pay from forty to eighty cents per month. The property in 1880 was valued at $12,000.

St. Vincent de Paul School.

This school, on the east side of Fourteenth Avenue, between Marantette and Dalzelle Streets, was estab- lished in August, 1872. At first conducted by lay teachers, in September, 1874, the female department was placed in charge of the Sisters of the Immacu- late Heart of Mary. The average attendance in 1880 was five hundred and twenty-five, with seven hundred on the roll. In 1881 it had ten teachers, six of them Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with two male and two female lay teachers. The expenses were about $3,000 per year, and were

paid by a school society connected with the church. The school building and convent cost about $6,000. Members of the school society, whose children attend the school, pay one dollar per month during the school year.

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ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CATHOLIC SCHOOL.

School of our Lady of Help.

This school, on the west side of Elmwood Avenue, between Congress and Larned Streets, was estab- lished in 1872. The building and lot cost $6,000. In 1880 the school had two hundred and seventy- five scholars, with an average attendance of two hundred and twenty-five. Originally lay teachers were employed.

In 1872 the school was placed in charge of four Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In 1881

SCHOOL OF OUR LADY OF HELP.

one lay male teacher was also employed. Families sending one child pay fifty cents per month, or any number may be sent for one dollar per month. The yearly cost of the school is $1,000.

724

CHURCH SCHOOLS.

St. Albert's School.

This school is situated on the southwest corner of St. Aubin Avenue and Fremont Street. It was established in 1872, in a new building which cost $2,500; the lot cost $1,500. In 1880 the school had

ST. ALBERT'S CATHOLIC SCHOOL.

four hundred and fifty scholars, with an average at- tendance of four hundred and twenty-five. Prior to 1877 it was managed by lay teachers; since then it has been conducted by five Polish Franciscan Sisters. The cost of maintaining the school is about $1,000. Families sending children pay forty-five cents per month for one child, and half this price for any others they may send. The property in 1881 was valued at $4,500. A large brick mother- house for the Franciscan Sisters of the United States is located opposite the school; it cost $25,000, and was dedicated October 4, 1882.

St. Joachim, formerly Sacred Heart French School.

This school was established in June, 1875, in a building erected for the purpose on the north side of Fort Street East, between Chene Street and Joseph Campau Avenue. It is conducted by a lay teacher under the supervision of Father Laporte, and in 1880 had eighty scholars; who paid fifty cents per month each. The cost of maintaining the school in 1880 was $325.

Sacred Heart German School.

This school is located on the south side of Grove near Prospect Street. The building was erected at a cost of $3,500, and the school established in April 1875. In 1880 it was conducted by three Sisters of Notre Dame from Milwaukee and two Franciscan Brothers.

The yearly expense of maintaining the school is $2,300. In 1880 it had three hundred and fifty scholars, with an average attendance of three hun- dred. Families sending children pay sixty cents per month for the first child, fifty cents for the second, forty cents for the third, thirty cents for the fourth ; all over this number are instructed free.

Most Holy Redeemer School.

This church dedicated their school building, near the corner of Dix Road and Grand Junction Avenue, on September 3, 1882. It cost about $5,000.

St. Cassimer's School.

This Polish school is located on the west side of Twenty-third Street at the corner of Myrtle Street. The first floor is used for church purposes, and the second story for a school. The building cost $8,000.

St. Anthony's School.

This school is located on the north side of Gratiot Road about one-half mile beyond Mt. Elliott Ave- nue. It is in charge of the Sisters of the Immacu- late Heart of Mary, assisted by a lay teacher. It was established about 1854, in a frame building built for the purpose. In 1864 a brick building was erected. In 1880 the school numbered seventy-eight, with an average attendance of seventy-four. The cost of maintaining in 1880 was $412.

POLISH FRANCISCAN CONVENT AND MOTHER HOUSE.

Academy of the Sacred Heart.

This establishment is under the management of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart. The society was incorporated February 28, 1861, under the name of The Sacred Heart of the State of Michigan. The academy began in a frame dwelling on the north side of Jefferson Avenue, just east of the railroad bridge. From there it was moved to its present

725

CHURCH SCHOOLS.

site, occupying the brick building on the southwest corner of Jefferson Avenue and St. Antoine Street. Again moving, it was located on the north side of Jefferson Avenue near Elmwood Avenue. While there a free school for girls was also maintained in a frame building nearly opposite the present academy.

C.W. 50mn

ACADEMY OF THE SACRED HEART.

The extensive grounds of the school, of about three acres, are located on the southwest corner of Jefferson Avenue and St. Antoine Street, and together with other lots near by were donated in 1851 by Mr. and Mrs. Antoine Beaubien. In 1881 the property was estimated to be worth $100,000. It was one of the conditions of the gift that the Sisters should constantly care for and educate twelve orphan children. This obligation has been more than fulfilled. The main school building, sixty by eighty-four feet, cost $30,000. It was first occupied on September 1, 1862, and is one of the most imposing structures in the city. In 1870 there were twelve teachers and ninety scholars, with an average attendance of seventy. In 1880 there were twenty-two teachers and one hundred and thirty pupils, with an average attendance of one hundred and twenty.

In addition to the academy, a parish school not connected with any regular church parish, was con- ducted in 1870, with seven teachers and six hundred scholars, with an average attendance of four hun- dred and fifty.

In 1880 the Sisters taught a French parish school for St. Anne's Church, which had five teachers and one hundred children with an average attendance of ninety; and an English parish school for SS. Peter and Paul's Church, with five teachers and one hun- dred and eighty scholars with an average attend- ance of one hundred and seventy. A boarding school, in their elegant building on Lake St. Clair in the township of Grosse Pointe, was estab- lished in September, 1885, and their school in Detroit has since been conducted as a day school.

The mother foundress, Sister Trincano, was suc- ceeded by Sister Superiors Verhulst, Dekersaint, Hamilton, Desmarquet, Cormelis, Brennan, Duffy, O'Rorke, Grugan and Robinson.

Detroit College.

This institution is located on the south side of Jefferson Avenue, just above St. Antoine Street, and is in charge of the Fathers of the Society of Jesus. It was established in September, 1877. The lot and building cost $24,000, and in September, 1881, $20,000 was still due on the property. The number of scholars in 1880 was one hundred and thirty, with an average attendance of one hundred and twenty-six, under the care of eight teachers. The college was incorporated April 27, 1881. The course of study is divided into four departments,- Collegiate, Academic, Commercial, and Scientific. The yearly cost of maintenance is estimated at $4,000.

St. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Seminary.

This institution, for the education of Polish theo- logical students, is located on St. Aubin Avenue, be- tween Forest and Garfield Avenues. The grounds embrace two acres and cost $4,600. The building, which was first used on December 20, 1886, cost $20,000. They began with two professors and nineteen students.

DETROIT COLLEGE.

St. John's German Evangelical School.

This school was established at the church on Mon- roe Avenue, corner of Farrar Street, in 1843; a school-house was built in the rear, in 1845, and a school was maintained for a portion of each year most of the time for nearly twenty years. In 1862 Charles H. Borgman was in charge of the school, commencing with thirty pupils; in four years the number grew to four hundred and twenty. Mr. Borgman taught until the fall of 1866, and was suc-

726

CHURCH SCHOOLS.

ceeded by G. Hermon. In May, 1866, the church purchased of W. W. Wilcox his carpenter shop, with the lot on Farrar Street near Monroe Avenue, for $5,200. The greater part of the building was torn down, and a two-story school-house erected containing four large rooms, each fifty by twenty- five feet. In 1872 the property was sold for $10,000, and in November, 1873, the school was moved to the new school building on Chestnut Street, in rear of the church. In 1880 the school had five teachers and three hundred and fifty-two scholars, with an average attendance of three hundred and thirty-five. The yearly cost is $2,500. Scholars pay from $6.25 to $12.25 per year. In 1881 the school property was valued at $15,000.

St. Mark's German Evangelical School.

This school, under the care of a church of the same name, was established on January 2, 1884, and began with twenty-two scholars. It is located on the corner of Military Avenue and the Dix Road.

St. Matthew's Lutheran School.

This school was organized in 1846, on Congress near Russell Street, and still remains in the same location. The school building was erected in 1850, and cost $200. In 1870 the school had an average attendance of thirty scholars, and in 1880 an average of twenty-five. The scholars pay ten cents per week. The school is taught by the pastor, and the cost of maintaining it is about $120 per year.

FARMER ENC-

TRINITY LUTHERAN SCHOOL.

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran School.

This school was organized in 1850, in the old wooden church on Larned Street between Rivard and Russell Streets. In 1855 and 1856 an addition was built, which accommodated one hundred schol- ars. In 1860 the school required two teachers, and

in 1864 a lot was purchased on the north side of High (now Sherman) Street, for $600. A brick school-house, forty by fifty feet, two stories high, and costing $250, was then erected. An addition was built in 1863, increasing the seating capacity to five hundred. The total cost of the building was $2,900.

In 1870 the school had three teachers and three hundred scholars, with an average attendance of two hundred and ten. In 1877 the average attend- ance was two hundred. The price for tuition ranges from fifty to seventy cents per month. In 1880 the school had three teachers, two hundred and twenty- five scholars, and an average attendance of two hundred. The yearly cost of maintaining the school was $2,225. The property in 1881 was valued at $5,000.

Zion German Reformed Lutheran School.

This school, now located on Russell Street, near Catharine, was originally organized about 1852, and up to 1857 met in what is now the Second Baptist Church on Croghan Street, near Beaubien. After 1857 the school was discontinued until 1861, when a school-house was built on Russell Street. It cost $823. In its new location the school began on Jan- uary 2, 1862. In 1876 it had an average of seventy- five scholars. After 1876 it was conducted as an evening school, and in 1880 had thirty-five scholars, with an average attendance of thirty. The scholars pay one dollar per term of ten weeks. There is but one teacher, the pastor. The value of the school property in 1881 was $1,500. The total yearly cost of maintaining the school is $50.

Salem Lutheran School.

This school is located on the south side of Cath- erine Street, between St. Antoine and Hastings Streets, in a brick building, twenty by thirty feet, in the rear of the church. It was organized in 1864. The building cost $500, and with the lot was valued, in 1881, at $2,000.

In 1870 the school had two teachers and one hundred and five scholars, with an average attend- ance of one hundred. In 1880 it had forty scholars, with an average attendance of thirty, and was taught by the pastor at a yearly cost to the church of $50. The charge for tuition was forty cents per quarter to members of the congregation, and fifty cents to others.

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran School.

This school was organized in 1866, and was originally located on Ninth Avenue near Orchard Street. In 1870 it had one hundred and fifty schol- ars, with an average attendance of one hundred. It met originally in the church. In 1872 the church

CHURCH SCHOOLS.

727

building was moved to the corner of Seventeenth and Pine Streets and altered and enlarged for school purposes. In November, 1881, it was torn down, and early in 1882 a brick school-building was erected which cost $3,000. In 1880 the school had two hundred and forty scholars, with an average attendance of two hundred, and was managed by two teachers. Scholars pay sixty cents per month. The yearly expenses of the school are $1,200.

Zion Evangelical Lutheran School.

This school was established in the fall of 1878, in Springwells, on Welch Avenue. The lot and build- ing cost $1,300. In 1880 it had one teacher, eighty scholars, and an average attendance of seventy, and in 1883 two teachers and two hundred and twenty- five scholars, who paid a tuition fee of sixty cents per month.

St. Paul's Lutheran School.

This school is located on the corner of Jay Street and Joseph Campau Aveitue. The building, erected in 1873, cost $3,700, and the school was opened the same year. In 1881 the property was valued at $5,500. In 1880 the school had three teachers and three hundred scholars, with an average attendance

of two hundred and seventy-five. Parents who are members of the congregation pay fifty cents a month each for one or two children, and a third child is taught free. The yearly cost of maintaining the school is $2,000. A dwelling which cost $1,000 is provided for the teacher.

St. Paul's Second German Evangelical School.

This school, on the corner of Seventeenth and Rose Streets, was established, and its building erected, in 1873. The building cost $7,000. The estimated value of the property in 1881 was $9.000. In 1880 the school had one teacher and seventy scholars, with an average attendance of sixty. The yearly cost of the school is $500, and scholars pay from sixty to eighty cents per month.

St. Peter's German Evangelical School.

This school is located on Pierce Street near Chene, and was established in 1879. The building cost $1,500. In 1880 there were two teachers and one hundred and fifty scholars, with an average attendance of one hundred and forty. Scholars pay from fifty to sixty-five cents per month for tuition. The yearly cost of maintaining the school is $1,000,

ITE

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CONVENT OF THE SACRED HEART, GROSSE POINTE.

CHAPTER

LXXIV.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN .- COMMERCIAL COLLEGES. - MEDICAL COLLEGES.

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN.

As the birthplace of Michigan University, Detroit is entitled to more recognition in the history of that institution than has heretofore been accorded. The present university at Ann Arbor is the legitimate successor of the university schools established in this city in 1817. This is abundantly proven by the records of the old and new institutions, and by a decision of the Supreme Court in January, 1856. The university germinated here, and its removal was an irreparable loss to Detroit. It has achieved a world-wide fame in its present location, and had it remained in Detroit its influence and possessions would have conferred upon the city more honor than all the other institutions it possesses. In its present location, it has been claimed as one of the attractions of Chicago. No assumption could have been more thoroughly characteristic than that con- tained in an article on Chicago in Scribner's Monthly for September, 1875. After speaking of the schools of that city, the writer of the article said, "There are in addition many colleges in the neighborhood of this city, including the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor." This university is two hundred and forty-six miles east of Chicago, in another State. The Falls of Niagara are only two hundred and twenty-nine miles east of Detroit, and might with greater propriety be described as in the neighbor- hood of Detroit, and included in its attractions. The university is but an hour's ride from our city, and as it was founded here, and is the crowning glory of the schools of Michigan, we may rightfully include it in our educational system and number it among our advantages.

August 26, 1817, is a memorable date, for on that day the "Catholepistemiad or University of Michigania" was born. Under the creative Act thirteen professorships were established, namely: of Universal Science, the professor to be also the presi- dent of the university; of Literature, embracing all sciences relative to language; of Mathematics, Natural History, Natural Philosophy, Astronomy, and Chemistry, and of the Medical, Economical, Ethical, Military, Historical, and Intellectual Sci- ences, the last to embrace all "sciences relative to the minds of animals, to the human mind, spiritual existence, to the Deity, and to religion." The pro-

fessor of these last-named sciences was to be vice- president of the university.

The Act certainly had the merit of breadth, com- prehending as it did the teaching of all the sciences the world had heard of, besides some never heard of before or since. It was drafted by Judge Woodward, who probably coined more words than any other American of his time; in fact, he had a passion for word-coining, and this Act, as well as his private memorandum book in possession of the Historical Society, affords abundant evidence of endeavor to invent new and high-sounding words and titles. Professors were provided for on " anthro- poglossica," "physiognostica," and "polemitica," and the Board of Professors was given power "to establish Colleges, Academies, Schools, Libraries, Museums, Athenæums, Botanic Gardens, Labora- tories, and other useful literary and Scientific insti- tutions."

On September 8, 1817, all the professorships were conferred upon two men, and the proceeding was made still more strange by the fact that both of these men were clergymen, namely, the Rev. John Monteith, a graduate of Princeton College and pas- tor of the Protestant Church, and the Rev. Gabriel Richard, the Roman Catholic priest of St. Anne's. The first named held the presidency and seven pro- fessorships, and the other served as vice-president and held six professorships. As the president and professors controlled the university, the management was in the hands of these two men, who were amen- able only to the governor, by whom they were ap- pointed.

All of the business affairs of the university were conducted in strict accordance with its grandiloquent title. One of the published "Statutes" of the university reads as follows :

STATUTES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANIA.

STATUTE THE FIRST.

An Act concerning the seal of the University of Michigania.

Be it enacted by the University of Michigania that on the seal of the University there shall be a device representing six pillars supporting a dome, with the motto, " Epistemia," at their base, and the legend, seal of the University of Michigania, around the margin, and light shining on the dome from above ; and until such seal be provided the President may use any temporary seal

[728]

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN.

which may be convenient. Passed at the City of Detroit, on Fri - day, the twelfth day of September, one thousand eight hundred and seventeen.

JOHN MONTEITH, President of the University of Michigania.

Statute the Second provided that no subscriber to the institution should be required to pay more than fifty dollars in any one year. Statute the Third, that instruction in the primary schools should con- sist of writing, arithmetic, English grammar, and elocution. Statute the Fourth, that a primary school should be established. Statute the Fifth, that in- struction in the classical academy should consist of "French, Latin, and Greek Antiquities, English grammar, composition, mathematics, elocution, geography, morals, and ornamental accomplish- ments." The following books were to be used : Murray's Grammar and Spelling Book, the English Reader and Exercises, also Walker's Elocution and Dictionary. ·It was further provided that the "Sacred Scriptures shall constitute part of the read- ing from the beginning to the end of the course." Statute the Sixth established the classical academy. Statute the Seventh provided that thirteen visitors should be appointed for each classical academy.

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History of Detroit and Wayne County and early Michigan: A Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present, Vol. I, Part 117

Author: Farmer, Silas, 1839-1902 Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Detroit, Pub. by S. Farmer & co., for Munsell & co., New York Number of Pages: 1094

Author: Farmer, Silas, 1839-1902
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Detroit, Pub. by S. Farmer & co., for Munsell & co., New York
Number of Pages: 1094