USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The history of Detroit and Michigan; or, The metropolis illustrated; a chronological cyclopedia of the past and present, Vol I > Part 121
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132 | Part 133 | Part 134 | Part 135 | Part 136 | Part 137 | Part 138 | Part 139 | Part 140 | Part 141 | Part 142 | Part 143 | Part 144 | Part 145 | Part 146 | Part 147 | Part 148 | Part 149 | Part 150 | Part 151 | Part 152 | Part 153 | Part 154 | Part 155 | Part 156 | Part 157 | Part 158 | Part 159 | Part 160 | Part 161 | Part 162 | Part 163 | Part 164 | Part 165 | Part 166 | Part 167 | Part 168 | Part 169
After duly considering the subject it was decided that, inasmuch as the board was in peaceable pos- session, a lease was unnecessary. On May I the order to obtain a lease was rescinded, and to this day the building has remained in possession of the board.
While the board were engaged in this "Capitol steal," they granted the use of other buildings for Sabbath-school purposes. The city fathers con- cluded that the schools would make good polling- places for some of the wards, and sought to pro- cure them for the purpose. The board, reasoning that such use would conflict with their use as schools, and connect them more intimately with political matters than was desirable, on December 18, 1848, resolved " not to allow use of school- houses or grounds for any other purposes than that of Sabbath schools," and "the teachers of the board were instructed to withhold the keys of their several schools from the officers of the corporation desiring to use the buildings for election purposes." The granting of the buildings for Sunday-school use ceased about 1865.
In 1857, by the addition of the Ninth and Tenth Wards, the board came into possession of a house in the Tenth Ward, and of school-houses and lots on Trowbridge, Thompson, and Lafontaine Streets.
The first Union School building erected by the board was the Barstow; it was opened in May, 1850, and was the first building supplied with patent seats, which were added five years after the school was opened. The Barstow was also the first school building designated by the name of an individual; it was named in honor of Samuel Barstow, in ac-
THE BARSTOW SCHOOL.
cordance with a formal resolution offered by Levi Bishop on August 22, 1855.
The Houghton School, erected at a cost of $7,500, was the second Union School edifice built by the
746
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
board, and was opened in the fall of 1853, and re- built in 1872. It was originally called the Eighth Ward School, but on March 5, 1866, the name was changed to Houghton in honor of Douglass Hough- ton, the first president of the board.
THE HOUGHTON SCHOOL.
Other schools have been named as follows : the Bishop, after Levi Bishop, one of the presidents of the board; Cass, after Lewis Cass, who gave the ground ; Franklin, after Benjamin Franklin; Duf- field, after D. B. Duffield, an ex-president of the board; Irving, after Washington Irving ; Tappan, after Henry P. Tappan, ex-president of the Uni- versity ; Everett, after Hon. Edward Everett ; Wil- kins, after William D. Wilkins, ex-president of the board; Washington, after the hero of the cherry- tree; Pitcher, after Dr. Zina Pitcher, an active worker in the organization of the board; Lincoln, after Abraham Lincoln ; Jefferson, after Thomas Jefferson ; Clay, after Henry Clay ; Campbell, after Judge J. V. Campbell; Jackson, after Andrew Jack- son ; Webster, after Daniel Webster; John Owen, after John Owen, ex-State Treasurer; John Norvell, after John Norvell, ex-United States senator; Fir- nane, after Michael Firnane, ex-president of the board; Trowbridge, after Charles C. Trowbridge, it being located on a street formerly called by his name; Farrand, after D. O. Farrand, a prominent physician; Nichols, after John F. Nichols, the teacher; John- ston, after James Johnston, former school inspector; Bagley, after ex-Governor John J. Bagley.
The buildings are cared for by janitors appointed for each. Formerly the janitor lived in the building, but on August 15, 1877, the board decided that thereafter no janitor should be allowed to live in the school buildings. The pay ranges from $10 to$100 per month, and the amount paid out for their ser- vices is about $13,000 per year.
In 1863, owing to lack of school accommodations, it was resolved to try the half-day plan. It was put into successful operation in eight Primary Schools, and on September 3, 1866, the superintendent was authorized to organize every Primary School on this plan, which was put into operation the same year in fourteen Primaries, and some schools have been conducted in this way nearly every year.
Following is a list of buildings owned by the board :
Barstow : Larned, between Riopelle and Russell Streets, three-story brick, with basement; built 1871.
Bishop: Marion, between Hastings and Prospect Streets, three-story brick, with basement ; built 1858-1881.
Bagley: Corner Fourteenth Avenue and Pine Street, two-story brick ; built 1884.
Bellefontaine : Morell, between Fort and River Streets, two-story brick; built 1888.
Cass : Grand River Avenue, between Second and High Streets, three-story brick, with basement; built 1861-1882.
Clay : Pitcher, between Cass and Second Streets, two-story, frame ; built 1873.
Campbell : St. Aubin Avenue, opposite Witherell, two-story frame ; built 1874.
Clinton : Clinton, between Russell and Rivard Streets, two-story brick, with basement ; built 1876.
THE JACKSON SCHOOL.
Custer: Hammond Avenue, between Leavitt and Ranspach, two-story brick ; built 1887.
Craft: Corner of Vinewood Avenue and Ash Street, two-story frame; built 1887.
747
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
Duffield : Clinton Avenue, near Chene, three- story brick, with basement ; built 1866.
Everett: Fort, between Hastings and Rivard Streets, three-story brick, with basement; built 1869.
Franklin : Seventh, between Locust and Pine Streets, two-story brick, with basement ; built 1865.
Firnane : Fort Street, between McDougall and Elmwood Avenues, two-story wood ; built 1882.
Farrand : Harper Avenue, on southwest corner of John R. Street, two-story brick ; built 1883, 1884 and 1885.
Ferry : Ferry Avenue, between Joseph Campau and Mitchell Avenues, two-story frame; built 1887.
Garfield : Frederick Street, between Prospect and Russell, former Lincoln School, building, wood ; built 1872.
Hancock : Corner Hancock and Fourteenth Ave- nues, one-story frame; built 1884.
THE JOHN OWEN SCHOOL.
High : Corner State and Griswold Streets, new three-story house, with basement, built 1875. Old two-story house, built 1828.
Houghton : Corner of Sixth and Abbott Streets, three-story brick, with basement under half ; built 1852.
Irving : Willis Avenue, between Woodward and Cass, two-story brick ; built 1882.
Jefferson : Corner Maria and Crawford Streets. three-story brick, with basement, built 1871.
Jackson : Larned, between Dubois and Chene Streets, two-story frame ; used since 1859.
John Owen : Corner of Thirteenth and Myrtle Streets, two-story brick, with basement ; built 1879.
Johnston: German Street, between Dubois and Chene Streets, two-story brick; built 1884.
Lincoln : Corner St. Antoine and Kentucky Streets, two-story brick; built 1887.
Livernois : Livernois Avenue, near Michigan Ave- nue, two story brick.
Miami Avenue : Miami Avenue, between Willcox and Gratiot, one-story brick ; built 1859.
Mckinstry : Mckinstry Avenue, between Dix and Toledo Avenues, two-story brick ; built 1887.
Newberry : Twenty ninth Street, between Jackson and Buchanan Streets, two-story brick; built 1887.
THE NICHOLS SCHOOL.
John Norvell: On Berlin and Arndt, near Mc- Dougall Avenue, two-story brick, with basement, built 1879.
Nichols: On Elm, between Seventh Street and Trumbull Avenue, two-story frame; built 1868-1883.
Pitcher: Sullivan Avenue, near Michigan, three- story brick, with basement ; built 1871.
Tappan : Corner Thirteenth and Marantette Streets, three-story brick ; built 1867 and 1885.
Tilden: Corner Seventh and Kirby Streets, two- story brick; built 1888.
non
THE CAMPBELL SCHOOL.
748
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
THE WILKINS SCHOOL.
Trowbridge : Seventeenth Street, near Howard, two-story brick, built 1857.
Van Dyke: Corner Field and Agnes Avenues, two-story brick ; built 1888.
Washington: Beaubien Street, between Adams Avenue and Harriet Street, three-story brick, with basement; built 1871.
Webster : Twenty-first, between Howard and Marquette Streets, two-story brick, with basement ; built 1874.
Wilkins: Porter, between Second and Third Streets, three-story brick with basement ; built 1869.
THE LINCOLN SCHOOL.
and Campbell, Washington and Jefferson. The John Owen, John Norvell, and Clinton-street schools are also alike.
After the completion of the new Irving School the old building was moved to the south side of Elm
Street, between Seventh Street and Trumbull Ave- nue, and enlarged from a four to a six-room building. When purchasing the lot for the school the board obtained a small triangular piece of ground on the opposite side of Elm Street, on which a work-shop and store-house for their use has been erected.
The first mention of a High School is found in the proceedings of the Board of Education for April 22, 1844, when a committee was appointed to sub- mit a plan for a High School, and the Regents of the University placed the old academy building, on Bates Street, at the disposal of the board for a Classical School, they to have the privilege of ap- pointing the teachers, and the books used to be the same as those used in the branch schools. The board accepted the offer, and on May 2, 1844, ap-
ARMERENE
THE FRANKLIN SCHOOL.
propriated $150 and fuel to the support of a High School to be kept in the second and third stories of the building. Not over twenty-five scholars were to be admitted, and these were to be boys of eleven years old and upward who had attended public school three months and passed an examination before the Committee on Teachers. They were re- quired to enter within the first two weeks of the session.
Doubts being expressed as to the power of the board to establish such a school, on May 13, 1844, a committee reported that it had full power, and a school was inaugurated. It continued only a short time.
On January 20, 1855, an Act of the Legislature gave increased facilities for maintaining a High School, but no action was taken under the law until February 20, 1856, when, on motion of Mr. Duffield,
749
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
a committee was appointed to consider and report upon the expediency of establishing such a school ; no definite conclusions were reached, and on April 2, 1856, the question was postponed for a year; in 1858 the goal was reached, and on August 30 the High School held its first session in the upper story of the Miami Avenue school building. It began with twenty-three pupils, all boys.
In 1859 a building was erected for the High School on the rear part of the Miami Avenue lot, at a cost of $2,000. Eighty-five pupils attended at the opening in the new building on January 16, 1860, and girls for the first time were then admitted.
In September, 1863, the school was trans- ferred to the second story of the Capitol building, and in February of this year the citizens contributed $1,000 for the purchase of philosophical and chemical apparatus. In 1866 French and German were intro- duced as studies. In 1875 a new building was erected for the school in front of the old Capitol, and for the first time the four grades were accommodated under one roof.
In June, 1871, the board agreed that a diploma from the High School should be accepted as a certificate of qualification to teach, but four years later this practice was discon- tinued. A greater honor was conferred upon the school, on June 27, 1878, when the Regents of the University decided that students graduating from the High School should be admitted to the Univer- sity on their diploma, without examination.
THE CASS SCHOOL, AS ENLARGED.
Believing that the military drill would be bene- ficial to the boys, several gentlemen, in the fall of 1874, petitioned the Government, and arms and in- structors were furnished from Fort Wayne. On
February 25, 1875, a Committee on Military Instruc- tion was appointed, and for two years the boys were daily drilled. Every boy in the school was expected to belong to the company, unless his parents ob-
2
THE CASS SCHOOL. (Original appearance.)
jected, and nearly all in each grade became mem- bers of the High School Cadets. The first year all were required to dress in a uniform which cost eighteen dollars; but after the first year this was not insisted on. Two years later drills were had daily for part of the time, and then twice a week. There was always considerable discussion as to the desirability of the practice, and at the close of the term in 1876 the organization was discontinued. In October, 1882, a company was established by the students themselves.
Professor H. Chaney, the first principal of the school, remained until September, 1871, when he resigned to give his time to the Pub- lic Library. His successor, Professor I. M. Wellington, served until 1881, and was fol- lowed by Professor L. C. Hull, who served till September, 1887, and was followed by F. W. Bliss. The principals are aided by a number of assistants. Candidates for admission must be twelve years of age or over, and must pass an examination in spelling, grammar, arithme- tic, geography, reading, United States history and government. Their answers to questions are written, each student being designated by a num- ber attached to his answers. All answers are ex- amined by a uniform key to the questions, and each part of all questions submitted has its definite
750
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
credit mark. The rate per cent entitling to promo- tion from one grade to another ranges from sixty-five to seventy-five. The school hours are from 8.30
fifty-seven colored children, but no director was appointed or funds appropriated for teaching the children, as the inspectors had no authority for thus organizing a separate dis- trict. The Legislature, on March 27, 1841, re- medied this lack of au- thority, and the same year a school of seventy pupils was sustained for four and a half months.
FARMERING
THE HIGH SCHOOL.
A. M. to 1.05 P. M., including an intermission of ten minutes.
The number of pupils in the several years since the school opened has been :
Year.
No. Pupils.
Year.
No. Pupils.
1858
23
1871
281
1859
63
1872
329
1860
117
1873
280
1861
114
1874
474
1862
III
1875
583
1863
122
1876
932
1864
125
1877
785
1865
I33
1878
864
1866
144
1879
706
1867
172
1880
801
1868
202
1881
773
1869
234
1885
839
1870
293
1886
924
An Alumni Association was or- ganized June 21, 1866, and holds annual exercises on the evening of the day that school closes for the summer vacation. All graduates may become members. The an- nual dues are one dollar for gentle- men, and fifty cents for ladies.
Colored Schools.
The school inspectors of the city, in 1839, organ- ized School District No. 8, in which there were
On March 23, 1842, the Board of Education opened a similar school in the African M. E. Church on Fort Street, just west of Beaubien. It continued here nearly ten years, and in 1846 and 1847 was taught by J. M. Brown, who in 1882 was a bishop in the Af- rican M. E. Church. In 1851 it was moved to the Colored Episcopal Church on the corner of Congress and St. Antoine Streets, where for several years it was taught by Rev. W. C. Monroe.
In 1860 a colored school, with a white teacher, was established on Fort Street just west of St. An-
THE DUFFIELD SCHOOL.
toine ; much improvement was made in classifying the scholars here, and a larger attendance was secured.
Separate schools were maintained for the colored
751
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
children and they were excluded from the other public schools until the passage of the General Schools Law in 1867, providing that all residents of a school district were entitled to admission to the school. The board claimed that this law did not
THE FIRNANE SCHOOL.
apply to Detroit, but the colored people claimed the right of admission to the schools, and from time to time petitioned for their rights, but the board con- tinued to refuse them. On April 15, 1867, City Counsellor William Gray decided that the board had no right to refuse admission, nevertheless the board persisted, and on September 2, 1867, the col- ored people again petitioned for their rights, and called attention to the Act, and on December 16, a committee of the board reported in favor of rescind- ing the resolution of exclusion. Their report was
NEW IRVING SCHOOL.
referred back to the committee, and this shuttle- cock sort of proceeding was continued for nearly two years. The assistance of the courts was then sought to compel obedience to the law, and in 1869
the Supreme Court decided that, under the General School Law of 1867, the colored children had a right to admission.
This settled the question. The Board of Educa- tion yielded to the pressure of circumstances, and on October 11, 1869, rescinded the resolution of exclusion. Since that date colored children have been admitted to all the schools, but at the request of many colored citizens separate schools have been occasionally provided.
The following table gives a variety of valuable facts relative to the schools :
Years.
Value of School
Property.
No. of Children be-
tween 5 and 17.
No. of Pupils En-
Average attendance.
No. of Sittings.
Total Expenditures.
No. of Teachers.
No. of Schools.
1842
$1,090
2,239
1,245
946
$1,993
T2
12
1843
1,193
2,985
1,412
701
2,840
13
13
1844
2,490
3,821
1,132
959
4,356
IO
10
1845
3,832
4,039
2,492
810
4,455
12
12
1846
5,927
3,822
2,470
874
4,556
12
12
1847
6,377
5,846
2,960
1,069
4,512
14
14
1848
13,377
6,546
3,821
1,532
6,637
20
18
1849
15,827
6,305
4,000
1,743
9,413
21
19
Between
4 and 18.
1850
17,174
6,965
4,250
2,465
8,203
21
20
1851
18,000
7,253
4,729
2,739
11,983
30
23
1852
19,500
7,883
4,850
2,783
12,129
31
25
1853
21,690
8,520
5,000
3,036
14,399
38
27
1854
22,040
9,983
5,000
3,087
15,623
37
25
1855
28,208
9,912
5,500
3,328
27,449
41
29
1856
*50,000
10,502
5,800
3,823
25,354
42
29
1858
80,349
13,138
4,586
2,728
4,385
34,050
61
1860
132,730
14,159
7,045
4,849
4,971
48,726
68
50
1862
131,869
15,398
7,554
4,697
5,040
45,620
73
55
1863
146,194
16,473
7,986
4,175
5,172
53,780
80
63
1864
148,455
17,399
8, III
4,978
5,300
57,083
83
65
1865
185,510
18,710
8,445
4,990
5,424
70,987
86
68
1866
228,623
20,353
9,137
6,157
5,896
99,284
100
78
1867
245,784
21,742
9,221
6,155
6,059
88,502
IO2
81
1868
280,477
22,810
9,703
6,480
6,954
103, 185
I16
94
Between
5 and 20.
1869
324,703
27,039
10,717
7,127
7,118
121,617
127
100
1870
432,972
26,641
11,252
7,505
7,594
193,550
143 I12
1871
505,810
28,779
11,866
7,968
8,517
177,906
170 131
1872
545,410
30,230
11,764
7,885
9,071
168,591
177
138
1873
576,442
31,926
12,185
8,285
9,477
145,537
185
149
1874
664,635
33,772
12,983
8,956
10,694
154,070
204
167
1875
735, 192
34,593
13,739
9,294
11,13I
239,697 209,670
226
1877
720,823
35,739
13,29I
10,209
12,549
213,214
233
240
185
1879
747,691
37,684
14,837
10,665
12,461
213,277
247
187 208
1881
774,641
+37,926
17,303
12,062
14,09I
222,434
268
218
1882
931,050
40,210
17,392
12,835
14,205
256,013
273
228
1883
936,950
43,840
19,546
13,337
14,502 |
290,914
288 |234
1884
968,950
45,641
20,917
14.349
15,668
309,881
259 315
1885
1,068,950
53,049
21,325
14,534
16,561
322,610
285
338
1886
1, 190,350
66,963
21,434
16, 133
18,666
451,176
383 348
1857
70,000
12,688
6,000
4,146
34,638
50
33,142
57
1859
100,230
13,208
6,502
4,490
1861
14, 136
7,489
41,545
69
37 42 44 49
1880
770,284
39,467
15,802
11,513
13,208
221,429
249
177 182
1878
634,275
35,962
13,231
11,460
12,119
189,770
22I
178
1876
772,042
35, 172
14, 119
9,601
11,951
* The large increase in valuation over the previous year was chiefly from a greater value put on the property of the Board. t This census or former ones must have been carelessly taken.
The school census of 1887 showed a total of 10,325 children attending other than the public schools, 3,769 at work, and 25,947 not in any school.
rolled.
752
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
School Officers and Salaries.
The chief salaried officer is the Superintendent of Schools. This officer was first provided for by Act of January 20, 1855, and on April 4, J. F. Nichols was elected to the position with a salary of
THE WEBSTER SCHOOL.
$900 a year. He served but one year, and the office was then unfilled until August 1, 1863, when Professor J. M. B. Sill was appointed. He served two years, receiving at first $1,600 and then $1,800 per year. In June, 1865, he was succeeded by Duane Doty. In 1866 the salary was made $2,000; in 1869 it was raised to $2,500, and in 1871, to $3,000. Mr. Doty continued in office until April I, 1875, when Professor Sill was again appointed, and served till September, 1886, and was succeeded by W. E. Robinson.
There was at one time doubts as to the authority of the board to create this office, but on February 24, 1869, the Legislature settled the question by expressly conferring authority to appoint a superin- tendent, and under Act of March 27, 1873, he is elected for terms of three years.
In 1871 Miss B. Riley was appointed clerk to the superintendent at a salary of $500, afterwards in- creased to $750. In 1887 she was still serving. John B. Cousins held the position of messenger from 1860 until 1876, when the office was abolished. He was the general Superintendent of Repairs, and acted as business agent for the board. The salary was $600.
The office of Supervisor of Repairs and Building
succeeded that of messenger. Geo. Morhous was appointed in April, 1876, with a salary of $1,200, and served until 1880, when he was succeeded by Luke Crossley, who served until 1886, and was fol- lowed by Robert Wallace. -
By Act of March 27, 1873, the board was authorized to appoint a secretary and general business agent, and on February 1, 1875, a secretary was appointed with a sal- ary of $2,000.
The presidents of the board have been : 1842, Douglass Houghton, Mayor; 1843, Zina Pitcher, Mayor ; 1844-1847, John R. Williams, Mayor ; 1847-1852, Samuel Bars- tow; 1852-1859, Levi Bishop ; 1859-1861, D. B. Duffield ; 1861, W. D. Wilkins ; 1862-1865, W. A. Moore ; 1865, C. I. Walker ; 1866, T. H. Hartwell ; 1867, W. D. Wil- kins ; 1868-1870, R. W. King; 1870-1872, Oliver Bourke; 1872- 1874, C. K. Backus; 1874, Mark Flanigan; 1875-1877, G. W. Balch ; 1877-1879, Freeman Norvell; 1879- 1881, Michael Firnane ; 1881-1883, George R. Angell ; 1883-1885, C. I. Walker ; 1885, George Gartner; 1886. H. A. Harmon ; 1887- , W. V. Moore. Secretaries: 1842- 1844, John S. Abbott ; 1884, John
THE TROWBRIDGE SCHOOL.
753
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
Hulbert; 1845-1848, George Robb, 1848-1852, D. B. Duffield; 1852-1854, F. W. Hughes : 1854, James Fenton ; 1855-1859, E. C. Walker; 1859-1861, W. A. Moore; 1861, E. Hall; 1862, H. C. Knight; 1863, W. P. Wells ; 1864, J. M. B. Sill ; 1865-1875, Duane Doty; 1875-1879, S. E. Pittman: 1879-1881, Freeman Norvell ; 1881-1885, II M. Utley ; 1885- , John R. King.
Financial Resources of the Board.
When the district school system ceased, there was turned over to the board, by John Farmer, the treasurer of the old board, assets to the nominal value of $2,156.79; of this amount, $1,295.79, obtained from persons sending children to the old district schools, the board was required to return. The $861 remaining had been received from the State, and with one building valued at $500 and seventy-five dollars' worth of benches, stove and pipe, constituted the assets of the board. Against this there were liabilities amounting to $383.36.
The Act creating the board authorized the coun- cil to levy a tax of not over one dollar a year for each child between five and seventeen. Much op- position was made to this law, and many persons tried to pay the school tax in corporation shin- plasters, which were then greatly depreciated. In consequence of these efforts, an Act was passed on
THE BISHOP SCHOOL, AS ENLARGED,
February 13, 1843, requiring the school taxes to be kept separate from all others, and prohibiting the payment of these taxes in shin-plasters or other obli- gations of the city.
The amount received from this tax was too small to enable the board to erect the necessary buildings,
and on March 12, 1847, an Act was procured author- izing the council, with consent of the citizens' meet- ing, to levy a special tax of $1,500 a year, to be used in providing additional school lots and buildings;
BT
THE BISHOP SCHOOL. (Original building.)
the Act also authorized the board to borrow $5,000 for the same purpose. Prior to this Act, and even as late as 1855, members of the board borrowed money for its use on their individual credit.
By Act of March 5, 1850, the school census was ordered to include all children between four and eighteen years of age, and by Act of January 20, 1855, the city was directed to raise a tax of two dollars, instead of one dollar, for each child reported. Act of February 7, 1857, further increased the opportunities of the board by giving the council power to raise, in addition to the per capita tax, the sum of $20,000, to be expended for lots and buildings.
On March 7, 1861, the school law was so amended that, at the option of the board, the $20,000 of special taxes might be used for general school purposes instead of only for lots and buildings. The constant growth of the city demanded still larger amounts of money, and on March 16, 1865, the council was directed to levy a school tax of three dollars for each child, and any additional sum up to $25,000 that the board should deem necessary ; and a larger sum might be granted with consent of the citizen's meeting. By Act of February 24, 1869, the board was author- ized to borrow $15,000, to be used for school purposes. It was also provided that the school census should include all children between the ages of five and twenty, and that a school tax of four dollars for each child should be levied, and also that a tax of five mills on the dollar might be levied, for the procuring of school lots and buildings.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.