USA > North Carolina > History of North Carolina: North Carolina biography, Volume V > Part 107
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
CHARLES E. BOGER. All too infrequently there comes into the world a man modest but intensely in earnest who wrests from his everyday and often depressing surroundings the victory of a notable and noble achievement. As a general rule there are few institutions which present a more forbid- ding appearance, or which are more devoid of all inspiration for anything ideal or elevating than the reformatories to which are sent the youth of our country who have broken the laws of society and state. It is true that philantropists have occasionally brought their hope, kind words and helpful deeds to bear upon the lives of the in- mates; but for the keeper of these charges to burden himself with the care and moral responsi- bility of those who come under his charge and to endeavor to return them to society with softened natures and worthy ambitions, is something so uncommon as to be remarkable. And in this con- nection it is apropos to speak of Charles E. Boger, and of the Stonewall Jackson Manual Training and Industrial School at Concord, North Carolina, of which he is the superintendent. In him the old ideas of grim, unresponsive, cold- hearted and cold-blooded treatment are revolu- tionized. So well blended are the ideas of home and school, both tempered and softened by the influence of church and Sunday school, the visitor gets the impression of one big home where in- stant obedience is required and cheerfully given. Although he has always been a strict disciplinarian, he has from the first treated his charges as youths never beyond the pale of good influences, and has made the institution of which he is the head an unique and far-reaching influence for good, the purposes of which are destined to be put into operation by similar schools elsewhere.
Charles E. Boger was born at the Boger home place, in Township No. 10, about eight miles south- east of Concord, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, his parents being Daniel and Nannie Estelle (Crowell) Boger, both members of very old fami- lies of Cabarrus County, his father of German descent and his mother of English stock. The Crowell name was originally spelled Cromwell, and Mr. Boger's mother was directly descended from that famous English family. The Bogers are of the German families who came from Pennsylvania to North Carolina prior to the war of the Revolu- tion and settled in Cabarrus County. Mr. Boger's mother is deceased, but his father, who has been by occupation a lifelong agriculturist, is still living. He served throughout the war between the states in the Confederate army from Cabarrus County, being lieutenant of his company in the Seventh North Carolina Regiment of Infantry, in Lane's Brigade. .
Charles E. Boger was born and reared on the farm. He attended a private school in his home district, and then spent several years as a student in the famous Unionville Academy in Union County, which at the time of his attendance was taught by that distinguished instructor, Prof. O. C. Hamilton, who had been the teacher of some of the most prominent characters of North Carolina and the nation, an unusual teacher and character- builder under whom Mr. Boger made excellent progress and developed numerous inherent traits. Mr. Boger was also a student at the North Caro- lina College at Mount Pleasant, and since taking up teaching as a profession has taken several courses of work at the University of North Caro- lina, being a splendidly educated and thoroughly equipped school man. He was a teacher and prin- cipal of public schools for four or five years in Cabarrus County, and at Mount Holly in Gaston County, and before being appointed to his present position was for thirteen years, by successive elec- tions, county superintendent of schools of Cabarrus County. In 1914 he was made superintendent of the Stonewall Jackson Training and Industrial School, a state institution, located three miles from Concord.
This institution is such a truly remarkable one that a short history of its work and a resume of its accomplishments will undoubtedly prove in- teresting. Much of this is secured from the first biennial report of the superintendent, which was issued for the biennium ending November 30, 1915. After a full and thorough discussion of the ques- tion, the needs for such an institution having been presented by the King's Daughters, by ministers of the Gospel and by various educational and charity workers, the North Carolina General As- sembly of 1907 chartered the Stonewall Jackson Manual Training and Industrial School for way- ward and unfortunate white boys. An appro- priation of $10,000 was made for the beginning of the work, and the responsibility of inaugurating this new educational undertaking was placed in the hands of fifteen people, four named in the charter and eleven by the governor upon nomina- tions and suggestions of the charter members. Through the big heartedness and generosity of the people of Concord the state became the possessor of nearly 300 acres of land, property which was valued at more than $10,000. This is situated on the Southern Railway, two miles south of Con- cord, its elevation being 780 feet above sea level, the building site thus being ideal and overlooking a territory the radius of which is seventeen miles. Here is located a splendid rock quarry, from which the railroad in the past has secured an immense amount of ballast, and the place has running streams, good pastures and numerous large level fields which under kind treatment and intelligent tilling have proved invaluable in the conduct of the school.
The construction of the buildings began January 1, 1908, and during the year that followed the first superintendent, Mr. Walter Thompson, and his associates struggled untiringly in overcoming great obstacles, so that by January 12, 1909, the institu- tion was ready to open and on that date received its first pupil. As is true in the case of any new institution, there were many impositions practiced upon the institution before order and regularity, such as now exist, could be obtained. But the men and women connected with the school labored unceasingly, and their reward came in the way
400
HISTORY OF NORTH CAROLINA
of a well-nigh perfect organization which began to accomplish the work for which it had been intended by its founders. Part of the work came in the shape of informing the judiciary of the state what the real purpose and hope of the in- stitution were, so that the judges might send to the school only those for whom there was hope of reclamation. That this reclamation has been truly marvelous is shown in the gratifying figures that mark the percentage of the youths who have lived manly clean and straightforward lives since leaving the institution's care.
On a beautiful campus, facing the National Highway, are to be found four cottages, an ad- ministration building, a chapel, an industrial build- ing, a barn, a greenhouse and several outbuildings. Each cottage has been built to accommodate thirty boys and an officer. The cottages are of brick, three stories in height, with large, well-lighted at- tics, and the whole covered with slate. The cot- tages are 52 by 52 feet, and the first floors are divided into storage, recreation and toilet rooms, shower baths, personal wardrobes, etc .; the second floors, fronted by an attractive porch, contain kitchen, dining room, officer's room, small hall and stairway for exclusive use of officer and matron, the general stairway, enclosed in brick, being a part of the building. The third floor contains thirty white-enameled beds, and the room has ten large windows and transoms and is open on three sides to the outside world. The administra- tion building is a beautiful two-story red brick building, standing on a rolling eminence that over- looks all the grounds and fields of the institution and from it can be seen all the buildings of the school. In this building are located the administra- tive offices, the director's room, the student recep- tion room, visitor's reception room, superintend- ent's home quarters and a number of other rooms, given over to certain helpers in the institution and for other purposes in carrying out the plans and problems connected with the conservation of youth.
The Industrial Building, which was the voluntary and generous gift of Mr. and Mrs. G. T. Roth of Elkin, North Carolina, who built it as a loving memorial to their mothers, contains the printing office, where the boys are instructed in the art of the printer's trade; the woodshop, where cabi- net making and practical carpentry are taught by practical experience; and two schoolrooms, in which one-half of the boys receive instruction at a time. The barn is probably the most modernly equipped in that district of North Carolina, its arrangement, and the manner of its construction, making it a most splendid building of its kind. This barn was made possible by the donation of $1,000 by Mr. and Mrs. William N. Reynolds, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The chapel was the gift of the North Carolina branch of the United King's Daughters, and is built of beautiful Rowan granite, being located on a knoll of like material just across the National Highway and facing the other buildings of the institution.
In its service the institution has become of state- wide importance. It has grown gradually, but its student body now represents counties from every. section of the commonwealth. The Stonewall Jack- son Manual Training and Industrial School is not
a prison, it is, as its name designates, an industrial school where the students may learn the dignity and value of honest labor, and where the honor system is practiced in the highest degree. It is not within the province of this article to give in full the description of the various departments. Suffice it to say that all are practical, well managed and largely self-supporting. The printing office is one of the big assets, the woodshop annually turns out a large amount of salable product, the farm has increased its productiveness yearly and the garden has proven the source from which have come great amounts of fresh vegetables. The plant is lighted throughout with electricity, an excellent well fur- nishes pure and healthful water, numerous societies furnish pleasure and instruction for the pupils, as do also all kinds of athletics, and the Sunday school is one of the best to be found in Cabarrus County.
The Stonewall Jackson Manual Training and Industrial School does not receive boys who have reached their sixteenth birthday, and no boy can be entered except he be committed by some of- ficer of the law for violation of some criminal law. There is no 'equipment whatever for the treatment of any save the intellectually normal boys and there is therefore no place for the mental de- fective. The school tries to encourage its pupils to lead clean lives, mentally, morally and physically, to form correct habits, to keep their word, to be obedient and industrious, to train their minds, to learn trades, to obey God and to be men.
The success of the institution under Superin- tendent Boger's administration may be adjudged in part by the letters which come from paroled boys and their parents, speaking of their hap- pier, cleaner lives, of their awakening to a true sense of living, and to the affection which they hold for him. The writer has before him a num- ber of these letters, and they are at the same time pathetic and inspiring. Mr. Boger has im- pressed upon his officers, all of whom are first class men, several being graduates of leading colleges and high schools, the necessity of implanting the idea in the minds of their charges that the of- ficers are not their natural enemies, but rather their friends called upon officially to perform cer- tain necessary duties. Many citizens are little more than aware that this institution exists, and yet among the various reformatories and schools whose object is to restrain and soften the evil of human nature before it can expend its violence on society, none have more far-reaching effects when properly administered than the one now under the superintendence of Mr. Boger. In his responsible position he has fitted into his proper sphere, and the great good which he will yet accomplish is in- calculable.
Mr. Boger married Miss Elise Barnhardt, of Pioneer Mills, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, daughter of Hon. John A. Barnhardt, state senator from Cabarrus County, and a prominent farmer and retired merchant of the southern part of the county. He is a son of the late Colonel Barnhardt who founded the large mercantile and other in- terests at Pioneer Mills. Mr. and Mrs. Boger have two children: Sarah Estelle and Charles Edgar, Jr.
41
كارج **
..
arT
مية.
٤٠٠
நா வல் முறைக்குத்து
الملكة
专业
பதில்
ApEr
1.54
حددمجم
....
منعدة
WOK
049
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.