USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Concord > History of Concord, New Hampshire, from the original grant in seventeen hundred and twenty-five to the opening of the twentieth century, Volume II > Part 56
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1 Moore's Annals of Concord, 1824.
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SCHOOLS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.
Colby lived at the "Eleven Lots," at the extreme south end. The next year a similar vote was passed. No further reference to the school appears until 1774, when the town voted that eighty-three pounds be raised for the school and other charges of the parish. It is probable, however, that the annual appropriations for the general expenses of the town during the intervening years covered, in part at least, the usual expense of the school. It is known that Timothy Walker, Jr., afterward Judge Walker, a graduate from Harvard in 1756, taught school in 1764 and 1765, and that Benjamin Thompson of Woburn, Mass., afterward Count Rumford, was a teacher in our schools about 1772 or 1773. The latter was the first to introduce physical exercises, and is said to have further entertained his pupils with interesting and amusing experiments in natural philosophy. A stray leaf from the old records containing the expenditures of the town, published in Dr. Bouton's history, shows that during the four years between March, 1771 and 1775, the following additional teachers were paid for "keeping school ": "Jo Emery, £10.6s; Pat- rick Guinlon, £31.17s.6d .; Robert Hogg two years at £30 per annum-£60; Abiel Chandler for keeping school and surveying for the parish £55.14s.2 1-2d, and John Blanchard for boarding a school mistress £7.6s."
The school, however, was not wholly forgotten, for inquiry was made by the insertion of an article in the warrant for the annual meeting in March, 1775, "To see if the parish will establish a num- ber of schoolhouses in Concord, and choose a committee to fix the places for said houses, and raise money to enable said committee either to purchase or build houses as soon as conveniently may be," but the proposition was received with little favor and laid aside.
The warrant for the annual meeting in 1778 contained another article of inquiry and persuasion, "To see if the parish will vote to hire a reading and writing school for this year and raise money therefor "; but even this very modest request came to naught, the town apparently easing its conscience by choosing a committee to repair the meeting-house, which no doubt needed repairs badly enough. It seems probable, however, notwithstanding these re- fusals, that one or more schools were kept more or less regularly during this period, probably supported wholly by contributions, as an attempt was made in 1781, "To see if the town will excuse those persons who have kept constant schools in town from paying taxes the current year," but this request fell upon deaf ears.
One of the earliest and probably the first schoolhouse erected on the east side of the river was built in the fall of 1781, in what was then called the " Bow Gore," a portion of land set off to the Par-
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HISTORY OF CONCORD.
ish of Rumford in 1765, which afterward became district No. 15, in the Potter neighborhood on the Oak Hill road, near Turtle pond, and not far from the Loudon town line. The proprietors were Henry Beck, Richard and Ephraim Potter, Major Asa and Mellen Kimball (father and son), Benjamin and Joshua Thompson of Concord, and Joshua Berry, Cornet Eastman, and Daniel True of Loudon. The site selected was near the present residence of John T. and Arthur H. Tenney. The building was about eighteen by eighteen. It was built of large hewn timber and framed by Ephraim Potter, who at that time was the only framer of buildings in that section. Potter was assisted by Benjamin Thompson, a carpenter living at the Gore. It was covered with rough boards only. The benches were movable, and large enough to seat six pupils each. Major Kimball gave the timber, and the Loudon proprietors furnished the boards. Tradition reports this to have been the second school building erected in the township. Robert Hogg was the first teacher.
January 2, 1784, by legislative enactment, the parish of Concord became the town of Concord. In 1785 the annual appropriations for the schools were resumed, and have been continued without in- terruption to the present day.
As the town increased in school population, the teachers were obliged to go about from place to place, so as to accommodate the children in as many neighborhoods as possible. Though not so migratory in their habits as the tailor and the shoemaker, who, in supplying the needs of their patrons, went from house to house, it was yet the custom of the early instructors to teach a few weeks in one neighborhood or district and then remove to another, officiating in one place not longer than a month or two at a time. One veteran teacher used to remark that the vocations of the tailor and the teacher were not wholly dissimilar, for while the former cut and made the garments for the older lads, the latter could be quite as fully depended upon to give them regular fits.
The early schools were divided into two classes or grades-the first, for the younger children only, was called the "Dame's" or " Woman's school." It was held in the spring or early summer, a female teacher, becomingly adorned with a white linen or muslin cap, presiding. The pretty custom of wearing this attire was long .in vogue both in England and in this country.
The other, the winter school, for the older or more advanced pupils, was under the charge of a male instructor, and was known as the " Master's school." It was the practice for many years to begin the former in March, on the Monday following the annual town- meeting, and the latter on the Monday after Thanksgiving, which
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SCHOOLS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.
was generally observed, as now, in the last week of November. The terms varied in length from year to year, but from six to nine weeks, "as the funds would allow," was the rule; but when the school funds were exhausted the teachers were generally inclined to continue the school for a few weeks longer if the parents of the children were willing to provide for their compensation by the pay- ment of a small weekly tuition fee. As a rule parents were gener- ally glad to do this, but occasionally such propositions were received with less favor, and once in a while were met with great indiffer- ence or positive refusal. An old teacher used to relate that when he went to one of the families in his district, the man treated him politely, yet gave him no encouragement; but the good wife said, "I have no notion of these schoolmasters; it is only to make money. I know as much as most people do, and when I was young a schoolmaster came 'round, and I was signed for a quarter, and I went two or three days and I did not know one bit more than I did before, and I reckon I know as much as most people do who go to these schools, and our children can do as we did."
About this time, 1785, the second school building in the village proper was erected on the west side of Main street, this time at the South end. It is shown on a map of the street made in 1798, and its precise location given as "85 rods from the stone bound at Shute's Corner." It stood a little north of the lot formerly occu- pied by the residence of George Hutchins, now the home of Mrs. Frank Holt, but in later years was moved a little farther up the street. It was a little more pretentious and convenient than the first one, but by no means imposing in appearance or sumptuous in its appointments. Mr. Shute, before mentioned, said, "I first went to school in this building to a Master Shepard, who was a teacher there for some time. The school was small in numbers and the attend- ance irregular, the larger boys working when work could be had to aid their struggling parents. School books were few in number. The primer and Dilworth's spelling-book were all the books I first had. Samuel Butters had a Psalter, and in those times it was con- sidered a great thing to own one. In their homes then people had hardly any books. My father used to stitch the almanacs together, in bunches of six years cach, and we read them through and through. Deacon Joseph Hall and Mr. Lot Colby together took a Boston weekly paper, and we sometimes had it at our house. I think at that time no other newspaper was seen among the Eleven Lots people. The post went once a week to Boston, carrying the mail on horseback."
The first schoolhouse, erected in 1742, was standing as late as 1780,
35
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HISTORY OF CONCORD.
or perhaps a little later-old and weather-beaten, but still in use. But not long afterward the site was probably needed for other purposes, and the old house was either removed a short distance up the street, in response to such demand, or went the way of all things perishable.
The third schoolhouse built in the town street was located at the North end, on the West side of Main street, at the present point of intersection of Main and Fiske streets. In the summer of 1775, as related by Dr. Bouton, Dr. Philip Carrigain, a physician at the North end, in visiting a patient in a neighboring town who proved to be afflicted with smallpox, contracted the disease himself, and a little later several members of the family of Nathaniel West, who lived on the opposite side of the street, came down with the same disease. The people became alarmed, and made arrangements to assemble next morning in force and build a pest-house at once ; and notwithstanding the fact that the next day was the Sabbath, the house was put up and made ready for occupancy between the ris- ing and the setting of the sun on that day. It was built in a little grove then standing west of the residence of the late Captain Towle, now the home of John H. Stewart, corner of State and Franklin streets. The house was probably never used for the purpose for which it was intended, and in 1790, when the need of a schoolhouse at the North end became urgent, the inhabitants of the town, prac- tising that spirit of economy under which they had been reared, voted, " That the pest-house be moved into the town street near the meeting-house and used for a schoolhouse." This order was promply carried into effect, and the building remained there for many years under the shadow of the sanctuary. On Saturday forenoons Parson Evans, or later Dr. McFarland, was likely to be present when the pupils were given instruction in the Catechism, preparatory for a further study of the Scriptures on the morrow.
An article was inserted in the warrant calling a town-meeting in 1792, "To see what encouragement the town will give to hire a singing master," but the town was not lavish with its funds in those years, and nothing came of the request; but the next year Asa MeFarland, afterward pastor of the First church, came down from Hanover, and kept a singing-school for a time, and four years later the singing society had grown both in membership and influence, and permission was given "to make use of the Town House to sing in when it could be spared, if the society would agree to leave it in good order."
About this time the church and school had become equalized so far as the expense of maintenance was concerned,-the town appro- priating annually about one hundred pounds for cach department.
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SCHOOLS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.
The fourth schoolhouse in the main village was far more preten- tious than any of its predecessors. It was built, probably, between 1792 and 1795, by the united efforts and generous subscriptions of enterprising and public-spirited citizens. A list of the subscribers, or shareholders, cannot be found, but the names of Ebenezer Duston, Jacob Carter, Timothy Chandler, John West, and Abel Hutchins appear in an advertisement a few years later as a "Committee of the Proprietors." The lot upon which it was erected is that now occu- pied by the high school building, a site which has now been devoted to school purposes for considerably more than a hundred years. This lot was purchased, or title to the same obtained, November 15, 1808, many years after its first occupancy for a school, from Ebenezer Dustin and Betsey his wife, for thirty dollars paid by the tenth school district of Concord, as appears by a deed recorded at Exeter. This schoolhouse was deseribed in after years by Asa McFarland, Woodbridge Odlin, and others, " as built upon the more easterly portion of the lot, nearer State street than the present edifice, while the westerly half of the lot was left unimproved, part frog- hole and part sand-bank. The ground was much lower than now, so that in all seasons there was standing water near the house. In summer frogs and yellow slime were to be seen in the pool, and Bell Schoolhouse. when swollen by late autumnal rains, as was nearly every year the case, the smaller boys and girls found great sport in sliding upon the ice while the older boys were engaged in skating. The building was only one story high, covered with a gable roof from the apex of which arose a modest eupola, or belfry. On the spire of the latter was a weather-vanc, or 'potter,' (the name by which it was called in the olden time), made of a tough metal that withstood the peltings of unruly urchins for half a century. The building was painted out- side, and had a wonderful window, with a circular top, in the eastern end or side, and other peculiarities by which it was distinguished from any other schoolhouse of that period. The interior was divided into two unequal parts, the easterly section, the larger of the two, was assigned to the master's school, and the westerly, or smaller part, was devoted to the mistress's department. In the former, the boys were scated on the south, and the girls on the north, side, so that they sat facing each other. The platform for the teacher was at the
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HISTORY OF CONCORD.
east end, with a large stove in the center of the floor after stoves came into use. This building was at first called the " Union School House," but some years after its completion and occupancy a bell was procured by the contributions of citizens, after which it was generally called the "Bell School House." The edifice was a won- derment in its day, and people came miles to see it.
The East and West villages both had small school buildings in the latter part of the eighteenth century. The first schoolhouse in the West village was a frame building of one story, and contained one room. It was built upon the Putney lot in the bend of the road, now Hutchins street, a few rods northwest of the present building, on the site now occupied by the residence of Deacon Barrett. Here Christo- pher Rowell taught school for some time, and Reverend Robie Morrill of Boscawen was the presiding genius for a term of years. He is described in the history of Boscawen as "a gentleman of the old school, punctilious in dress, wearing to the close of his life, in 1813, his black silk stockings, silver shoe- and knee-buckles. He was small of stature, and very bald-headed, but the loss of hair was supplied by a wig and cue, which the roguishly-inclined, roystering school-boys had the temerity to dandle at times, not unfrequently paying for it with aching palms." He walked down from Boscawen every morn- ing and walked home again every night. His grave may be found in the old cemetery at Boscawen Plain, where some of his descend- ants reside.
The first schoolhouse in the East village stood on the north side of what is now Shawmut street, opposite the Old Fort cemetery, where so many Revolutionary heroes are buried. It was an ideal location, situated on the hill which overlooks the valley of the Merri- mack. There are few places where the view is prettier. The build- ing was of one story, facing the south. It contained, beside a small entry, a single school-room of good size with a large open fireplace on the north side. There were probably small buildings also at Millville, Horse Hill, and the Borough.
The first mention of schools is found in the Mirrour of March, 1793: "On Thursday last Master Eastman closed his school in this town with an Exhibition of Various Scenes of Entertainment, in which each of his pupils, about eighty in number, participated. They performed their various Exercises to the general Satisfaction of their Parents, and the Honor of their ingenious Preceptor and themselves, by which they gained the applause of a very crowded and respectable audience, which was expressed by frequent clapping of Hands, and Smiles of approbation. It is but Justice to observe, that Mr. Eastman performed his Tutorship with great Judgment,
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SCHOOLS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.
and has given universal Satisfaction to all his consituents and 't is the united Wish of all that he may soon return to give instruction to the youthful Mind, and teach the young Idea how to shoot." This Master Eastman was probably Edmund Eastman,-not a descendant of Ebenezer, but a son of Benjamin, who came to Concord in 1749. He graduated at Dartmouth college, 1793, and after teaching school here for a few years entered the ministry, and was settled as a pastor in Limerick, Me., where he died in 1812.
An attempt was made in 1794 "to district the town and build a number of schoolhouses," but the proposition was promptly voted down in town-meeting.
The appropriation for school purposes was sixty-five pounds in 1791; one hundred pounds in 1792 and '93; one hundred and five pounds in 1794, '95, and '96 ; one hundred and fifty pounds in 1797, and three hundred and fifty dollars in 1798 and 1799. In the latter year the state made a further advance in the tax for the support of schools,-this time expressed in dollars and cents,-to thirty-five dollars, for every dollar of the town's proportion of the state tax. Concord's proportion of the latter at this time was eleven dollars and thirteen cents, which fixed the sum required to be raised by law at three hundred and ninety dollars annually. In 1807 the rate was again increased to seventy dollars; requiring an annual appropria- tion of about seven hundred and eighty dollars.
In 1800 there were nine school buildings in the town,-three in the main village and six in the outside districts. They were all small and inexpensive buildings of one room each, except the "Union," which contained two. It is probable that the cost of all did not exceed three thousand dollars; the smaller ones costing not more than two or three hundred dollars each. All, or nearly all, except the first, which was paid for by the town, had been built by volun- tary contributions of the inhabitants. They were provided with open fireplaces (cast-iron stoves did not come into use until about 1815 or 1820), and in cold weather, when the faces of the pupils nearest the fire were almost blistering with the heat, the occupants of the benches in more remote parts of the room were shivering with the cold. This naturally led to an exchange of scats at intervals, and a procession, moving to and fro, became a very frequent spec- tacle. The rooms were scanty in furniture (some children bringing their own chairs), and devoid of anything in the way of adornment or decoration.
The school population was between four and five hundred, but probably not more than three or four hundred were attending school, many living too far away, while not a few of the older boys were
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HISTORY OF CONCORD.
kept at home to care for the stock and the farm. Indeed, the rule with many families would seem to have been to send the larger boys to school when nothing else could be found for them to do.
The text-books for many years were few in number and scarcely any two alike, except the Testament and the Psalter, which were used for reading and spelling in the more advanced classes. The New England Primer was about the only book used by the younger pupils. It contained " The Alphabet," " Easy lessons in spelling," " Proper names of men and women to teach children to spell their own," " The Shorter Catechism," " Prayers for the young," general rules to incline children to lead pious lives, and religious verses like the " Cradle Hymn " of Dr. Watts, beginning,
"Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber."
The Catechism was the most distinguishing feature of the book. A preface to the reprint, published some sixty years ago, says : "Our Puritan Fathers brought the Shorter Catechism with them, across the ocean, and laid it on the same shelf with the family Bible. They taught it diligently to their children every Sabbath. And while a few of their descendants, now in the evening of life, remember every question and answer; many, not yet advanced to life's meridian, can never forget when every Saturday forenoon they had to take a regu- lar catechising in the common school, commencing with the a, b, c, oaken-bench class, 'What is the chief end of man?'" This "Shorter Catechism," for schools, was published by George Hough, Concord's first printer, in 1806, being a revised copy of earlier editions. One of the carliest text-books, published about 1775, perhaps earlier, was "The Universal Spelling Book, An easy Guide to English Gram- mar," bearing upon the title page the motto,
" Let all the foreign Tongues alone, Till you can read and spell your own."
The purely secular instruction was largely confined to the essentials, -reading, writing, spelling, and arithmetic,-but some attention was necessarily given to grammar, geography, and history.
Some of the old-time teachers, if whispered tradition may be relied upon, were unique in personal appearance and very interesting intel- lectually. They were not, as a rule, liberally educated. It is true that, prior to 1800, and perhaps for a decade later, a considerable number were college graduates who made teaching a specialty, or at least a stepping-stone to some of the other learned professions ; and, later on, a custom prevailed for young men in the universities to teach district schools during the college vacations, the latter being arranged with that object in view. The most of the pioneer public school teachers, however, were those whose educational training had
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SCHOOLS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.
been limited to the country schools, with a few terms at some acad- emy. They pursued other avocations during the summer season, and taught school only in the winter months. They were generally self-reliant young men, conscious of the importance of their calling, and anxious to prove worthy of their vocation. They sought to assist pupils to obtain a good knowledge of the plain essentials, never perplexing them with the distinctions to be observed in the proper use of "will " and " shall," but rather to well equip them for the ordinary duties of life, with Christian principles, steady habits, and good manners. Their methods, as a rule, were very practical and business-like. They were given to little eccentricities in man- ners, and somewhat inclined to pattern after the minister in dress. A costume much worn in this period comprised trousers of gray homespun, made long, and turned up a few inches at the bottom as if to provide for future growth, irrespective of the age of the wearer ; a long, single-breasted frock coat, with wide collar and broad tails, made of black doeskin or broadcloth ; a standing white collar reach- ing nearly to the lobe of the ear, and a huge cravat of black silk. From the pocket of the coat protruded the corner of a red silk hand- kerchief. They were closely shaven, without whiskers or beard, and wore their hair much longer than is general now. They were aus- tere in deportinent and sober in conversation,-indeed, the latter was a qualification required by law. Occasionally a description is found of one who was fat, florid, and jolly, with a lively sense of humor; but by far the larger number are represented to have been long, lean, and lank, like Ichabod Crane, and inclined to treat the mischievous and indolent boys who had pretty sisters with great leniency, and then cven up the discipline by flogging into obedience those less favored. Their duties were many and arduous,-one of which was to prepare the quill pens for the younger pupils. The master was also required to set the copies for writing, sometimes using small slips of paper and passing the latter from one pupil to another. Few schools were provided with even a hand-bell until comparatively recent years, and the children were called in from recess by the teacher's rapping with his heavy ruler upon the door-casing or side of the house, and calling in a loud voice, " The scholars will come in," or, " "Tis time to resume our studies." Janitors were unknown,-the care of the rooms devolving upon the pupils. The building and care of fires was assigned to the older boys by turn, while the sweeping and dusting was performed by the girls. One of the formulas for dismissal at the close of the day, was
" Put up your books, and you, Josiah,
Help Jed to make the morning fire."
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HISTORY OF CONCORD.
The first division of the school funds by districts appears in a vote of the town passed in 1766, that the school shall be kept in four dif- ferent parts of the parish such portions of the year as their tax rates in such districts shall allow. In 1789 another vote authorized the school money to be divided into several parts or districts as usual.
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