USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Rye > History of the town of Rye, New Hampshire, from its discovery and settlement to December 31, 1903 > Part 8
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FERRIES, BRIDGES, AND ROADS.
the subscribers have purchased the land of said Wallis." This is the present Wallis road, and it is noticeable that the town voted it should be an " open road " from the start, meaning, presumably, that it should be free from gates. The road was not completed at once, for in 1804 the town " Voted that the road from Lieut Sam1 Wallis [who lived at the junction of what are now Brackett and Wallis roads] to the sea be done by Labor on the Polls and Estates," and on Morrill's plan of the town (1805) the piece of the road between Wallis' residence and the beach is indicated by a single line of dots, although the remainder, up to where the Centre schoolhouse now stands, is shown by two continuous parallel lines.
The road " from the South road by Brown's Grist Mill to the road leading from Rye Meeting House " was laid out two rods wide in 1804, the cost being $285.95. This road is now Love lane.
In 1809 the town "Voted to build the wall by the road through James Dow's land to North Hampton line within three years," this being now Dow road.
In ISII it was " Voted to lay out a road from Peter Jenness Esq" barn to the sea, through Lieut Joseph Jenness pasture, laid out two rods wide." This is now Ocean road, officially, though its popular designation is sea road, extending from Allen's corner on Central road to the sea.
The section of Sagamore road from Lang's corner (at the junction of Sagamore and Wallis roads) to Foye's corner (where Sagamore and Pioneer roads meet) was laid out in ISII, and it is tradition that at that time it was called " the White Rock road." Quite extensive research and enquiry, however, have failed to disclose the existence along the line of that road, then or previously, of a white rock of sufficient size and prominence to account for the name. The white rock is mentioned as early as 1729 in deeds transferring title to " Marsh land joining the Creek [Seavey's creek] near unto White Rock," this evidently referring to the large rock or ledge on the northerly side of Brackett's road, a short dis- tance southerly from Seavey's bridge. From this it appears
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HISTORY OF RYE.
more probable that the name "White Rock road" was applied to Brackett's road than to the section of Sagamore road built in ISII.
The town in 1813 voted "to accept the road given by Abraham Drake from the South Schoolhouse by said Drake's to the road leading from Rye Meeting House to Greenland," this being the road generally known as Drake's lane, though Fern avenue is now its official name.
1825. "The new road laid out from Amos S. Jenness towards Hampton and the old Lafayette Road widened to Portsmouth."
1827. "Voted the selectmen lay out the road petitioned for by John Foye when they think proper (by Pinetree Mills) laid out that year at least two rods wide."
This refers to the straightening and widening of a section of Pioneer road near the bridge over Seavey's creek.
1830. " Voted to lay out the road from Deacon Philbrick's house to the fish houses and from thence to North Hampton line two rods wide through Ephraim Philbrick's land-laid out and built accordingly."
This is now Causeway road.
1833. "Voted to widen and straighten the road from Mr. Joseph Locke's, Jr., by Locke's Mills to Island Pond, so called, to lay out said road 2 } rods wide inside of the walls on the high ground and 4 rods wide on the Marsh."
This is the present Harbor road, which was laid out in 1797.
1835. "Voted the selectmen lay out the road from Locke's Mill to Island Pond so called."
1838. "Voted to lay out a New Highway from Little Har- bor road so called, near the House of Ebenezer L. Odiorne, Easterly to the sea near Spring Cove so called."
This is the short road at Odiorne's Point extending from Pioneer road to the beach, now Columbus road, near the east- terly end of which is a monument erected by the New Hamp- shire Society of Colonial Dames in commemoration of the first settlement of New Hampshire having been made at that place.
In 1848 the town " Voted that the selectmen shall open a
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FERRIES, BRIDGES, AND ROADS.
road on a suitable number of petitioners to them for that pur- pose near Nathaniel G. Foye's house to the town line, to be extended to Portsmouth." This refers to the piece of Saga- more road from Foye's Corner (the junction of Sagamore and
1323-259
MONUMENT AT ODIORNE'S POINT, RYE.
Elwyn roads) to the Portsmouth line; and in the following year it was
" Voted that the Selectmen shall advertise and let the build- ing of the road from N. G. Foye's to Portsmouth line to meet a road over Sagamore Creek to be done to the acceptance of the Selectmen-to the lowest proposal.
"Voted the Selectmen shall lay out the road from Mr. Foye's to Portsmouth line and assess the damages.
"Voted the Selectmen shall receive proposals for building said road fifteen days from date, and the road shall be com- pleted by the first of July next."
The road was laid out Feb. 15, 1850, the building of it was let out at auction, the lowest bid being $495, and the road was ready for travel on the date named.
In 1856 the town voted " that a road or highway be laid out beginning at the East school house, thence east to the dwelling house of Albert and Eli Dow." This is now Fair Hill road.
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IHISTORY OF RYE.
The road from the Sea View House to the sea, a continuation of South road, was laid out in 1871.
Wentworth road, from the Portsmouth line to the then new bridge connecting Rye and Newcastle, was built in 1874, the town paying $800 for its construction.
The section of Sagamore road between Lang's corner (junc- tion of Sagamore and Wallis roads) and Washington road was built in 1877, at a cost of $863. The late John Salter Marden, who was a very tall man, was largely instrumental in securing the building of this piece of road, and from the time it was built it was popularly known as "Long John's Avenue" a name that is still more frequently applied to it than its official one of Sagamore road. This was the last highway laid out in and by the town.
THE OCEAN-FRONT BOULEVARD.
The legislature having appropriated $10,000 toward the building of a state highway along the entire New Hampshire coast, from the Massachusetts boundary line to Fort Point in Newcastle, the governor appointed a commission to lay out the route in accordance with a previous survey, and to have general supervision of the construction work.
A principal object of the promoters of this shore-line road is said to have been to secure to the public, for all time, free and unobstructed access to the seashore of the state at all points ; and when completed it will very nearly accomplish this end, and will not only be a superior road, viewed merely as a thoroughfare to travel over, but such a road as no other state in the union can duplicate. Other states may easily build longer highways, but none of them can build one to extend along its entire coast, and within view of the ocean nearly every rod of the way. It is laid out 100 feet wide ; wrought for travel to a width of thirty feet, with a strip in the centre fifteen feet wide surfaced with crushed stone to the depth of eight inches. The land side is to be marked at short intervals with stone posts suitably inscribed.
The commission of 1900 commenced the actual work of con-
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FERRIES, BRIDGES, AND ROADS.
struction at the northerly extremity of Wallis Sands, and built about one half a mile of the road along the sea front of the Prof. James Parsons' place-the ancient Wallis farm and later the Dow farm-toward Odiorne's Point, the land for the road, and all between the road as laid out and the sea, having been given by Professor Parsons. Much blasting was required on this section of the road-more, probably, than will have to be done on the entire remainder.
An appropriation of $20,000 for the continuation of the work of building the bouvelard having been made, and a new com- mission having been appointed by the governor to proceed with the construction, work was resumed, under contract, Dec. I, and continued until Oct. 1, 1902, at which time the contract ended and the appropriation was practically exhausted. The contractor began work at the southerly end of the section built by the commissioner of 1900, and the boulevard was continued back of the dunes at Wallis Sands, and across Pass River at Concord Point by a substantial bridge to Sandy Beach, a dis- tance of about one and one half miles, making a total of about two miles of the highway completed at the end of 1902. For a part of the distance crushed stone was used in the center of the road to the width of twenty-five feet, and the portion of the boulevard exposed to damage from the sea during severe storms was protected by a breakwater to a height of twenty-one feet from mean low water.
Another appropriation of $20,000 for the boulevard having been made, and the commissioners of 1901-'02 having been re- appointed, the contract for continuing the boulevard from Sandy Beach toward the North Hampton line was let early in Decem- ber, and work was begun a few days later. The winter was unfavorable for road building, but something was accom- plished, and Rye Harbor was bridged. With the arrival of spring, construction work was actively pushed, with the pros- pect that before the year ended the section of the boulevard east of Rye Harbor with the exception of the piece between the Parsons' cstate and the Wentworth bridge would be cont- pleted.
VII.
Schools and Schoolhouses.
In the act of the provincial council setting off the Sandy Beach district of Newcastle as "the Parish of Rye in New Castle" it was provided "that the petitioners be impowered to make taxes for the Maintaining their Minister and Poore as other Towns in this Province are," and also "that the Petitioners are obliged to Maintain an able Orthodox Minister of the Gospell at their own charges," but that "the town of New Castle be at liberty about a Grammar schoole." From this it is clear that the new parish was to be entirely independent of the parent town so far as the support of the ministry and the poor was concerned-could assess and collect its own taxes for those purposes, and expend the collections at its own discretion, Newcastle having nothing whatever to say in the premises; but that Rye was to continue to be subject to Newcastle in school affairs, as was the case before the new parish was set off. There is nothing in the town records to show how Newcastle exercised the supervisory power over the schools of Rye granted it by the act of separation, or, indeed, whether that town ever paid any attention to the matter; but it is doubtful if there was any school organized in Ryc until some time after the parish was set off.
The first mention in the records of any action taken by the parish toward the establishing of a school is that at a town meet- ing held March 23, 1729, it was "Voted that the Selectmen be empowered to hire a schoolmaster and move him several times, as they see cause for the convenience of the children going to school." And in 1731 it was "Voted that the Selectmen be empowered to hire a school teacher one-half of the year." In 1737 there was an article in the town-meeting warrant "To see what you will do concerning a school," but there is no record concerning what action, if any, was taken in regard to this arti-
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SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLHOUSES.
cle. In 1739 it was "Voted that there shall be a Moving school, and that every party that hath the benefit of the school shall provide a house to keep school in, and that the moving school shall be at discretion of the selectmen of the parish." From 1739 to 1751 appropriations were made annually for a school, and in the latter year there was an article in the town-meet- ing warrant " To see if they will do anything concerning build- ing a school house in the parish," and in 1752 "To see if they will vote to build two school houses." The records do not show what action was taken in either year, from which it appears probable that the propositions regarding the building of school- houses were negatived both years.
That there was much trouble over the school question is evi- dent, for in 1756 there was an article in the warrant "To see if Parish will vote the school money shall be divided, and let each party hire a school master according to their liking;" and in 1757-
"To see if the Parish will settle the school in two places, or settle the school at the Centre.
"Ist Voted That the school be kept in the Centre of the Parish.
"2d Voted That the school be kept one half of the year to the Eastward of the Meeting House.
" 3d Voted That the school be kept in two places above the Meeting House."
"Above the Meeting House" meant to the westward of it, and it is evident that the voters that year were given three prop- ositions to vote on. How the matter was adjusted the records do not relate.
At the March town meeting, 1761, it was voted that the school should "be one half above and the other half below the Meeting House" that year ; and in July, 1762," that two schools be kept in the Parish each six months the present year.
In 1764 there was an article in the warrant "To see if they will buy a school house and lot with a house on it, or build a house for the school master," but there is no record of what action was taken.
S
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HISTORY OF RYE.
In 1770 there was an article "To see if the Parish will vote to build a school house by the Meeting House in said Parish and vote a school to be kept there," and it was "Voted there shall be £850 raised for schools, one half for the upper end and the other half for the lower end."
At the March meeting in 1774 there was an article in the warrant "To see if they will build two school houses," and it
THE FIRST SCHOOLHOUSE AT RYE CENTER.
was "Voted that the two school houses be repaired." From this it is evident that between 1764, when the first proposition for building a schoolhouse came before the town meeting, and 1774, the parish had become possessed of two schoolhouses, probably through the purchase of buildings previously used for other purposes, for had they been built by the parish subse- quently to 1764 they could not have become so dilapidated by 1774 as to need repairing.
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SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLHOUSES.
In 1775 there was an article "To see if the Parish will vote to have two schools for six months in the summer season," on which the vote was "There shall be but one school this year."
In 1778 there was an article "To see if the Inhabitants will pass a vote that there shall be a school this year or not," and it was " Voted that there be no school this year." This action was probably due to the general distress caused by the war with England, then in progress.
In 1784, on an article "To see if the Parish will build a School House or repair the old ones," it was "Voted that the Selectmen repair the School Houses and put them in order," which affords ground for supposing that school matters had practically been neglected from the time the parish had voted in 1778 that a school should not be kept that year. The war being now over, some attention and expenditure could be bestowed on the schools.
In 1786 it was " Voted there shall be a School House built near where the old one now stands between Mr. Johnsons and Mr. Nathan Knowles, near where the residence of Widow Oliver Jenness now is." The cost of this schoolhouse, which was on what is now Grove road and near Fern avenue, and was the first schoolhouse of which there is record of its having been built by the town, was £14, 9s., 6d., but it was not wholly finished at that time, for in April, 1789, it was " Voted that there be Winder Sheters at the South School House by N. Knowles," and in June following there was a town meeting called " To see what they will do to finish the School House by Mr. Nathan Knowles."
In 1791 it was " Voted to build a School House at the East end of the Parish," which was done at an expense of £34, 18s., 7d. This schoolhouse was located at Lang's corner (the crossing of Wallis and Sagamore roads) near the oak tree in the pasture eastward of Mr. Lang's house.
In 1796 it was " Voted the Town shall be divided into two equal parts for to hire schools for each district."
1797. "Voted thic Selectmen shall keep eighteen months school, the school to begin the first of May at both school-
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HISTORY OF RYE.
houses and keep on five months, and shall begin the middle of November, and keep on four months."
1798. "Voted There shall be eighteen months school this Year to begin at both School Houses the 15th day of April and Keep six Months, and then begin again in December and Keep three months. Voted Mr. Porter, Mr. Carroll and Capt. Joseph Parsons be a Committee to inspect the Schools."
1799. "Voted to repair the South School house. Voted to keep eighteen months School same as last Year. Voted Rev. H. Porter and Joseph Parsons Esq be a Committee to inspect the Schools with the Selectmen."
TT
SOUTH SCHOOLHOUSE.
The first record of women being employed as school teach- ers in Rye was made in 1800, on March 25, of which year it was " Voted to keep eighteen months school this year and to keep two months at each School House by Women beginning the first of May next, and that the Mens school shall begin at both houses the first of July and keep seven months."
ISII. "Voted to keep three months school by Women at each end of the Town and the time when they shall begin and places where kept shall be left to the Selectmen."
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SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLHOUSES.
1812. " Chose Rev H Porter and Doct Joseph Parsons school Committee. Voted to keep nine months at each school house by Men. Voted to keep three months at each end of the Town by Women." The following year the vote on school matters was the same, excepting that Col. Thomas Goss, John WV. Parsons and Peter Jenness, Esq., were chosen school com- mittee.
1816. "Voted that no scholar below the Meeting House shall go to the upper school and none above the Meeting House shall go to the lower school."
In 1826 brick schoolhouses were built in the South and West districts, the South building being very near the high- way, east of the present South schoolhouse, and the West build- ing being located on the northerly side of Washington avenue, between Grove and West roads.
In 1827 two more brick schoolhouses were built in the Cen- tre and East districts, at a cost of about $500 each. The Cen- tre schoolhouse was located on just enough ground for it to stand on, in the acute angle formed by the junction of Wash- ington and Wallis roads, and nearly opposite the present Wedgewood school; and the East schoolhouse was built on a small hill about one eighth of a mile to the castward of the present stone schoolhouse.
In March of that year the old South schoolhouse was sold to Jonathan Marden for $24.25, and in November the old East schoolhouse was sold to Ephraim Seavey for $25, Mr. Marden giving approved notes payable in three months for his pur- chase, and Mr. Seavey notes payable in thirty days for his. Evidently the amount of ready money in circulation among the people of Rye at that date was not very large.
1833. "Agreeable to a vote of this town all persons residing in the same west of Michael D. Goss, Joseph Philbrick, Jr., and John Jenness, Jr., inclusive, including the Abraham Drake house and the Garland Road will send their children to the West school. Those residing on Mill Road and Neck and all south not included in the West school, will send their children to the South school. All persons residing east of Jeremy
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HISTORY OF RYE.
Websters and Nathaniel Berrys will send their children to the East school."
In 1845 the town was redistricted and the boundaries of the districts defined; and in 1848 the town voted to build six schoolhouses. This was a very large order for schoolhouses for one small town to give, and it was never filled; probably it was not intended to be, by the parties who were instrumental in passing the vote, which may have been done as a grim joke, the East schoolhouse having been burned a short time before.
F
WEST SCHOOLHOUSE.
This schoolhouse was rebuilt, of brick, like its destroyed prede- cessor, but the other five voted that year still await construc- tion.
In 1854 it was voted that the town convey, " by deed or otherwise, to each school district, the school house located in the same for their specific use."
In 1871 the West district erected the present wooden school- house on the southerly side of Washington avenue, nearly opposite the brick one built in 1826, and near the residence of the late William J. Rand, at an expense of $2,000. Mr. Rand gave the land to the district for the sole purpose of a district
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SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLHOUSES.
schoolhouse being erected thereon, the deed of gift providing that if at any time the building shall cease to be used for school pur- poses for three years in succession the land shall revert to his heirs.
In the South district a new brick schoolhouse was built in ISSI, at an expense of nearly $3,000. It is on Central road, between Cable road and Love lane.
In the Centre district a new brick schoolhouse was erected in 1893, the district voting to locate the building in the Wedge- wood field, north of the old schoolhouse, and on the opposite
CENTER SCHOOLHOUSE.
side of Wallis road. The owners of the field offered to give a lot in the northeast corner of the field, not to exceed an acre in extent, as a site for the proposed new structure, a consideration in the deed to be that the building should be called the Wedge- wood schoolhouse ; and at a special meeting of the district it was unanimously voted to accept the offer. The total cost of the building was $4, 172.99.
A handsome new schoolhouse was built in the east district in 1896, of sea stones, about one-eighth of a mile westerly from
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HISTORY OF RVE.
the old one. The district appropriated $4,100 for the new building, and this was its cost to the district, although the actual cost was much greater. The building committee contracted with the late Prof. James Parsons to build the schoolhouse for that sum, Professor Parsons subletting the job, and making generous disbursements from his own purse.
The schoolhouses of Rye are maintained in good condition ; none of them are old or of antique pattern, and each is large enough for the needs of the district it accommodates ; and the
EAST SCHOOLHOUSE.
schools will in quality and efficiency compare not unfavorably with those of other towns of the state.
The early settlers, and those who followed them during the first two centuries of New England's existence, progressive and far-seeing though they were in providing means of education for their children, did not recognize the need or desirability of a schoolhouse having any more land attached to it than it actually occupied, and consequently, cheap though land was in those days, all schoolhouses were built with their front sills
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SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLHOUSES.
flush with the line of the roads they stood on, or very near it. Children were sent to school to study, not to play ; and if they wanted to play at recess they could play in the road. Rye was the same in this respect as other towns, and it was not till toward the middle of the nineteenth century that the idea of having play grounds, more or less spacious, connected with school buildings, began to prevail ; and the older residents of the town remember well that when they attended school they step- ped from the road directly into the schoolhouse, and from the schoolhouse directly into the road again when the day's studies were over. It is different now, all the present school buildings of the town being provided with good ground room for the scholars to play in.
The appropriation of the town for school purposes in 1741 was £20; in 1744, 625 ; 1749, 660; 1792, 692; 1795, $177; 1797, $378; and in 1805, $467. The amount gradually increased, and in 1870 and for a number of years following the sum annually appropriated was $1,200; and in 1900 it was $2,000.
During the eighteenth century the amount paid for wood to heat the two schoolhouses ranged from $25 to $43 a year, although wood was then plentiful and very cheap, but when the roughly-boarded schoolhouses are considered, and the huge open fireplaces in which the fuel was burned, it does not seem surprising that a large quantity of wood was necessary.
In July, 1762, Christopher Gold (Gould) was engaged to teach school for six months, and it is probable that he continued to teach until March, 1773, when it was "Voted the selectmen shall not hire Master Gould." After the latter date there is no record of other teachers until 1786, when Doctor Joseph Par- sons was employed ; 1787, Joseph Parsons and Richard Web- ster ; 1788, Peter Mitchell ; 1789, Mr. Keys (or Cones) ; 1790- 91, John Carroll; 1793, James Lane; 1794, John L. Piper. Then came in different years Samuel Willey, John French, Noah Burnham, Mr. Sherburne, John W. Parsons, Richard Webster, Jr., Phebe Ozel (needle work), Nancy Emery and Nancy Hobbs, Joseph Dalton, Joseph Dame, Noah Wiggin,
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