USA > New York > Monroe County > Rochester > History of Rochester and Monroe county, New York, from the earliest historic times to the beginning of 1907 > Part 32
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James K. Livington and William P. Stanton, and when the institution was incorporated in 1837 the same persons were named, except that Henry B. Williams was substituted for Mr. Stanton. Ita official name, then given to it, was the Rochester Female Academy, but, as frequently happens in such cases, its original title always clung to it, at least among the residents of the ward, by whom it was known simply as "the seminary." It was opened in May, 1836, with Miss F. H. Jones as principal, Mise Araminta D. Doolittle and her younger sister Julia being the assistants. Soon after that, Miss Jones having resigned, the head- ship fell to Miss Doolittle, a gentlewoman of the old school, who stamped the impress of her indi- viduality so deeply upon the minds of her pupil# that it remains, with those who are still living, even to the present day. Upon her resignation in 1855 Mrs. P. H. Curtis had charge of the school till 185S, when Rev. James Nichols, of Geneseo, upon the call of the trustees assumed its direction, and after his death, in 1864, his wife, Mrs. Sarah J. Nichols, who had been associated with him in the teaching from the beginning, succeeded to the control. In 1889, the charter having expired, Mra. Nichols bought in the property, so there was no change in the management, and after her death, in 1892, her daughters, Miss Margaret D. and Miss Jane H. Nichols, continued to maintain it on the same broad lines of academic culture. Finally, in 1903, after nearly seventy years of unbroken prosperity and of high reputation, the school came to an end and the house passed into the hands of the church of Christian Science.
In the period at which we have been glancing the Catholics, whose numbers had heen steadily increasing, considered that they were entitled to A school of their own, so in the winter of 1834-35 Rev. Bernard O'Reilly, pastor of St. Patrick's church-the predecessor of the cathedral-in- quired of Father Welch, of Brooklyn, if a com- petent Catholic teacher could not be sent to Roen- ester. As the result of this inquiry Michael Hughes, who had arrived in this country a few months before, came here in May, 1835, and im- mediately opened a school in the house of Dr. Hugh Bradley on North St. Paul street, near Falls field. That location, however, was only pre- liminary. it being the intention from the out-
set to have it in the basement of St. Patrick's church, on Platt street, as soon as that could be fitted up for a school-room. That was accom- plished within a few months and the foreign in- structor, assisted by his wife, Mra. Margaret J .. Hughes, taught there acceptably for seven years, being succeeded by a Mr. Kelly in 1842, and he by Patrick Quin the next year, who held the posi- tion till 1848. Shortly after that time it was re- moved to the corner of Brown and Frank streets and several years later a commodious brick build- ing was erected for it on that spot, where it is still maintained by the order of Christian Brothery. Soon after its formation it became distinctly the parochial school of St. Patrick's parish, which ex- ample has since then been followed by all the Catholic churches in the city, each one having its cwn educational attachment. Of the other schools of that denomination which have obtained a most enviable reputation for thoroughness of instruc- tion and the development of character mention may be made of the following: The academy of the Sacred Heart was founded by the ladies of that order in 1855, Mother Kennedy being at the head of it; eight years later it was removed from ita original location on South avenue to Prince street, where it still remains in a fine home in the midst of capacious grounds. In 1867 Bishop Timon of Buffalo called the Sisters of Mercy here from Providence and they established on South street, near St. Mary's church, an institution of which Mother Baptist was the first superior, which has expanded into a convent for the sisters, a parochial school, an academy or select school, an industrial school and a children's home, all combined. The Nazareth convent, in the old residence of General John Williams on Jay street, corner of Frank, was opened in 1871 as the mother house of the Sisters of St. Joseph, with Mother M. Stanislaus as su- perior; the next year an academy was added to the convent and the munber of pupils soon became ao great that the house had to be much enlarged in 1876.
There were several other schools of those early days, besides those mentioned above, that bore the somewhat pretentious title of seminaries, con- spicuous among which were those of Miss Mary B. Allen, first on North St. Paul street, afterward! on Allen street, which was not discontinued till 1869 -- when, at a very advanced age, she became
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Mrs. Moses King- of Mrs. William Atkinson, on Canal street; of Miss Mary Sibley, on North So- phia street, and Mrs. Greenough's, first on the corner of North and Andrews streets, then on Plymouth avenue, near Adams street, where she was assisted by her eldest daughter, afterward Mrs. Samuel P. Ely. Prior to 1850 there was a small school on Hill street, first on the canal side, where the Co-operative foundry now stands, and afterward opposite, kept by Miss Ruth P. Harn- den, which was attended by most of the children in the neighborhood. In 1850 there came here from Philadelphia Mrs. Isabella J. Porter, with Miss Mary Jane and Miss Ahnira B. All of them taught school in the basement of the Unitarian church on North Fitzhugh street, where a German church now stands, Mrs. Porter devoting herself exclusively to the instruction of little boys, Mise Almira to that of little girls and Miss Mary Jane, in the main room, to that of girls of a larger growth; when the church was destroyed by fire, in 1859, Mrs. Porter retired and the sisters kept up the work on South Washington street till the death of the elder, after which the survivor main- tained the school for some time in the chapel of Christ church on East avenue. Mrs. Daniel Marsh kept a school for a few years in the former resi- dence of Jonathan Child on South Washington street, in which she was assisted by Miss Eaton; who succeeded to its management. Miss Mary Doolittle, assisted by Miss Ward, kept a day school for girls in Grove place at about this time, though the date cannot be given. From 1848 to 1851 there was a Catholic collegiate school, taught by Rev. Jesse A. Aughinbaugh, on South avenue, where the Y. M. C. A. building now stands. In the carly fifties a small brick building was put up in the rear of Mrs. Greenough's house on Plymouth avenue, access to which was obtained by an alley running from Adams street; in this for a few years Edgar T. Goodspeed, assisted by some university students, kept a school for boys, pre- paring them for college; when Mr. Goodspend gave it up it was continued for a year by William W. Fay. Of much longer duration and exercising a wide influence in their day were the collegiate in- stitute of Le Roy Satterlce, who, after leaving number 3, where he had been principal, opened a fine school for both sexes in the Chappell block,
on State street, transferring it afterward to Ore- gon street, N. W. Benedict being his chief assist- ant; Eastman's commercial college, one of the first of its kind in the country; De Graff's insti- tute for boys, first on East Main street, near Stone, then on the corner of Court and Stone, and Myron G. Peck's training-school for boys, first on State street, afterward on East avenue.
The German element of our population, as it increased in numbers, in wealth and in power, felt that not enough was being done to perpetuate among their children an acquaintance with the vernacular tongue, although, through their influ- ence, the parochial schools had so widened thein original instruction as to include in some instances a knowledge of German literature, science and! art. Accordingly a school was started in 1866, founded upon the model of the German real schu- len. which undertook to impart a thorough Ger- man education in addition to the ordinary Eng- lish branches. Under the directorship of Dr Rudolph Dulon, its first principal, it was very successful and continued so till his death, in 1870. when Hermann Pfaefflin took charge of it, and ite prosperity continued to be so great that a new building for it was formally dedicated on February 14th, 1813. Although it was from the beginning entirely free from sectarian bias, religious big- otry and prejudice caused the abandonment of the enterprise in 1883,
We come now to institutions of a later date, though the first one to be mentioned was begun nearly half a century ago. In 1858 Mrs. P. HI Curtis ( who always preferred to be called by her own name of Cathro M. Curtis) founded the Liv- ington Park seminary, which has been known as such to the present time and which is still located in its original position in the old residence of Dr. Frederick F. Backus at the north end of the park; as a "home and day school for girls and young ladies," it speedily gained a high reputation, which it has always maintained; at the death of Mrs, Curtis it passed into the hands of Miss Stone, and after that into those of Mrs. William M. Rebasz, who now, with seven assistants, conducts it sus- cessfully. George D. Hale organized in Septem- ber, 1871, a classical and scientific school, the aim being to furnish for boys and young men the best facilities in their preparation for college, for
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higher scientific schools and for business, though a few young ladies were also prepared there for Vassar and Wellesley; instruction from the first was exclusively by the principal, Mr. Hale, ex- cept that for one year Miss Sarah A. Hale con. ducted a junior department and for the last two years of the institution F. A. J. Waldron assisted as instructor; for the first sixteen years the loca- tion was over the Union bank, from 1888 to 1896 in the German insurance building, from that 'o 1SOS, when it was discontinued, in the Cutler building. Miss Margaret Bell Marshall opened in 1814 a school for young children of both sexes at number 260 Plymouth avenue, which is still kept up after having had a total of five hundred and twenty pupils; both Miss Marshall and Mise Martha Gaylord, who taught on North Union street from 1886 till a few years ago, were unique personalities in the private school world, both of them standing for good work in an old-fashioned way. From 1874 to 1886 Miss Mary 1. Bliss -- who is now superintendent of the department of domestic science in the Mechanics Institute-con- ducted a girls' day and boarding school, on Spring street at the corner of Washington, which was very popular during its existence; her assistante were her father, Dr. C. P. Bliss, Miss Jane Lemon (now Mrs. Lyford). Miss Helen Hollister and Mlle. Houssais.
James Hattrick Lee came here in 1887 and opened a boys' preparatory school over the Ea-t Side Savings bank, calling it the Fort Hill school, in memory of the one with which he had been previously connected in Canandaigua; after being conducted with great acceptability for four years it became merged in 1891 in the institution of J. Howard Bradstreet and Eldon G. Burritt, which was founded in that year; Mr. Burritt went to Greenville. Illinois, in 1893, as professor of Greek. and since then it has been known as the Bradstreet school. Under that appellation it has acquired a high reputation as a place of classical learning for boys, both day scholars and those who board there; after being located in the Cox, Beckley und Cutler buildings, successively, it was removed three years ago to Park avenue, corner of Brunswick street, and there it remained until its recent close, when Mr. Bradstreet changed his sphere of usefulness to New York city; the teachers in it during ita
existence were, besides the principal, Messrs. Bur- ritt, Robson, Spencer, O'Hern, Eaton, O'Connor. Kalbfus, Gordis, Whitney, Leavitt and Miss Clara K. Curtis. At some time that cannot be learned Miss Martha Cruttenden opened a boarding- school on St. Paul street; after keeping it there for several years she moved to number ? Gibbs street, built on the adjacent lot and maintained the school in the two houses till 1883. when, her health failing, she turned them over to Dr. Charles R. Kingsley; he continued the school till 1888 when he accepted the presidency of Milwaukee college; Miss Crittenden then took back the two buildings, renting one of them for a chapter- honse and in the other opening a day school, which was organized by Miss L. H. Hakes as vice-prin- cipal. In 1894 Miss Cruttenden retired entirely and Miss Hakes conducted the school independent- ly at the same place for two years, but moving it in April, 1896, to its present location on East ave nue at the corner of Scio street; it is a day school for girls, primary, intermediate and college pre- paratory; its faculty includes Miss L. H. Hakes Miss M. A. Hakes, Miss Morgan, Miss Merrell, Miss Rowley, Miss Richmond, Mise Howard, Mad- ame Brewer, Madame Peloquin and Professor Pinefflin. Miss Kate Lewis, with Miss Mary Ma- cauley ne assistant, had a primary and intermedi- ate school on Meigs street from 1891 to 1897 In 1891 the Columbia school, still bearing that name, was founded by Miss Alida Lattimore and Miss Caroline Milliman, located first on Meigs street, afterward in Columbia hall, North Good- man street, where it now remains; it is a day school, with kindergarten, primary and intermedi ate for children of both sexes, college preparatory for girls; Miss Lattimore recently removed to New York and the faculty now consists of Miss Milliman, Miss Mary Milliman, Mrs. Bellamy- Burr, Madame Brewer, Miss Mahan, Fraulein Ohl, Miss Read and Miss Darrin. Mrs. Frank W. Little opened in 1896 a primary and intermediate school for boys and girls on Meigs street; the teaching force now includes, besides Mrs. Little, Mr. Little, Madame Peloquin, Frau Bartels and Miss Smith.
The Roman Catholic parochial schools are men- tioned in connection with the various churches of that denomination, in the ecclesiastical chapter.
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THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
The beginning of public, or common, schools in Rochester undoubtedly dates back to 1813, the year following her first family settlement. In 1812 the legislature passed the first common school act of the state of New York. This law provided, among other things, for an equitable distribution of the interest of the state school fund among the counties of the state for the support of common schools ; for the establishment of school districts within the townships, and the levying of a local tax equal to the sum received from the state. Under its provisions "district school house number 1" was built in 1813 on a lot given for that purpose by Colonel Rochester. This building is described as a one-story wooden structure, about eighteen by twenty-four feet, lo- cated on a portion of the present site of the muni- cipal building, formerly the Free Academy. Aaron Skinner is said to have been the first teacher in this school and therefore the first male teacher in Rochester. As this building was enlarged before 1820 and again in 1823, and some years later was replaced by a "large brick structure," we may reasonably infer that this school flourished and that the rapidly growing village must have or- ganized more than one school district during these early years. The information at hand with ref- erence to common school education in Rochester up to 1841 is meager and indefinite. The early chroniclers seem to make little or no distinction between public and private schools, and in fact there was little difference, since none of them were free schools, as we have come to understand the term.
From the condition in which we find the com- mon schools, as reported by their first superin- tendent in 1844, we learn much of their growth during the thirty years previous. 'To adequately understand the conditions as represented in this report we need to refer to the statute relating to the common schools of the state, and later of Roch- ester. The first act, already referred to, was amended and revised several times before 1830. In 1819 it was much improved by increasing the amount appropriated by the state and by requir- ing a county tax as well as a town tax to be levied
for common schools, each equal to the sum appro- priated by the state. This was a long step toward free schools in this state. In 1834 Rochester be- came a city. In her act of incorporation the may- or and aldermen became, by virtue of their office, the commissioners of the common schools. Aside from this and the provision that the moneys should be deposited with the city treasurer, instead of the county treasurer, there was little or 20 change from the general act of 1819, so far as the schools were concerned. The board of supervisors continued to levy the school tax for the city as well as for the county, and the commissioners ap- portioned the money to each of the districts in the city, as did the other commissioners throughout the towns of the county. No report on the condi- tion of the schools seems to have been made dur- ing this period. From the reports made some years later we may well understand how inade- quately this provision of the charter provided for the educational needs of the growing young city.
Seven years later, in 1841, the "free school law of Rochester" was enacted by the legislature. This aet created a board of education, two commission- ers from each ward, gave the common council power to levy a tax six times the sum appropriated to the city by the state, and provided for the ap- . pointment of a superintendent of schools, Al- though the schools then passed but partially into the hands of the board of education, the district system still being retained, this important change in the charter marks the beginning of a school system entirely supported by state and local taxa- tion. In this respect, Rochester took a step far in advance of the state ut large; for it was not until 1867, after much bitter controversy, that the "rate bill" was finally abolished by law, and all public schools throughout the state were made free in fact. The first board of education was organized June 15th, 1841, and was composed of men of high character and aim. L. A. Ward was its first pres- ident; and in the board were Henry O'Reilly, Hen- ry Pratt and Abelard Reynolds. They elected Isaac F. Mack superintendent of schools and clerk of the board, and with marked devotion and abil- ity he served in that double capacity for five years.
It is at this point we are able to get an accurate statement concerning the Rochester public schools, and may, therefore, tread on solid historical ground. It was no small task that confronted this
"This article on the public school system was prepared by Mr. George II. Walden, the principal of grammar school number 10.
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board of education of 1841. During the two years that followed, nine school-houses were built, most of them brick, two stories in height, at a cost of $28,400, "a sum equal to that expended for the support of the schools during the same time." This was a munificent expenditure for the cause of public education at that time. The only avail- able report made by Mr. Mack covers the year 1843. It is somewhat lengthy and well worth reading by the student of educational history. He congratulates the board of education "on the suc- cessful and progressive operation, for another year, of a system of free public schools, which had its origin in an enlarged and liberal principle of benevolence." He states that there were then fif- teen school districts, and one colored school dis- trict comprising the entire city; that there were thirteen school houses and three rented buildings, housing during the year 4,246 pupils, with forty- four teachers, and that the cost of maintenance for the year was a little less than $13,000. In discussing the teaching force, he states that "of the 4,246 children more than 2,800 are under the charge of female teachers. This cirenmstance ex- hibits one of the prominent benefits arising from the present admirable school system in this eity." Seemingly to justify this state of affairs, which must have been unusual throughout the country, he says, "The employment of the same order of talent and acquirements can be obtained at a much lower cost in them than in males." Not wishing it to be understood that it was mere econ- omy that prompted this course, he further de- clares: "But this is far from being the only mo- tive which should induce their employment. Wom- an, with her innate attractiveness, her patience, her perseverance, her taste, her natural aptness to teach, and withal her native devotion to virtue and intelligence, is, from the nature of things (if properly educated), pre-eminently fitted to fill the office of teacher." Whether there was a depletion in the ranks of his women teachers because of matrimonial demands or some other consideration led him to complain that "too frequent change of teachers is an evil to be deplored" he does not state; but when he complains of the fact that "too long has the lip of the world been curled in scorn at the bare mention of the office of school teacher" we may infer some of the difficulties this high-
minded superintendent had to encounter, which happily do not exist at the present time.
This admirable report throws much side light upon the social and political practices of the time. The author says: "Another and worse evil seems to threaten, not only the harmony of our schools, but eventually to destroy the system. I allude to an alarming tendency in the minds of many of our citizens to identify the methods and manage- ment of the schools with the party politics of the day." This has quite an up-to-date ring to it. "Is there still in our city," he says, " a man who doubts the justness and utility of free public schools, but would prefer to create the invidious distinction between innocent and unoffending chil- dren, by the establishment of free charity schools for the indigent?" We may well understand that there were enough such at that time to keep the question before the public at every political crisis. The "district system" stood very much in the way of a proper and uniform administration of the schools. The school moneys were apportioned on the average attendance of scholars in the several districts either during the whole or a portion of the year. "This often created," said Mr. Mack's successor, "an undue anxiety to crowd one school with pupils at the expense of another," and in this way "some districts were enabled to continue a school during twelve entire months and then have a surplus of several hundred dollars," while "oth- ers for want of means were discontinued at the ex- piration of seven or eight months." "There was constant occasion," he declares, "for jealousy, which militated against the harmonious working and progress of the system."
The first free school act of the state was passed in 1849. While it provided for a more liberal tax on localities it still failed to do away with the "rate bill." To become effective this act was obliged to go before the people at the next general election. Much opposition to it caused its friends to make an aggressive canvass and to defend it at the polls twice. As Rochester had already had several years of free schools, we may readily un- derstand her attitude toward this measure. It had very little direct bearing upon the city, but it served to call attention to some of the defects of its own system .. To remedy them a new school law was enacted for Rochester in 1850. This act was far-reaching in its effects. It abolished the dis-
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, EAST HIGH SCHOOL.
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trict system, provided that "the amount to be raised for teachers' wages, and contingent expenses in any one year, shall not be less than four nor more than five times the amount appropriated to said city from the common school fund of the state during the previous year," and made the board of education a corporate body with full and exclusive power to manage all the public schools. This act was fruitful in that it centralized power and definitely located responsibilities. It has re- mained so down to the present time.
Rochester early took an active interest in free secondary schools. In 1830 a committee of prom- inent citizens was appointed to memorialize the legislature in behalf of an improved system of schools throughout the state. In April of that year they presented a plan which provided for the establishment in every town of a central high school or higher school of the most approved standard of excellence, so connected with all the other schools in the town as to exert a salutary influence upon the general interest of education and to aid in the preparation of well-qualified teachers. In its first charter the common council, as commissioners of the common schools of the city, were authorized, upon the consent of any number of school distriets, to organize one or more high schools. This power by the act of 1841 was transferred to the board of education, but nothing seems to have been done until 1853, when the superintendent in his annual report affirmed that "in order to the perfection of our system, a central high school seems to be demanded, where pupils from the various senior schools in the city, desiring to pursue the more advanced studies, shall be permitted to attend. Such an addition to our present system is called for by many consider- ations." In September of that year a committee was appointed by the board to investigate the matter, and in a somewhat lengthy report they recommended the "immediate establishment of a free academy." This was not to be accompilshed, however, without strong opposition, and final ac- tion was deferred until 1857, when "the central high school," as it was called, was inaugurated in old number 1 sehool building on Fitzhugh street. C. R. Pomeroy was its first principal. Early in September dedicatory services were held and ad- dresses were made by Dr. Kelsey, S. D. Porter and Frederick Starr, all of whom, as members of the
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