USA > New York > Genesee County > History of the Genesee country (western New York) comprising the counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates, Volume II > Part 4
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The teachers of these pioneer schools in Rochester were per-
MISS SEWARD'S FEMALE SEMINARY, 1838
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sons of education who lived in the community; they were the ones who would naturally assume the task of instructing the youth of the village, although they were not as a rule in the class of professional teachers. Many of them have been mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, but there were among others Caleb Hamilton, Gen. Jacob Gould, Mr. Dodge, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Wilder, D. B. Crane, Clarendon Morse, Dr. Ackley, Mr. Spoor, Jeremiah Cutler, Mr. Lockwood.
These primitive schools were strictly in harmony with the democratic character of the village. Any child of the community had access to the classes and the people interested paid the bills, a certain sum being exacted from the parents of those attending, and the few bachelors of the place were each solicited to establish a scholarship in the village schools.
On December 29, 1829, a public meeting was held at the Man- sion House "to consult for the furtherance of the cause of educa- tion in our village and our country at large." Such meetings as this indicate the general interest in educational matters and the desire to better these facilities in the village. The district schools, though as good as possible under the conditions, were far from being wholly satisfactory.
The year 1827 witnessed the incorporation (March 15th) of the Rochester High School. A three-story stone building was erected on Lancaster Street and classes were maintained here until the building was destroyed by fire in 1852. Ten years after the establishment of this institution there were in excess of five hundred students enrolled. The school was supported from the state literature fund and by the city. The first principal was S. D. Moore, with Miss Weed and Mr. Van Dake, assistants. The period of greatest popularity enjoyed by this school was during the superintendency of Dr. Chester Dewey, a noted educator; he remained until the school building burned.
Among other private schools of the time, that opened in 1833 by Miss Sarah T. Seward is worthy of mention. This was a school for young women and was located in the United States hotel building on West Main Street. After one or two changes Miss Seward erected a building on Alexander Street in 1835, and retired as principal in 1841 to become Mrs. Jacob Gould; the school was continued until 1848, when it became known as the Tracy Female Institute.
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The Rochester Female Academy, more commonly known as "the Seminary", came into existence in 1835, as the result of a meeting of the citizens. A pretentious structure, for the time, was erected on South Fitzhugh Street and the institution was incorporated in 1837. Classes were first held in May, 1836, with Miss F. H. Jones as principal, and the Misses Araminta D. and Julia Doolittle as assistants. Shortly afterward Miss Araminta Doolittle succeeded to the position of principal of the school, and in subsequent work in this institution she made a distinct im- press upon the educational history of Rochester; she was a not- able teacher and a woman of wide range of learning; she resigned in 1855. Thereafter, until sold in 1903, the "Seminary" occu- pied a place of high academic rank and cultural excellence.
The first Catholic school established in Rochester was opened in 1834 by Michael Hughes at the residence of Dr. Hugh Brad- ley on North St. Paul Street. It was soon moved to the basement of St. Patrick's Church, corner of Frank and Platt streets, where the cathedral is now located. This school was maintained until 1858, when the Christian Brothers Academy was opened at the corner of Frank and Brown streets. The Academy of the Sacred Heart was founded in 1855, and two years later the Sisters of Mercy established an institution on South Street.
When Rochester became a city in 1834 the mayor and alder- men were made commissioners of the common schools, and the board of supervisors continued to levy a school tax for the city as well as the county. On July 15, 1841, the original free school law came into effect and provided for the annual election of two commissioners from each of the five wards of the city, these offi- cials to form the board of education and appoint the superinten- dent. Isaac F. Mack was the first superintendent appointed. At this date there were fifteen districts in the city, with about 2,300 pupils enrolled. The school report of 1843 gave an addi- tional district for colored children. In this year, as the report indicates, there were 5,650 children in the city between the ages of five and sixteen, and of this number 4,246 were in the com- mon schools and 599 in private institutions. Although nine buildings had been erected since 1841, most of the schools were in rented quarters, and in many ways the situation was unsuit- able for the growing needs of the city.
ROCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL, 1838
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In 1849 the law was passed providing a free school system for the whole state, although not until 1867 was the so-called "rate bill" abolished entirely. At this time conditions in Roch- ester were somewhat chaotic. Certain districts were allowed to become overcrowded, in order to secure public money, and many people protested that, although they were paying equal taxes, they did not receive the same educational advantages accorded to others. In April, 1850, this difficulty was practically cured by a new school law for Rochester, which provided that the schools in the several wards of the city should be free to all chil- dren between the ages of five and sixteen and all school property should be transferred to the city. The schools were first organ- ized under this system on September 1, 1850.
By the legislative act of April 28, 1834, the council, acting as a board of commissioners, was authorized, upon consent of any number of school districts, to organize one or more high schools. By the act of May 20, 1841, this authority was trans- ferred to the board of education. Nothing definite was done until the early '50s, when the people became convinced that a free high school was a very desirable thing. The decision was finally made to hold advanced classes in part of the building on Fitzhugh Street occupied by district No. 1 school. In September, 1857, the Rochester Central High School was opened and 220 students were admitted the first year. This school was estab- lished March 28, 1862 as the Rochester Free Academy by the regents of New York State. The No. 1 building was torn down, an adjoining lot purchased, and in 1874, a new schoolhouse was constructed. With the passing of the Academy in 1903, the structure was acquired by the city and is now known as the municipal building.
In 1857 the school for colored children was abandoned and pupils of this race were allowed to attend the white schools in their respective districts. By 1860 there were ten schools with senior or grammar departments; sixteen with intermediate or primary departments, and as early as 1863 the grammar depart- ments had been subdivided and the pupils classified into 1, 2 and 3 grades. A further physical improvement in the schools was made in 1866, when the old benches were replaced by sta- tionary desks and seats. In 1875 religious exercises were abol- ished.
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In addition to the schools mentioned in the preceding para- graphs, there were a larger number of strictly private schools existing during this period of the city's history. Many of these were held in homes and some of them in rented quarters. They performed their purpose well and maintained an atmosphere of exclusiveness and culture much desired by many parents.
In 1858 Mrs. P. H. Curtis founded the Livingston Park Semi- nary, which continued for many years. In September, 1871, George D. Hale organized a classical and scientific school; this school occupied a number of locations until its close in 1898. Miss Margaret Bell Marshall opened a school for young children in 1874 at 260 Plymouth Avenue. From 1874 to 1886 Miss Mary I. Bliss conducted a girls' boarding school at the corner of Spring and Washington streets. James Hattrick Lee, in 1887, opened a boys' preparatory class, known as the Fort Hill School, and in 1891 it was merged in the institution of J. Howard Bradstreet and Eldon G. Burritt, which was founded in that year. Miss Martha Cruttenden established a boarding school on St. Paul Street. This school was later conducted by Dr. Charles R. King's- ley and then reverted to Miss Cruttenden and still later to Miss Hakes. Miss Kate Lewis and Miss Mary Macauley kept a pri- mary and intermediate school on Meigs Street from 1891 to 1897. In 1896 Mrs. Frank W. Little had a school for both sexes on Meigs Street.
This steady development of the city itself had the natural result of overcrowding the schools, which, with the lack of ade- quate funds, created a condition so very unsatisfactory that it was reported to the state legislature. In 1900 the Dow law was passed; it provided for a school board of five members, elected at large, to act as a legislative and advisory committee for a term of four years. An executive was also to be appointed for four years. This remedial measure had almost immediate effect, and within the next decade there were ten new school buildings constructed in the city.
Kindergarten work in the public schools of Rochester had its inception in 1886, when, under the auspices of the Mechanics Institute, a free kindergarten was opened in No. 20 school in rooms furnished by the board of education. Manual training for the boys and sewing for the girls were established in the schools after 1900. Cooking had been taught in the eighth
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grades from 1893 to 1907 and was made possible by the support of Capt. Henry Lomb; later continued by the board of educa- tion. Factory schools were first opened in December, 1908, under the provisions of a legislative act. The movement for vocational education began in 1909 in the Industrial School for Girls, which school was later known as the Madison Park Vocational School. As early as 1853 an evening school was operated in District No. 1, continuing for four months. Fully 250 pupils, mostly foreigners, attended the classes. In 1854 a second evening school was estab- lished on the east side, nine teachers were employed, and the attendance was 817. This was the beginning of immigrant teaching in Rochester.
In 1862 a school policeman was first appointed; and in 1874 a compulsory education law was enacted by the legislature, which, while not as thoroughgoing in its provisions as later stat- utes on the subject, required children of school age to attend classes at least fourteen weeks of the year.
The teachers of the city, as early as 1856, had a sort of organ- ization among themselves having for its object the improving of their professional work. Then they met on alternate weeks. In 1883 a teachers' training class was established and from this. developed the Rochester Training School for Teachers.
In October, 1905, five medical examiners were appointed by the council, and visiting nurses were employed for regular work among the school children. In 1909 the Dental Society of the city had its first dental clinic for public school pupils. A further effort to promote healthful conditions in the schools occurred October 4, 1909, when the first open air class was held in a tent. Later a building was constructed on the grounds of No. 14 school for children whose predisposition to certain ailments de- manded the open air during school hours.
The East High School came into existence in 1901 and the West High in 1903, but buildings were not constructed for them until about two years later in each case. The Washington junior high school was established in No. 26 building on Clifford Avenue in September, 1915, and the Jefferson junior high was founded at Exposition Park in September, 1919. Madison junior high came into existence in 1920 and Monroe junior high school in 1921.
Space forbids the discussion of all the many changes in the:
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government and methods of teaching in the Rochester schools. The development of the city has been no more rapid than the growth of the schools which are in every way comparable to the best metropolitan educational institutions in the country. Spe- cialized education has come to play its part and branches of learning have multiplied in almost unbelievable number. Public school property in the city of Rochester exceeds twenty millions of dollars in value and over two thousand teachers are employed by the municipality. It is interesting to note, in closing this brief review of the public schools, that the educational system of Rochester is divided into seven distinct units. These are: 1. The elementary schools, which include the first six grades; 2. The junior high schools (four in number) which embrace the seventh, eighth and ninth grades; 3. The senior high schools (two in number) for the tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades; 4. The city normal, for the training of teachers; 5. Special schools or classes for subnormal children; 6. Part time schools for those between the ages of fourteen and seventeen, who are engaged in work of some kind; 7. Adult education, consisting of Americani- zation work among foreigners and the evening school program.
The Rochester Theological Seminary, one of the important educational institutions of Rochester today, was founded by the Baptist Union for Ministerial Education in 1850. It came into existence with the university and has had close connection with the larger school. In 1851 twenty-nine students were enrolled and the faculty consisted of only two instructors. In the follow- ing year a German department was added. There were then only eight Baptist churches in the country. Trevor Hall was con- structed in 1869; Rockefeller Hall in 1879; the German students' home in 1890; and Alvah Strong Hall in the year 1907. The first named building, used as a dormitory, was the gift of John B. Trevor, of Yonkers, and the second was the gift of John D. and William Rockefeller. Henry Alvah Strong raised $100,000 in 1906 for the building that bears his name and which is also used as a dormitory. Because no endowment existed, the growth of this school for the first few years was necessarily slow. After thirty years, however, the productive funds amounted to about a half million dollars, and now the institution has assets of nearly three million dollars.
The Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute has ex-
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isted under this title since 1891, when the Rochester Athenaeum and the Mechanics Institute were merged. The Athenaeum was founded in the year 1829 to provide literary and scientific lec- tures, a reading room and otherwise a center of cultural influ- ence for the young village. The success of the enterprise was very intermittent. In 1885 a group of citizens under the in- spiring leadership of Capt. Henry Lomb founded the Mechanics Institute, utilized a room in the Free Academy building, and there gave part time instruction in applied drawing and design. Captain Lomb was president of the institute for eight years. The object of the school was to promote instruction of a practical nature, and fit individuals for a higher type of occupation. From the start it became increasingly popular and had a steady growth, so that in 1892 a department of domestic science was organized in the first building erected upon the half block which had been acquired on Washington Street. In 1896 manual train- ing work was begun and two years later the industrial arts de- partment was established. In 1900 George Eastman purchased the half block east of that owned by the school and erected there- on the Eastman building. Mrs. Susan Bevier provided the funds for the Bevier memorial building. Then, with the purchase of the residence hall for women in 1918, the institute acquired pos- session of the entire city block which it now occupies. The school has grown with the demands made upon it and new branches of learning have constantly been added. Nearly a thousand stu- dents attend the day classes and a like number the evening. No degrees are given by the institute, but the object is to provide specialized courses adapted to the various needs of mature indi- viduals. Active cooperation of Rochester manufacturers and business men, and the Chamber of Commerce is a strong factor in the success of the school. Captain Lomb, who died in March, 1924, was largely responsible for the success of the school during the early years of his active participation in its affairs and, indeed, during all of his later life.
The Rochester School of Optometry, now partly affiliated with the Mechanics Institute, was founded as a small private school in 1902.
St. Bernard's Seminary owes its inception and early growth to the efforts of Rt. Rev. Bernard J. McQuaid, Bishop of the Rochester diocese for so many years. Bishop McQuaid came to
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Rochester in 1868, and one of his earliest desires was to provide for the proper training and education of young men who were to enter the priesthood. He established St. Andrew's Seminary in a small way and sent other students abroad for their ecclesiasti- cal education. His efforts were rewarded on the 31st of March, 1891, when he laid the cornerstone of St. Bernard's Seminary and witnessed the opening of classes in September following. From this nucleus has grown the present modern and commodi- ous seminary from which hundreds of men have gone to give their lives in the work of their church.
The Rochester School for the Deaf came into being in the year 1876, when, on February 3rd, a public meeting was held at the office of Mayor Clarkson and resolutions passed to estab- lish a school for the deaf. Trustees and officers were appointed and the school was finally established February 4th in the Riley block, corner of South Avenue and Court Street. In October classes were started with about twenty pupils. There were many deaf people in the city at that time including a large number of children who were prevented from attending the public schools, and for many years efforts had been put forth to secure educational facilities for persons so afflicted. In 1878 the old Truant house, on St. Paul Street, was leased and the growing school was moved into these quarters. Additions to the prop- erty were constantly made and in 1888 the place was purchased from the city, the last payment for which was made in 1905.
The University of Rochester, now a great institution of learn- ing, with a future firmly insured by the munificent cooperation of Rochester citizens, and as full of brilliant promise as any school in America, was established here when Hobart at Geneva. was the only college in western New York. The Baptist univer- sity known as Madison, at Hamilton, New York, had by 1846 outgrown the environment in which it had existed for a quarter century. A proposal to move the school to Rochester found favor only in that quarter, where the aroused interest led to the enact- ment of a law (May 8, 1846) for the incorporation of the col- lege. Classes were organized in Rochester in November, 1850; a charter was sought from the regents of the university and this. franchise, provisional in character, was finally granted Febru- ary 14, 1851. The charter was made perpetual January 10, 1861. It is interesting to note that, while the Baptist influence was pre-
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dominant in the actual establishment of Rochester University and persons of that persuasion largely composed the early fac- ulties, the school itself was recognized from its very beginning as free from denominational control, and devoted solely to the cause of higher education. Legal obstacles prevented the actual transfer of the school from Hamilton to Rochester, and the Madi- son school retained its home and exists today in the splendid Col- gate University.
Work was undertaken in the new university with five pro- fessors, three instructors and seventy-one students, and in the spring of 1851 the first class of ten students was graduated. Most of the professors and scholars were volunteer recruits from Madison. The first faculty consisted of A. C. Kendrick, D. D., professor of Greek; J. F. Richardson, A. M., Latin; John H. Raymond, A. M., history and belles-lettres; Chester Dewey, M. D., LL. D., natural sciences; E. Peshine Smith, acting professor of mathematics and natural philosophy. The classes were first held in the old United States hotel building on West Main (then Buffalo) Street, which was purchased and somewhat altered for the purpose. A president was not appointed until 1853.
The Main Street building from the first was considered a makeshift, but for over a decade the classes were held there, as also were those of the Theological Seminary, which had come into being at the same time as the larger school. In 1852 a com- mittee was appointed to secure a permanent site for the univer- sity, and a year afterward Azariah Boody, a newly elected member of the board, made a gift of eight acres of land for that purpose. This tract is the northern third of the present campus. The legislature of 1857 authorized the city to appropriate the sum of $25,000 for various purposes, including the erection of buildings, on condition that a like amount be raised by subscrip- tion. This condition was fulfilled by a donation of $25,000 from General John F. Rathbone of Albany. In 1859 the first building called Anderson Hall was begun and completed in 1861. This served a number of purposes and for many years was the only college building. The university planned an extensive campus, with a residence section, and, with this idea in mind, purchased seventeen additional acres from Mr. Boody. In 1868 the Van Zandt house on Prince Street was bought for a presidential resi-
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dence. Hiram Sibley provided funds for a library building in 1871, with the single condition that citizens of Rochester should have library privileges therein; this structure begun in 1872 was completed five years later. Hiram W. Sibley, son of the donor, made extensive improvements in the building in 1904. In 1876 John B. Trevor of New York, gave the small observatory. The third building on the campus was the chemical laboratory, built by Mortimer F. Reynolds as a memorial to his brother, William A. Reynolds. In 1900, by means of a generous sum raised among the alumni of the university, a gymnasium was secured. George Eastman gave $78,000 in 1908 for a building to house the de- partments of physics and biology. Close upon the heels of this came the offer of Andrew Carnegie to give $100,000 for an ap- plied science building, if an equal sum should be donated by others; this building materialized in 1911. While its construc- tion was proceeding, Kendrick Hall, the original dormitory for men named for A. C. Kendrick, a member of the first faculty, was completed. The central heating plant, a noteworthy im- provement in the structural equipment of the university, was installed in 1904.
The Memorial Art Gallery, the gift of Mrs. James S. Watson, in memory of her son, James G. Averell, was first opened in 1913. In this year also was added Catherine Strong Hall, for the use of the college for women, by Henry A. Strong of Roches- ter, in memory of his mother. The building was constructed on land donated by Dr. John P. Munn, of New York, in memory of his mother .. At the same time there was erected the Anthony Memorial building, the cost of which was borne by friends of Susan B. Anthony and her sister, Mary Anthony. Reference is made in later paragraphs to the Eastman gifts of the schools of music, medicine, surgery and dentistry. In 1920 Mrs. Henry A. Strong presented $200,000 for an auditorium in memory of her husband, to be erected on the campus. The greater univer- sity plan has now placed this memorial with the new group of buildings on the Oak Hill site.
This, in brief, is the university building record to date. Even with the magnificent gifts enumerated and the never ceasing interest of the community, the equipment of the university has not kept pace with the demands of the steady growth. But a new day has dawned, and this institution, enriched by bountiful
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endowments, is destined to gain a distinction in many fields sur- passing that of any college in the world.
The first president of the university, Martin B. Anderson, was elected in 1853 and retained the presidency for a period of thirty-five years; upon his retirement he held the chair of politi- cal economy for two years. He died in 1890 at the age of sev- enty-five. David Jayne Hill succeeded him and served until 1896, when he resigned to become assistant secretary of state. He was later ambassador to Germany and held a number of other diplomatic posts. Prof. Samuel A. Lattimore then served as act- ing president for about two years, when he was followed by Henry A. Burton. Rush Rhees, D. D., LL. D., has been presi- dent since 1900.
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