Our County and Its People: A Descriptive Work on Erie County, New York (Volume 1), Part 72

Author: Truman C. White
Publication date: 1898
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1017

USA > New York > Erie County > Our County and Its People: A Descriptive Work on Erie County, New York (Volume 1) > Part 72

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

From that time to 1865 the principals were as follows, as nearly as can be learned: Lorenzo Parsons, 1831-34; Edwin E. Williams, 1834-38; Alexander Hurst, 1842-44; Ephraim C. Hall, 1844-45; William Mosher, 1845-46; J. W. Earle, 1846-51; Moses Lane, 1851-53; Ezekiel Cutler, winter of 1853-54; Eden Sprout, 1853-55; William S. Aumock, 1856; Rev. David Copeland, 1857-59; Rev. C. R. Pomeroy, 1859-65; Rev. William H. Rogers.

In 1865 Archibald Griffith gave $10,000 to the academy, the interest of which was to be devoted mainly to the education of orphans and indigent children. In honor of this gift the Legislature authorized the

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change of the name to the Griffith Institute. In 1875 the school dis- tricts Nos. 7 and 8 were merged in Union school district No. 1, and in the next year the institute became the Union School, but retained its distinctive title.

The first school in the town of Newstead was, according to tradition, built in 1808, by a Mr. Keith. The first school in Tonawanda was taught about 1816 in an unoccupied dwelling which was fitted up for the purpose. Ephraim Kelsey was the first teacher. This was, doubt- less, the first school in the town. Union school district No. 3 built a large three-story brick school house in 1870 and a graded school was established.

Only a few other brief notes of very early schools in some of the towns have been found. Rufus C. Eaton taught a school of about seventy scholars in Concord in the winter of 1813-14, indicating a con- siderable population. The first school in the town of Collins was taught in the winter of 1814-15 by John King. In Sardinia Melindy Abbey taught the first school soon after the close of the war, in a log school house situated east of the site of Colegrove's Corners. At Rice's Corners in that town a school was taught soon after the close of the war by Betsey Doane, who was succeeded by Elihu Rice; this school was abandoned in 1828. In Holland the first school was taught before the war by Abner Currier in the Humphrey neighborhood, and another was taught about 1816 by Lodisa Warren. In 1809 the first school in Boston was opened and taught by Frederick Richmond. In the town of Wales a school was opened in the winter of 1811-12 and taught by James Wood. In a number of the towns all record and memory of the very early schools are lost.

A few of the remaining older citizens will, doubtless, remember some of the peculiarities of those early country schools, and the adverse con- ditions under which they were compelled to seek an education. The school building was for the first few years usually constructed of logs and later was a mere square frame structure, plainly boarded outside and possibly ceiled inside. The furniture was scant and more than plain; if the teacher had a chair he was fortunate, and a second one was never present. The scholars sat on long benches, usually constructed of slabs with the flat side uppermost, with two bracing legs at each end driven into auger holes. In exceptional instances a board extended along the wall in rear of the benches to serve as a desk. Books were few in number and limited in variety. Reading, spelling, writing,

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arithmetic and geography were the branches taught, and frequently one or two of these were lacking. Boys and girls, some of whom in this county have made honorable names for themselves, gained the foundation of their education amid such surroundings and frequently only by trudging miles daily through rain or snow to reach the pioneer school house. The old-fashioned spelling school, that joyful and obsolete intellectual contest of the pioneers, was a prominent factor in the educational system of those days. They were held on certain after- noons or in the evenings and called out not only the young, but often many of the parents. Two of the older scholars were selected and each alternately chose another, acting upon his best judgment of the ability of each to spell correctly, and when these "sides" were ready and all standing, the teacher took the old spelling book and pronounced the " hardest " words. When a word was misspelled the unfortunate sat down. The last one to fall in the friendly battle was a personal victor and reflected his honor upon his side.

As the reader has seen in foregoing pages, the transition from the primitive schools of the early years to the splendid system of to-day has been a slow one, but in no other feature of American life is more clearly reflected the intelligent advancement of our institutions.

Tradition is the only source of knowledge of the first schools taught in Buffalo; no records are in existence to tell us of the first steps taken in the little frontier settlement for educating the few children of the pioneers. Hiram Hanchett taught a school in the winter of 1806-07 in the Middaugh house, which has been noticed on an earlier page. The late Oliver G. Steele, a citizen who gave generously of his time and efforts for the advancement of the cause of education, was informed by Benjamin Hodge that about 1807 a Scotchman named Sturgeon taught a school on Main street; that the house had only one window and that one was without glass, but that plenty of light came in through the cracks between the logs. A small table and three benches constituted the furniture. Only reading was at first taught, but later, at the urgent request of parents, spelling was added. There were about twenty scholars. Mr. Hodge and George Lyon were of the older boys and acted as sub-teachers for the more advanced scholars, while "Mr. Sturgeon taught the younger children and did the whipping for the whole school." 1

1 See paper read before the Buffalo Historical Society January 23, 1808.

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After the erection of the first court house, and about the year 1810, Gamaliel St. John and a number of other citizens requested Asaph Hall to open a grammar school in that building, which he did; the school was not long continued. Miss Irene Leech taught a school at a very early date in a stone building on the corner of Main street and the Terrace. It is possible that other schools of primitive character were taught in the village previous to June, 1812, but if so nothing can now be known of them. On the date just mentioned Asa Minor opened a school, according to his public announcement, "in the front chamber of the brick building opposite the court house, for the purpose of in- structing the youth in reading, writing, arithmetic, English grammar, and the principles of elocution, if desired."

There are no records of other schools in the place until after the close of the war. In an advertisement dated May 30, 1815, Miss Mary Kibbe stated that she "proposes to open a school for the instruction of children in the various branches, in the vicinity of the post office." On Monday, October 2, 1815, David Page opened a grammar school in the chamber of Mr. Folsom's dwelling, on Genesee street. Deacon Amos Callender taught winter schools at about this period in various apartments in the village, a part of the time in his own house on the east side of Pearl street, between Swan and Seneca streets. Wyatt Camp, a man of su- perior qualifications for the time, also taught an early school. Miss A. Page opened a school in the Masonic Hall in March, 1820; the hall was then in John Mullett's house. On April 17, 1820, Miss H. Bennett opened a school over N. Bennett's store. Sometime in the year 1821 Miss Georgen, from Montreal, established a boarding school in the vil- lage, which was doubtless the first one of that kind in the place. It was in that year, also, that a theological seminary was projected, but its later history, if it had any, is lost.

Early in April, 1823, Rev. J. Bradley rented a part of the theater which stood opposite the Eagle Tavern, and on the second Wednesday in May opened an English and classical school. A Mr. Peabody taught a school prior to 1826, which was taken by a Miss Terry in November of that year; she announced "studies and tuition same as formerly." In 1827 a Mr. Rice opened a writing school in Buffalo, which was probably the first of its kind. N. C. Brace conducted an academical school in 1824-25, the seventh quarter of which closed February 12 of the last named year. The Misses Radcliffe established a young ladies'

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seminary on August 2, 1826; pupils were asked to call at Mr. Ball's for information, corner of Pearl and Court streets. J. Drew opened a school in September, 1826, "a few rods south of the Mansion House, in a building erected for the purpose." At this time there were only four common schools in the village.

In 1830 the Misses Denison were conducting a seminary, the closing exercises of which were held in the Eagle Tavern. After 1832 the in- stitution was conducted for a time by the Misses Lyman. B. B. Stark opened an elementary school in the spring of 1830, over the law office of Thomas C. Love, in the Exchange building; in the fall of the next year he taught an evening school "in the school house on the Ter- race," as indicated in his announcement. A Miss Conklin taught an infant school in Lyceum Hall, beginning in April, 1832.

In 1829 was issued the prospectus of the Literary and Scientific Acad- emy, which was founded by James McKay; it was afterwards opened by Silas Kingsley as a boarding and classical school, commencing with 150 students. . The institution was probably not opened, or at least did not acquire much importance, until the spring of 1832. Mr. Kingsley continued the school until 1837, when it was merged with the University of Western New York, opened at that time.

The great number of these private schools and their wide variety are somewhat surprising to the casual reader of to-day. According to the recognized law of supply and demand, they were needed or they would not have come into existence. The fact is they indicate to us either the non-existence or the very inferior character of the public schools of that period. Parents preferred to send their children to almost any kind of private school, rather than to the inferior public schools.

The first public school building in Buffalo, and the only one erected previous to the war of 1812, was known as "the little red school house;" it stood on the northwest corner of Pearl and Swan streets. The first step in the proceedings that led to the building of this school house was the writing of the following letter by Joseph R. Palmer (a younger brother of John Palmer, the pioneer inn-keeper), to Joseph Ellicott:

BUFFALO, 11th Aug., 1801.

Sir-The inhabitants of this place would take it as a particular favor if you would grant them the liberty of raising a school house on a lot in any part of the town, as the New York Missionary Society have been so good as to furnish them with a school master clear of any expense, except boarding and finding him a school house-if you

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will be so good as to grant them this favor. which they will take as a particular mark of esteem. By request of the inhabitants. Jos. R. PALMER. 1

Jos. ELLICOTT, EsQ.

Your answer to this would be very acceptable, as they have the timber ready to hew out.

The following entry in Ellicott's diary, under date of August 14, 1801, shows that Mr. Palmer's request was promptly granted :

Went to Buffalo, alias New Amsterdam, to lay off a lot for a school house, the in- habitants offering to erect one at their own expense.

The little school house was built on Pearl street near No. 104, but it was not finished until 1809. The Historical Society is in possession of a most valuable relic which is important in this connection, and also as showing who were among the leading citizens of the little village at that time. It is a small, rude memorandum book in which is recorded an account of the proceedings for raising a fund with which to build the school house, and other matters connected with the project. On the first page of the book appears the following :

At a meeting of the inhabitance of the village of Buffaloe, meet on the 29th day of March, eighteen hundred and seven at Joseph Landon's Inn By a vote of Sd meeting Zenas Barker in the Chair, for the purpos to arect a School Hous in Sd Village by a subscription of the Inhabitanse.

also Voted that Samuel Pratt, Joseph Landon and Joshua Gillett be a committee to See that they are appropriated on the School House above mentioned which subscrip- tions are to be paid in by the first day of June next or such part of it as Shall be wanted by that time.

Following is a list of the subscribers to the fund, as they appear in the book, with the amount subscribed by each :

Sylvanus Maybee $20.00 Levi Strong. $ 5.00

Zenas Barker 10.00

William Hull 10.00

Thomas Fourth 3.00

Samuel Pratt 22.00

Joshua Gillett 15.00

Richard Mann 5.00

Joseph Wells

7.00

Isabel Adkins

5.00

John Johnson 10.00

Samuel Andrews 1.00

Nathaniel W. Sever

10.00

Garret Freeland 1.00

Isaac H. Bennett 3.00

Billa Sherman 871c

Oliver G. Steele has left it on record that he had heard the names of Dr. Cyrenius Chapin, Gamaliel St. John and Joseph Landon mentioned as subscribers to this fund, and although their names do not appear in this list, it is more than probable that they aided the enterprise; they were men who would almost surely have contributed to such a cause.

1 Joseph Richard Palmer, it is believed, taught school for the garrison children at Fort Erie before he settled in Buffalo. He died in the village in 1813.

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All of the subscriptions on this list were dated March 30, 1807, the day following the meeting. The carpenter work on the school house was performed by Levi Strong and George Kith, whose accounts appear in the book; their bills amounted to $68.50. Most of the credits for work are given under date of April of that year, indicating that the building was commenced soon after the circulation of the subscription paper. It is quite probable that the "raising " of the building took place on April 13, as Joshua Gillett was on that day credited with two and a half gallons of whisky. The building was not shingled until November, 1808, when Samuel Pratt supplied 2,000 shingles for that purpose; but the building may possibly have been occupied during the previous summer months. The first teacher in this pioneer school was Samnel Whiting, a Presbyterian minister. Following him, Deacon Amos Cal- lender taught there, and a son of "Father " Elkanah Holmes, Hiram Hanchett, and a Mr. Tomlinson, all taught there before the war.

When the town of Buffalo was first formed (1810) it included Ton- awanda, Grand Island, Amherst, Cheektowaga, and part of West Sen- eca as they now exist; consequently the original district organization probably included a large part or all of this territory. The first village district of which there is record had the same boundaries as the city under the charter of 1832. A tax roll of 1818 shows that district No. 1 then included the whole of the village; it is dated September 3 of that year and is probably a record of the first school tax levied in the village. The trustees were Heman B. Potter, Reuben B. Heacock and Elias Ransom. The sum to be raised was $554.25; the value of the real and personal property of the village was placed at $275,677. An old record book formerly in possession of William Hodge, and presented by him to Oliver G. Steele, shows that in 1815 the territory around Cold Spring was called district No. 2: after about 1820 it appears as district No. 3, a new district No. 2 probably having been formed within the village boundaries about that time; the Cold Spring district was organized with some difficulty in May, 1816. Frederick Miller, William Hodge and Alvin Dodge were the first trustees. At an early meeting in that district a motion was made to appropriate two hundred silver dollars for the purchase of a school house site; this was not adopted. At another meeting, held in William Hodge's house, a motion was made "that the trustees go forward at their own expense and repair the school house, and hire a teacher." How long previous to that meeting this school house was built, or if it may not have been new and unfinished,

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cannot now be known. In the following December an order was adopt- ed to purchase a lot for $60, and that a teacher be employed for another quarter. S. Fuller was accordingly employed.

Returning to the history of the first district in the village of Buffalo, it is recorded that a school house was built, and probably with the pro- ceeds of the tax collected in 1818, as before noticed; but no permanent site was then purchased, with the result that the school building was several times removed from place to place; it was situated on the Kremlin block, then on the corner of Erie and Swan streets, and later on Pearl street. Amos Callender, Rev. Deodatus Babcock and a Mr. Pease were among the teachers in that house, and the late O. H. Mar- shall attended school there.

The second district in the village was organized probably in the year 1821, and the school was kept for a time at different places. In 1822 a school was taught on the west side of Main street between Mohawk and Genesee; it was there that Millard Fillmore taught for the first time in the village, afterwards going to the Cold Spring district. At a little later date Moses Baker, for this district, "took up" the lot on the cor- ner of Pearl and Mohawk streets for school purposes, and a building was there erected for the joint use of the school and the Universalist church, the latter occupying the upper story. Peter E. Miles was the first teacher there. This building was abandoned about 1833, when a brick school house was erected on Franklin alley.

On November 22, 1827, the Buffalo High School Association was projected. On that date a meeting was held in the Eagle Tavern to consider the expediency of a "High School on the Monitorial and High School System." A resolution was there adopted favoring the pro- posed institution, and an act incorporating the Buffalo High School As. sociation was prepared, which authorized a board of trustees to procure subscriptions to stock to the amount of not less than $10,000, and ap- pointing Nathan Sargeant, Charles Townsend, Peter B. Porter, Wray S. Littlefield, Millard Fillmore, William Mills, Job Bigelow and Uriel Torrey a committee to prepare and publish an address to the citizens soliciting their support of the undertaking. The prospectus, terms, etc., were issued January 8, 1828. The first Buffalo directory, pub- lished in 1832, contained the following in reference to this institution:

The Buffalo High School, incorporated in 1827, capital not to exceed $25.000, $10,000 of which is already subscribed and the school commenced, in rooms tempo- rarily fitted for the purpose, in January last. The buildings of this institution are to be erected the coming season.

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A commodious building was erected which afterwards became a part of the hospital of the Sisters of Charity, on Main street. This high school continued in a fair degree of prosperity for some years, but it was probably in advance of the period and after a gradual decline, was closed. A military school was subsequently established in the building on the system of Captain Partridge, and was quite successful for a few years; but its tuition and other expenses precluded its patronage by the masses and it, too, was closed.

The time soon arrived when the imperfect system of common schools was wholly inadequate to supply the needs of a growing city. They were attended by the children of the poorer classes, those of the more wealthy seeking education in private schools or in foreign institutions. During the financial crash of 1837-38 many of the private schools failed, rendering it still more important to reorganize and place the public schools upon a higher plane. Accordingly, in the winter of 1836-37 a law was passed by the Legislature in response to prolonged discussion of the existing inefficiency of the schools, authorizing the appointment of a city school superintendent, with broad powers.' R. W. Haskins was appointed under the act; but the law was so imperfect and its re- strictions so hampered the action of the superintendent that he was · unable to accomplish the desired results and he resigned before the close of the year. With his resignation Mr. Haskins recommended numerous amendments to the law, which were afterwards incorporated in it. N. B. Sprague succeeded to the office of superintendent, but he, too, declined to serve for analogous reasons that prompted the resigna- tion of his predecessor. The Council then appointed Oliver G. Steele to the office, who, after much persuasion from the committee on schools, of which Judge Nathan K. Hall was chairman, accepted. This ap- pointment was a most fortunate one for the cause of education in Buf- falo. Mr. Steele immediately made himself familiar with the existing schools, upon which he made an early report, pointing out the de- fective characteristics and suggesting remedies. He made a map showing the boundaries of the several districts, which was submitted with his report; the whole was then referred to the committee on schools and the superintendent, who were authorized to prepare a plan of reorganization. The preparation of this plan and the law under which it was to be consummated devolved upon Mr. Steele and Judge

1 Buffalo was the first city in the United States to establish the office of superintendent of schools.

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Hall. They did not venture to propose an entire free school system, but retained the existing form of local organization with a very low rate of tuition. In 1839 the schools were made free by an amendment to the law, and their entire control was placed under the Council and the superintendent.' The reorganization of the school districts was accomplished in 1838 and the proceeding attracted wide-spread atten- tion and discussion in various meetings. The first of these was held in the old court house August 31, at which Albert H. Tracy presided and Horatio H. Shumway acted as secretary. A committee of four from each ward was appointed to "inquire into the condition of the schools of Buffalo, both public and private; ascertain the number of children who attend school, the expense of their education, and report the same, together with some plan for the improvement of our schools, at a future meeting to be called for that purpose." This committee per- formed its work thoroughly and on the 19th of September made its report, showing the inadequacy of the existing school system and de- tailing a plan for the complete reorganization of the city under the free school system, under authority of the Common Council, the cost of the system above the money received from the State to be paid by a general tax upon city property. After considerable discussion and a little opposition, the report was adopted and, as before stated, the schools were made free by the Legislature in the following winter.

The first school house erected under the reoganization was one on Church street, opposite the city hall, in district No. 8; it was that dis- trict which formerly embraced the entire village territory. The lot had for several years been owned by the district, but the inhabitants had not been able to agree upon the erection of a school house. A tax was finally levied and a structure that was handsome and commodious for that period was erected. A spirited controversy followed upon the magnitude and extravagance of the building. With good teachers the school rapidly filled and the building was subsequently enlarged to the full size of the lot. During the year 1839 a school house was built in district No. 11, on Vine street; one in district No. 6, on South Divis- ion street; one on Washington street on the site of Washington Mar- ket: one in district No. 5, on Seneca (Hydraulic) street; and one in No. 12, on Spruce street. The erection of these buildings and the consequent imposition of a considerable tax was bitterly opposed by

' Buffalo was the first city in the State in which tuition was abolished and the public schools made absolutely free.

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many citizens, who could not foresee the advantages that were certain to follow; it was, doubtless, this dissatisfaction that prevented the re- appointment of Mr. Steele in the spring of 1840. His successor was Daniel Bowen, who took the office against his inclination and resigned a few months later. The vacancy was filled by Silas Kingsley, who efficiently administered the duties of the office until 1842, when Sam- uel Caldwell was appointed; he held the office two years and was suc- ceeded by Elias S. Hawley. In 1845 Mr. Steele was again placed in the office for one year. From 1839 down to this year no additional school houses were built; but in 1845 a large school building was erected in district No. 3, on Erie street; this was burned in 1852 and in the next year the present structure on the Terrace near Genesee street was erected.

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Our County and Its People: A Descriptive Work on Erie County, New York (Volume 1), Part 72

Author: Truman C. White Publication date: 1898 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1017

Author: Truman C. White
Publication date: 1898
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1017