USA > New York > Madison County > Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Madison County, New York > Part 47
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Cazenovia Seminary .- The first "Conference Seminary in the Meth- odist Episcopal Church " was established at Newmarket, N. H., in 1817. It continued in existence only to 1825. As early as 1819 the Methodists in the central part of this State discussed the subject of founding a sec- tarian educational institution. Cazenovia and Ithaca became competi- tors for the site of the proposed seminary, and at first the conference favored the latter village; but it failed to reap the benefits of the ad- vantage thus gained and on the recommendation of a conference com- mittee, appointed July 15, 1823, it was decided to locate the institution at Cazenovia. The Methodists had previously purchased the old court house building and were at that time embarrassed through their inabil- ity to pay for it. It was therefore decided by the conference to take this building and fit it up for occupancy by the school. Revs. Charles Giles, George Gary and Elias Bowen and Messrs. Solomon Root, Luther Buell, John Peck, Jacob Ten Eyck, David B. Johnson and Charles Steb- bins were appointed to carry out this purpose. The transfer of the building was effected and the institution opened on December 1, 1824, with eight pupils, under the name, The Seminary of the Genesee Con- ference, and with Rev. Nathaniel Porter principal.
The Seminary promptly gained repute and patronage and in 1825 the number of students registered was 121 and in 1826 it increased to 145. The institution was incorporated April 6, 1825, and the following per- sons were chosen as the first trustees: George Gary, Elias Bowen. Henry Wells, Charles Stebbins, Jacob Ten Eyck, Charles Giles, John W. Peck, Luther Buell and David B. Johnson. Need of increased ac- commodations was felt almost from the first and in September, 1826, it was " resolved to build larger." An addition was accordingly made to the west end of what ultimately became the chapel of the Seminary and occupied as a boarding hall. On the division of the Genesee Con- ference, in 1828, the name of the institution was changed by an act of the Legislature to the Seminary of Genesee and Oneida Conferences. Two years later, in December, 1830, when the founding of the Semi- nary within the Genesee Conference was contemplated the name was again changed to the Oneida Conference Seminary.
The Seminary library was founded in 1831 under the direction of Professors Tyler, Larrabee and George G. Peck. At a little later date, in order to increase the library fund, students were charged 121/2c. each per quarter for the use of the books. In the same year also, in order to extend the benefits of the institution to persons of limited means, the
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policy of granting free tuition under certain limitations was inaugu- rated.
With the rapidly increasing attendance larger accommodations were imperatively demanded and in 1832 two additional buildings were erected, one of which was of brick thirty-six by fifty feet, three stories high, and one of wood, one hundred by twenty-two feet, two stories high. The former occupied the ground afterwards covered by the front hall and the latter, the site of the later dining hall. In 1839, after fif- teen years of existence, this Seminary had become one of the widest known and most successful in the State. In that year a three years' course of study was adopted upon the completion of which diplomas were conferred upon graduates. This, it is believed, was the first grad- uating course adopted by any seminary in the State. In January, 1846, the system of giving free tuition to the children of those members of the Oneida Conference whose fields of labor lay within the district from which the Seminary drew its patronage was adopted; this privilege was subsequently extended to all ministers of the gospel. In 1847, in com- pliance with a change in the charter, the policy of having non-resident trustees was inaugurated, under which it became customary to hold what are known as local and full Board meetings. The first full Board meeting under the new charter of conditions was held May 11, 1847, and a plan of organization was adopted to meet the conditions of the increased number of members, six having been added. The resident trustees were constituted a prudential committee to transact the busi- ness of the Board under certain conditions; they were to have no power to hire teachers or to make any change in the faculty excepting in in- tervals between the full Board meetings; they could not expend to exceed $200 except for the payment of the faculty and the steward; and they were required to make a full report of their proceedings from term to term to the full Board.
The Seminary was now in the full tide of success and in 1853, after a successful existence of thirty years, still larger accommodations were needed; an additional building was erected and about the same time the chapel was converted into its present use. In the same year a prize system was instituted by Benjamin Rush Wendell, of Cazenovia, who established a gold medal scholarship prize. As the years passed attendance further increased and various plans were discussed to meet the necessity for further accommodations. These were not completed until 1870, when the buildings were brought substantially into their
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present condition. Meanwhile, in 1868, in consonance with certain changes in the Conference the name of the institution was changed to The Central New York Conference Seminary. Again, in 1873, under a statute, the name was changed to The Cazenovia Seminary, its pres- ent form.
The year 1875 was the semi-centennial anniversary of the incorpora- tion of the Seminary and the event was appropriately celebrated. A large assemblage of alumni, former teachers and friends of the institu- tion gathered to do honor to the event, and congratulate themselves upon the close of fifty years of successful existence of the institution.
Although this old Seminary has always been more or less embar- rassed in a pecuniary sense, its management has been vigorous and efficient and its high reputation has never waned. In 1839 it ranked as tenth in the State, as determined by the number of students and the apportionment of public money; in 1843 it had risen to third; a few years later it was second and in 1872 it became first. In the semi-cen- tennial year so numerous were the applicants for admission that the trustees were compelled to refuse many seekers for education.
Rev. Nathaniel Porter, the first principal of the Seminary, was one of the brightest of the younger lights of the Methodist ministry. He labored incessantly and with the most gratifying success to place the institution upon an enduring foundation. Toiling unceasingly and bearing heavy burdens of responsibility, his energies were early ex- hausted and in 1830 he went to New Jersey in hopes of renewing his health. These hopes were blasted and he died in Newark, August 11, 1831, aged thirty-one years.
A new gymnasium was opened in 1898 largely through the generos- ity of the alumni and the efforts of Dr. Wilbor. The institution has been greatly indebted to Hon. James Callanan, of Des Moines, Iowa, who purchased the bonds when a large debt had accumulated. Mr. Callanan is honored in the name of Callanan Hall. Late improvements are found in the leasing of an athletic field, a new oak entrance to Eddy Hall, a gift from Mrs. F. F. Wendell, of Fort Plain; a new bath room in Eddy Hall; a steam heating plant in Williams Hall; cement walks through the campus, etc. The venerable old buildings still stand, at the close of three quarters of a century of educational usefulness, but greatly improved in various respects. The Seminary property now has a value of about $75,000.
Rev. Carlton C. Wilbor, D. D., Ph. D., president of the Seminary,
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has served as Presiding Elder of the Elmira District, as pastor of Uni- versity Avenue church in Syracuse, and in several other prominent pastorates. He is a distinguished educator and is ably supported by an excellent faculty. Professor Isaac N. Clements was connected with the Seminary actively for a period of twenty-three years, the last twelve of which he served as principal, retiring in 1896.
Union Free School District No. 10, Cazenovia .- Two unsuccessful attempts were made previous to 1874 to unite districts Nos. 10, 17 and 21 in the village of Cazenovia in a Union Free School District. The undertaking was finally accomplished in October of the year 1875. Com- mittees had been appointed from districts No. 10 and 17 to consult with another from district 21 in October of the previous year. For some reason in the last named district it was not appointed and the matter was necessarily postponed. At the annual district meetings held on the second Tuesday in October, 1875, the following committees were ap- pointed : A. Dardis, D. W. Cameron, and J. C. Tillotson, from district No. 10; J. C. Dean, H. M. Cushing, and W. L. Storke, from No. 17; and A. P. Clarke, J. A. Curtiss and D. R. Dean from No. 21. The pro- ceedings of a joint meeting of these committees resulted in a call for a public meeting to be held for the purpose of determing whether a Un- ion free school should be established under the State laws of 1864. The meeting was held on the 29th of November, 1875. Of the 372 voters in the three districts there were present 211. The vote resulted as follows: Affirmative, district No. 21, 65; district No. 10, 37; district No. 17, 60, a total of 162 votes. The total of the negative votes was 27. It was also voted that the Board of Education to be elected should consist of seven members-two to serve one year, two to serve two years and three to serve three years. A. P. Clarke and P. H. Donnelly were elected for one year; J. A. Curtiss and J. W. Howson, for two years; G. L. Rouse, D. W. Cameron and W. M. Burr, for three years. The first meeting of the board was held December 6, 1875, and G. L. Rouse was elected president; A. P. Clarke, clerk; Francis C. Phelps, treasurer; James Dodge, collector. On the 10th of the following Jan- uary the site of the school house in district No. 21 was chosen for the new building for the Union School. A small tract was added to this by purchase. The school houses and lots in the other two districts were ordered to be sold. December, 1876, Miss Ellen F. Beebe was chosen principal and was succeeded in the following summer by Prof. W. W. Bass. In 1878 the school building in district No. 10 was removed to a
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lot in rear of the Sullivan street school house and fitted for use on ac- count of the necessity for increased accommodations.
The De Ruyter Institute .- This institution was founded by the Sev- enth Day Baptist religious sect and was largely due to the efforts of Elder Alexander Campbell. A large stone structure, four stories high, plain in exterior, was erected in 1836, costing with its site, furnishing, etc., about $22,000. It was opened as a select school in the summer of 1837, with Solomon Carpenter, principal, and Sarah A. Robinson, pre- ceptress. In the fall of the same year it was opened as an academy with Eber Rollo, A. M., principal, and Miss Robinson, preceptress. About 130 scholars were in attendance. The institution was incorpo- rated by the Regents December 3, 1847. This school was liberally pat- ronized during a number of years by the Baptist denomination in that vicinity; but the founding of other schools drawing their patronage from the same source diminished its foreign patronage and embarrassed its financial condition. The school continued with varying fortunes until 1870, when it was abandoned. The building was sold in 1874 to the " redemption stockholders " and was bid off by George Greenman as their agent. It soon passed into possession of the Union Free School of De Ruyter and Cuyler No. 1.
On the 1st of January, 1874, certain electors of school district No. 11, of De Ruyter petitioned the trustees to call a meeting at which it should be determined whether a Union free school should be established under the provisions of the law of 1864. On January 10 of that year similar measures were adopted in district No. 1, of De Ruyter and Cuyler. On the 26th of February a joint call was made by the trustees of the two districts for a meeting to be held for that purpose on March 7, 1874. After two adjournments for want of sufficient attendance the meeting was held March 24, when forty-four of the eighty voters in district No. 1 and thirty-five of the seventy-eight in district No. 11 were present. L. B. Kern was chairman of the meeting and J. B. Wells secretary. It was decided by a vote of 71 to 7 to consolidate the two districts by the establishment of a Union free school, with a Board of Education con- sisting of five members, one of whom should be elected for one year, two for two years, and two for three years from the second Tuesday of October, 1874. Jason B. Wells was elected for one year; Gilbert Ta- ber and Barton G. Stillman for two years and Horace Benjamin and Joseph H. Crumb for three years. Mr. Stillman was chosen president of the board; J. B. Wells, secretary ; E. B. Parsons, treasurer. The
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Board of Education purchased the De Ruyter Institute building in the spring of 1874 for $3,035. Nearly $3,000 had previously been sub- scribed by eighty-eight persons for the purchase of this property. The Union school began May 11, 1874, with Miss E. Reynolds, a graduate of the Normal School of Oswego, principal, and Miss Sarah E. White, teacher. An academical department was established in the school in 1876. On the 26th of June, 1874, the school house in the old district No. 1 was sold for $500 and on July 31, 1876, the school property in the north district was sold for $350. In October, 1877, the name " De Ruy- ter Union Graded School, with Academic Department " was adopted. In June of that year E. C. Wheeler was appointed principal. On June 29, 1897, the Board of Education granted $150 for books and apparatus and were given a charter for the present high school. In this institu- tion Irving Smith Sears is principal, with five assistants.
Peterboro Academy .- Among the earliest, if not the very earliest schools in Peterboro, in the town of Smithfield, were several of a select character, the first of which was one taught by Miss Tabitha Havens, about 1800. Her pupils numbered sixty-seven. She subsequently married James Tucker, who settled in the western part of the county. In the early years also a Miss Ambler taught a small school and a little later Miss Webster, a cousin of Noah Webster, was a teacher here in a private school. Another was taught in 1815 by Elizabeth Kelly and in 1822 a Mr. Johnson taught a select school. The first district school house in the village was built about 1807; it was a small structure and was occupied until 1836, when a larger house was needed and the pres- ent school house site was selected.
In 1853 a subscription was circulated for the purpose of raising funds with which to build an academical educational institution in Peterboro. A sum of about $2,500 was raised and the building subsequently occu- pied as the Orphan Home was erected in that year. The charter bears date January 23, 1853, and under its provision the following board of trustees was elected: James Johnson, Gerrit Smith, Caleb Calkins, James Barnett, Samuel Wells, W. C. Powers, Nehemiah Huntington, Albert E. Coe, R. Northrup, A. C. Stone, Joseph Sims. The first academic year began in November, 1853, and the school opened with forty-two students. In 1864 the academy received an endowment of more than $15,000, the income of which, less a reservation of $300 an- nually given to the poor, was available for the institution. At the time of receiving the endowment the name of the institution was changed to
ยท
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Evans Academy in honor of its benefactor. In 1871 Gerrit Smith pur- chased the stock of the academy at twenty-nine per cent., transferred the lot and building to the Orphan Home, then being organized, bought the unused Presbyterian church building and by the expenditure of about $7,000, converted it into a convenient school building with a public hall above. This property he deeded to the trustees of the acad- emy with the provision that it should revert to his estate whenever it should be used for other than academy purposes. This old institution finally followed the fate of most other early academies, until finally its period of usefulness ended and its place was taken by the present Union school, which was incorporated in 1896. The first Board of Trustees were Garrett G. Miller, W. C. Dorrance, I. O. Wright, W. E. Coe, and John N. Woodbury. This board remains the same, excepting the sub- stitution of A. M. Bump for John Woodbury. The school is held in the old building, and is under the principalship of Arthur H. Jackson.
The generally inefficient character of public schools in early years in all parts of the country lead to the establishment of an almost un- limited number of private schools of all descriptions and degrees of merit. Some of these have been mentioned a few pages back. In the town of Eaton and particularly in the village of Morrisville, were in early years a number of good private schools, in which were taught branches somewhat higher than the English element. Among these is remembered an infant school kept by Miss Emily Chubback (Fannie Forester), previous to her period of study in a Utica Seminary. None of the private schools in this place, however, attained much prominence or permanence. The village was included in districts Nos. 8 and 17 of the public school system. The early school house in No. 8 was subse- quently used by the fire department, while that in No. 17, at the lower end of the town, was absorbed in a dwelling house.
To improve the educational facilities of the village a subscription paper was circulated, for the purpose of raising funds to build an academy. Judge William W. Farwell donated a site for the building and when the subscriptions reached about $2,000 the academy was erected. The first board of trustees was as follows: O. P. Granger, Benjamin Coman, J. F. Chamberlin, W. T. Curtiss, Epenetus Holmes, Bennett Bicknell, Uriah Leland, Amzi Williams, J. Payne, Clark Til- linghast, J. W. Avery, A. Cornell, J. G. Curtiss. The school opened with Rev. Eli Burchard, of Marshall, Oneida county, principal; he was succeeded a few years later by his brother Nathan. The records of this
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academy are lost and all that can be said of succeeding principals is that among them were Samuel Stebbins, Mr. Dinsmore, William W. Farwell, and Nathan K. Shephard. The academy building was of wood and three stories high. While this school rapidly gained in popu- larity, its students at one time numbering about 200, the later improve- ment in the public schools and the competition of many other academies lessened the patronage and within about ten years the attendance de- clined to an unprofitable point. Finally, in 1848, the two districts, 8 and 17, were consolidated into a new district No. 8, which acquired the property of the academy company and devoted it to the uses of a union school. In 1867 the building was cut down to two stories in height, in. the second of which, a public hall, known as Union Hall, was provided and supplied with scenery and stage for dramatic and concert entertain- ments. At the same time an addition for school purposes was erected on the west end. The cost of making these changes was about $3,000.
Schools and Academy of Brookfield .- The public school system of the town of Brookfield was supplemented by the establishment of the Brookfield Academy in the village of Clarkville in the spring of 1847. The incorporating act bears date of April 17 of that year. The first board of trustees were as follows: Wait Clarke, president; Dr. Eli S. Bailey, Benjamin Gorton, Ethan Stillman, William Greene, 2d, and Hosea B. Clarke. A suitable building was erected and the school opened with Lodowick York, A. M., principal, and Philander Wood assistant. The institution had a fairly prosperous career for many years and in 1871 reported to the Regents fifty-five students. The lot and building at that time were valued at $3,000; the library at $215, and apparatus $237. The academy was merged in the Union free school and its prop- erty transferred to that district on the 23d of November, 1875.
A meeting of the voters of district No. 32 at Brookfield was held in the school house November 9, 1875, pursuant to a call of trustees A. D. Fitch, E. Russell and H. A. Hill. At that meeting it was decided by a vote of 76 to 33 to establish a Union free school according to the law in the district. At a meeting held November 23, 1875, the following persons were elected trustees: A. J. Stillman and Thomas A. Crandall for one year, Samuel Jordan and Enos Russell for two years, and John P. Stillman for three years. This Board of Education was given authority to adopt the academy as the academical department of the Union free school. On the 21st of December, 1875, the board was in- structed to sell the district school house and apply the proceeds to re-
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pairing the academy building. Enos Russell was chosen president of the board; Arthur J. Stillman, clerk; Charles Lamb, treasurer; Her- man A. Hill, collector. Mr. Lamb declined to serve as treasurer and Calvin Whitford was chosen. On December 20, 1875, James H. Mes- senger was employed as principal, his term of service beginning Janu- ary 3, 1876. Miss L. J. Craine was employed as his assistant. In the fall of 1876 the academy building was sold to the Catholics, the district school house was disposed of, and it was resolved to build a new school house on the site of the former, at an expense of not exceeding $2,000. In 1894 an addition was built costing about $600. In January, 1877, L. B. Blakeman succeeded to the principalship, and in July of that year Miss E. Sophia Saunders was employed as preceptress. The school now has an academic department, making it a high school, with a Board of Education consisting of H. E. Kingsley, president; J. L. Stillman, secretary; C. C. Chandler, M. L. Fisk, A. C. Miller.
Union Free School in Joint District No. 12, Brookfield and Plainfield, was established at a meeting held in the school house October 16, 1875, by a vote of 46 to 20. Edwin Whitford, Charles H. Williamson, Daniel Hardin, Henry M. Aylesworth and Luke Hoxie were elected a Board of Education and $1,000 was voted to build a new school house or repair the old one for the use of the new Union school. On October 26, 1875, Edwin Whitford was chosen president of the board; H. M. Aylesworth, secretary; John O. Wheeler, treasurer; Zadoc Main, collector. W. H. Southworth was engaged as principal and Miss R. B. Todd to teach the primary department. The new school house was built in the course of the year 1876. The present principal is Arthur T. Hamilton, and the Board of Education is composed of Irving A. Crandall, Almeron M. Coon, E. Frank Champlin, H. M. Aylesworth, Dr. O. L. Southworth, Arthur S. Hoxie.
The Union school in North Brookfield was organized in 1881, under the following Board of Education: Thomas R. Gorton, Allen Risley, A. J. Marsh, O. M. Gorton. W. E. Phillips was chosen principal and in the following year a special building was erected for the school, which is still in use. The present principal is Homer T. Case,
Union Free School District No. 1 of Madison village was organized December 7, 1878, at a meeting over which Benjamin B. Mereness pre- sided as chairman; Russell Hazzard, secretary; and George W. Baker, assistant secretary. The proposition was put to vote and sixty six of the one hundred and two votes cast were in favor of the project. A
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Board of Education was elected consisting of the following: Harrison C. Bicknell and E. B. Hopkins to serve one year, John E. Barbour and Orlando L. Brigham two years, and George Hardy three years, the period of service to begin on the second Tuesday in October, 1879. At a meeting held December 9, 1879, E. B. Hopkins was chosen president of the board; George Hardy, clerk; Russell Hazzard, treasurer; Sam- uel R. Brownell, collector. The school was opened in a building erected in Morrisville by the Madison County Agricultural Society and was removed to Madison village just before the Civil war and used for
a few years as an armory. It was subsequently purchased by the school district for $500 and was first occupied for school purposes in the fall of 1871. The first principal of the Union School was George E. Satchwell, who had previously taught in the district. His assistant was Miss Fannie J. Hale, and in April, 1879, Miss Mary E. Pearl, who had been added to the corps of teachers, as first assistant, succeeded Mr. Satch well as principal. The school has ever since been efficiently maintained and such improvements made as needed to keep it abreast of modern methods in education. The faculty is headed by William D. Mills. The Board of Education is composed of the following: Louis Fuess, president; G. H. Barker, clerk; O. C. Bicknell, A. J. Cushman, F. S. Collister.
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