USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume I > Part 66
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After the establishment of free schools by the municipality in 1836 the ses- sions were held wherever rooms could be rented. One was held in the Farmers block, corner Ontario and Prospect streets; another in a building on High street that was later used as a stable; another in a transformed paint shop and a third in a renovated grocery store. These uncouth conditions finally appealed to the city council and by resolution of J. A. Foot, 1839, it was determined to buy a lot "fifty by two hundred feet and erect thereon such a schoolhouse as will ac- commodate two hundred children, in each of the four districts of the city." The committee to whom the resolution was referred purchased only two lots, one on Rockwell street and one on Prospect street. Contracts were at once let for these, the first school buildings erected by the city. The price stipulated was three' thousand, five hundred dollars, including furnishings, fences and outhouses. In the spring of 1840, the Rockwell school was completed and in the following fall the Prospect school. The buildings were twins in plans and size, forty-five feet, four inches square, two stories. high, of brick, as simple as could be designed. The seats were long pine benches, arranged around the room, the scholars facing the center of the room instead of the wall, as they did in the earliest schoolhouses. Two lines of these benches extended around three sides of the room. "The interior seats had nothing before them for their occu- pants to rest their books upon; but they rejoiced in having a good smooth board for their backs, a luxury denied to their seniors occupying seats behind them."2 This method of seating cost only fifty cents per pupil.
The city council was very delinquent in meeting the housing problems of the schools. Only when absolutely necessary did they give their reluctant con- sent to a new schoolhouse. In 1845 the third schoolhouse was erected on the
1 "Herald," June, 1822.
2 Freese's "Early History of Cleveland Schools," p. 39.
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corner of Kinsman (Woodland) and Erie street. The lot cost two hundred and fifty dollars and the building eight hundred dollars. In July, 1847, the fourth school was contracted for. It was built on Federal street (St. Clair street extension), near Murison. The lot cost "not more than three hundred and twenty-eight dollars," the building one thousand dollars. In 1850 the "Old Academy" was torn down and a three-story brick schoolhouse arose in its place. In 1849 the city paid two thousand, four hundred dollars for a lot sixty-six by two hundred and twenty feet on Champlain street. On this was built the finest schoolhouse in the city, a two-story brick, forty-five by forty- six feet, on the lower floors were two primary rooms, the upper floor contained a recitation room eleven by eighteen and a study room forty-three by thirty- three. The primary rooms were furnished with little chairs for the pupils, a great curiosity and improvement over the old benches. The building and fur- niture cost three thousand, six hundred dollars. In 1850 third stories were added to the Rockwell and Prospect schools. In succession were built Eagle, Brownell, St. Clair, Mayflower, Pearl, Kentucky and Hicks schools, and all of the same general type. They were not designed by professional architects but by the contractors and the school board. Charles Bradburn, of whom mention will be made later, for many years a member of the board, was active in evolv- ing the "Bradburn schoolhouse," of which Kentucky school may be taken as a type. Plain, with only a cornice and two lone pilasters as ornaments, it stood typical of simple utility. These early buildings were heated by stoves. Brad- burn had experimented with furnaces and found them unsatisfactory. In 1856 he recommended steam heating and it was tried in some of the larger buildings.
Before passing to the second era of school architecture, mention should be made of the first high school building. July 22, 1851, the council authorized the purchase of a lot one hundred and four by one hundred and ninety-seven feet on Euclid avenue, near Erie, for five thousand dollars. The Citizens Sav- ings & Trust Company bought it fifty years later for three hundred and ten thousand dollars. On this lot was built a one-story wooden schoolhouse for temporary use. "The grounds were thickly studded with second growth trees and in summer it was a delightfully pleasant place. A drawing of the build- ing and its surroundings was made by one of the pupils just before it was pulled down, from which the wood cut is taken. The top of a church, with its belfry, is seen beyond. It was in the basement of this church that the high school passed its earliest years. At the right is shown a building occupied for several years as a seminary for young ladies, a private school. Very few of the trees that existed are shown, since to one standing on the street, they nearly hid the building from view." 3
On April 1, 1856, the new high school building was dedicated. "The new build- ing was the pride of Cleveland. People came from all over the state to see it. It was regarded as the finest high school in the west and many said that Cleve- land was far ahead of the times and that the erection of so fine a building was a piece of extravagance." 4 It was a chaste building, with cut stone front, embattled cornice, turrets and portico. Its cost was only twenty thousand dollars.
3 Freese's "Early History Cleveland's Schools," p. 42.
4 Akers "Cleveland Schools in the Nineteenth Century," p. 82.
From a drawing made by M. M. Spangler for Andrew Freese THE FIRST SCHOOLHOUSE BUILT IN CLEVELAND Stood on present site of Kennard house
From an old drawing reproduced in Freese's "Early History of Cleveland Schools" THE "OLD ACADEMY" BUILT 1821 Stood on St. Clair street opposite site of Kennard House
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In 1850 a visitor wrote to the "Herald," the Cleveland school buildings were the best west of the Hudson river. Some of them were "far more comely and expensive than any of the Yale College buildings, excepting the Library." 5
With the advent of Superintendent Rickoff in 1867, began a new period in school construction. Ventilation, heating, the arrangement of halls, lighting, the economy of administration, received for the first time the careful consideration of experts. Rickoff himself guided the architect, General Schofield, in the de- signing of the "Rickoff schoolhouse." The best type in the city is the oldest por- tion of the present Central High School building. He made floor plans for five other schools, including Broadway and Detroit schools, whose stately Gothic walls, well buttressed and surmounted by high roofs, remind us of the age of architectural display that followed the severe simplicity of the first days. The heating and ventilating of these buildings, as well as the arrangement of their rooms, appealed to experts all over this country and Europe. We find Rickoff receiving a medal and diploma from the Centennial Exposition for his advanced schoolhouse, and the French Commissioners, who visited Cleveland reported to their minister of education that these buildings were superior to those of Boston and New York.
In the succeeding decade a newer type of schoolhouse was evolved. The board of education was compelled to build so many schools that it was deemed economy to employ an architect on a salary and Wm. H. Dunn was employed. He had studied architecture under General Schofield and the type of building which he designed distinctly shows the influence of his master. It was necessary to practice rigid economy. Owing to the financial panic of '78-9 the tax levies had been greatly reduced and in 1880 the authorities faced a serious housing condition. At Brownell, for example, there were six relief buildings on the lot and two rooms in a nearby church were used. Many other districts were similarly crowded, and no money was at hand to build. The legislature in 1878 had un- wisely reduced the school levy from seven mills to four and a quarter mills. This was raised, subsequently, to four and a half mills.
"Of the thirty schools in rented rooms, eleven were in churches, nine in saloon buildings, two in a refitted stable, five in dwelling houses, two in store rooms and one in a society hall. Seven thousand, five hundred and eighty-five of the twenty-one thousand children in the primary and grammar grades, or more than thirty-three and one third per cent, were in non-permanent schoolhouses." 6
The legislature in 1883 authorized a special tax of one mill for five years for building purposes and the board at once contracted for seven buildings and in the following year seven more, in all fourteen buildings with one hundred and thirty-seven rooms, costing six hundred and forty-five thousand dollars, and ac- commodating eight thousand, two hundred and fifty pupils. But this was not ample. The growing city continued to strain the purse strings of the building committee.
These buildings all have an architectural semblance. Indeed, many of them were made after the same plans. Their halls were very wide, they were built more compactly, had higher basements than the Rickoff type and were semi fire-
" "Herald," Vol. 23, No. 40.
ยท Akers, Supra Cit. p. 203.
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proof in construction. They all have large "hip roofs," which added but little to the appearance and greatly to the cost.
The latest period of school architecture in Cleveland dates from 1895, when the present school architect, Frank S. Barnum, was appointed. Again the rev- enues of the board were not sufficient to supply the demands of the rapidly grow- ing city. Director Sargent was averse to bond issues, so the legislature passed an act levying a tax of one mill for building purposes. Immediately a new batch of schoolhouses was begun and the East and West high schools were planned.
In 1895 adjustable seats were introduced, a luxury that our fathers on their high pine benches never dreamed of. In 1899 a hue and cry went up, augmented by the newspapers, against basement rooms. The director reported that year "there are now in use one hundred and thirty-one rooms, the greater portion of which are unsuitable for school purposes; thirty-six of these are in basements, twenty-six are rented rooms, twenty-seven are in recitation rooms and forty-two are in re- lief buildings." The money for the necessary buildings was secured by bond is- sues and special levies. From 1891-1900 three hundred and twenty-eight rooms, costing eight hundred and seventy-eight thousand, five hundred dollars, were built. But by 1901 the expanding city had again outstripped the efforts of the school authorities. A law was enacted providing a new bond issue and in 1902 eleven buildings were under construction. For the present the problem of housing the school children is practically solved.
Mr. Barnum, by careful study of conditions and limited by the economies of the board of education, has evolved a radically new type of schoolhouse that has been adopted by most of the large cities of the land. It has a flat roof, is com- pletely fireproof, contains assembly halls, gymnasia, shower baths, and dispen- saries. The rooms are uni-latterally lighted, the ventilation is by fans, the heating by steam, the lighting by electricity. There is absolutely not a waste square foot in his model. It is compact, comfortable, and sanitary. The school boy of the "Old Academy" would be bewildered at its perfection.
(2) ADMINISTRATION.
Under its village government Cleveland had no public schools. The city charter authorized the common council to establish common schools to be ad- ministered by a board of managers elected by the council for one year. This board had complete charge of the schools, examined and employed teachers, fixed their salaries, provided the course of study and completely controlled the school routine. But its financial powers were curtailed. The city council only could levy a school tax and that was limited to one mill for building and one mill for operation. The board could buy supplies and make repairs for any sum not exceeding ten dollars. The sanction of the council was necessary for any larger expenditure. Thus the city council had control of the school system.
On June 9, 1836, Councilman William Crow moved a resolution appoint- ing a committee to continue the free school "until a school system for the city shall be organized at the expense of the city." This school was the old Bethel or ragged school for poor children. On October 5, 1836, the council
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appointed the first board of school managers, John W. Willey, Anson Hayden and Daniel Worley. The first school enumeration was authorized November 16, 1836.
It was not until July, 1837, that the council finally passed an ordinance es- tablishing a school system. There were then five thousand inhabitants in Cleve- land and eight hundred children were attending the private and public schools. In April, 1837, a new board of managers was elected by the council: Samuel Cowles, Samuel Williamson and Phillip Battell. To the care of these able men was entrusted the launching of our municipal school system, and within two years a commendable begining had been made. Our school system had its birth the same year that the state established its system under its first and ablest state superintendent of instruction, Samuel Lewis.
This form of school management continued until June, 1853, when the city council created a "Board of Education," conferred upon its secretary the duties of "Acting Manager" and empowered the appointment of a "Superintendent of Instruction." The number of members was at first seven, but in 1854 was made eleven, and reduced to five in 1856. The legislature in 1859 provided that the board of education should be elected by the people, one for each ward, for a term of one year. This inaugurated the clumsy, large board that numbered at first eleven, later fifteen, seventeen and as high as twenty-six.
March 8, 1892, the legislature enacted the widely heralded Federal Plan. This continued in operation until the Supreme Court decided it was unconstitutional, and in 1904 a new law was made operative, whereby a board of seven members are elected, five at large, two from districts.
Under the first form of administration the board of managers had practi- cal supervision of the educational work and they appointed one of their number acting school manager who combined the position of supervisor, business manager and general referee. The board appointed visiting committees, who were presumed to visit the schools and report their findings. The city council, however, retained the purse, and its grip was that of a miser. Periodi- cally the board reported lack of funds. Several times the school year was shortened so as to save money. This for instance was done in 1847, when three hundred and fifty dollars was saved. As late as 1859 special teach- ers in drawing and music were discharged because of lack of funds. In 1861 four weeks were cut off from the school year and the teachers salaries were cut one-seventh to save money. The hard times in 1878-9 caused a cut of ten per cent in the salaries of those teachers who got more than six hundred and fifty dollars.
When a superintendent of instruction was appointed, he assumed direct charge of the educational work. The city council still was omnipotent in money matters. Indeed it was not until many years later that the board of education became an independent body, co-ordinate with the city government.
Under the large board plan many abuses arose. While occasionally men of the highest standing were elected to the board, as a rule, the ward politicians' influence was predominant. The appointing of teachers was delegated to a committee of the board who often overruled the superintendent's wishes. These conditions finally prompted the Federal Plan, that became a model for other
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municipalities, and that in spite of its inherent weakness of subordinating the educational to the business head, worked better than any other plan tried in Cleveland. Under this plan a business director was elected by the people for a term of two years. He was a real executive. His principal limitation was the expenditure of money. All sums over two hundred and fifty dollars could be expended only by consent of the council. He appointed the superintendent of instruction but could remove him only for cause. The superintendent was also a genuine executive, unhampered by petty committees and the phantoms of intrigue. He appointed and discharged teachers and directed all the educa- tional work. The school council consisted of seven members elected at large. They were merely a legislative body, fixing salaries, appropriating funds, levy- ing the school tax and adopting textbooks. H. Q. Sargent was the first director. He served eight years and was succeeded by Thomas Bell who served one term, when Starr Cadwallader was elected and his term of service expired with the Federal Plan in 1904.
The present system of administration comprises a board of education of seven members, elected for four years, five at large, two from districts. They have full control of the schools, name the director and the superintendent, who in their turn, name their subordinates. The board can levy taxes up to twelve mills and issue a limited number of bonds without invoking any other author- ity. Since 1904, Charles Orr, for many years librarian of Case Library, has been director of schools.
In the formative period of our schools when the loosely devised system of administration invited slip-shod work, when a penurious and uneducated city council made the securing of funds difficult and when the idea of free schools was repugnant to many of the citizens grown accustomed to efficient private schools, two men, who served many years on the board of managers, became jointly the real founders of the Cleveland public schools, Charles Bradburn and George Willey.
Charles Bradburn was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, July 16, 1808, received a diploma from the Middlesex Mechanics Association, attended a clas- sical school at Ashfield, Massachusetts, became a merchant in Lowell and re- moved to Cleveland in 1836, where he engaged successfully in the wholesale grocery business. He was the sort of man who "energized" everything he undertook. He was for eleven years acting manager of the schools and a member of the board of education. From 1842 until 1861 he was almost con- tinuously either on the school board or in the city council, working in behalf of the schools. His attention was devoted mainly to the physical equipment. His portrait, painted by Allen Smith, Jr., hangs in Central High School, the gift of the teachers. He died August 20, 1872.
George Willey was born in Boston, Massachusetts, January 2, 1821. He graduated from Jefferson College, Pennsylvania (now Washington and Jeffer- son), came to Cleveland to study law with his uncle, Judge Willey, and in 1842 was admitted to the bar, For fifteen years he served as a member of the board of school managers, devoting his time more particularly to the educational problems, the course of study, the training of teachers, discipline, etc. His annual reports reveal his ability. President Grant appointed him United States Attor-
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From Freese's "Early History of Cleveland Public Schools" PRIMITIVE SCHOOL FURNITURE
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ney. Afterwards he was the senior member of the firm of Willey, Sherman & Hoyt ; was president of the Library Association, and of the Board of Directors of the Cleveland Homeopathic Medical College, and other public institutions. He died December 29, 1884.
Willey and Bradburn made a magnificent team; the one, practical, ener- getic, keen-eyed, watched every building and every dollar ;. the other, good humored, philosophical, logical, saw the educational problems and was not afraid. It is difficult to see how the school system could have fared well dur- ing those loosely woven, formative years, but for these two splendid men.
(3) EDUCATIONAL.
Five more or less distinct periods of growth may be discerned in the his- tory of the educational development of the Cleveland schools. First, the form- ative period from 1837 to the appointment of the first superintendent in 1853; second, from 1853 to the appointment of Superintendent Rickoff, in 1867; third, from the appointment of Mr. Rickoff to the appointment of Superintendent Draper in 1892; fourth, from the appointment of Mr. Draper, to the report of the Educational Commission, 1905 ; fifth, 1905 to the present.
I. The formative period .- The Bethel free school, a charity effort, was the first school controlled by the city. In each of the three districts comprising the three wards, the board opened schools in rented quarters in 1837-8. Boys and girls were taught in separate classes. The enrollment in the schools was eight hundred, "the expense for tuition was eight hundred and sixty-eight dol- lars and sixty-two cents."* The teachers were "critically examined" by the board before appointment, the female teachers were paid five dollars per week and the male teachers forty dollars per month. No attempt was made at grading or classi- fying; there was no uniformity in textbooks, every child brought what texts were found at home. These schools were virtually like the old time district school. In 1842-3 hard times closed some of the schools and the wages were cut from forty dollars to thirty-two and a half per month, and from five dollars to four dollars and forty cents the week. These first years were also poisoned with the bitter opposition of many people to free schools. "The board of mana- gers have noticed with the most painful feelings the attempts that have been made during the past year to prejudice the public mind against our system of free schools. To effect this, there have been found among us, men, base enough to circulate the most atrocious slander against teachers, scholars and managers." 7
In 1843 some system was introduced for the examining of teachers. The rule provided that they must pass a "thorough examination in spelling and the rudiments of the English language as contained in Webster's spelling book; they must be good readers both in prose and poetry, evince a thorough knowledge both in the rules and practice of arithmetic, and furnish satisfactory evidence of good moral character." It was difficult to secure teachers who could qual- ify. In 1843 the board "recommended" certain school books. The primitive
* First Annual Report of Board of School Managers.
7 Annual Report, 1842-3.
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course of study included reading, geography, history of the United States, gram- mar, spelling, arithmetic, algebra and natural philosophy. The courses were not uniform in the various schools. There was great irregularity of attendance, much trouble at discipline, and severe corporal punishment was not uncommon.
In 1845 the boys and girls of the senior department of the Prospect school were taught in the same room, this was the first attempt at coeducation. The same year a rather futile experiment was made in adding music to the course of study, Lowell Mason coming from Boston to address the citizens on the sub- ject. The following year, however, the board engaged a teacher in music at one hundred dollars for the year.
A writer in the "Herald" in 1848, complains of the "great lack of attention to spelling, punctuation, use of capital letters and penmanship in schools," 8
In 1848-9, uniform rules for all the schools, uniform texts and a uniform course of study were attempted, but not with much success. By 1850 a crude classification had been made into primary, intermediate, senior and high school departments. The close of this period of struggle finds a dimly defined course of study, including natural history in the intermediate. American history intellectual, algebra, and physiology and music and drawing in the senior deparements. We find the begin- ning of night schools in 1850, where four classes were held for thirteen weeks in the Rockwell building, five evenings a week, two hours each evening.
Many excellent people in Cleveland fought long and fiercely against the es- tablishing of the first high school. Charles Bradburn in 1844, asked the council to appropriate money for a central high school. For two years he failed to get even a hearing. In 1846, Mayor George Hoadley, in his inaugural address, earnestly urged "the establishing of a school of a higher grade," from which school "we might hope to issue the future Franklins of our land." On April 22, 1846, on motion of J. A. Harris of the school committee, it was resolved "that a boys' department of a high school be established; that the school com- mittee hire a room for such school, at an expense of not exceeding one hun- dred dollars per annum, and fit it up with desks at a cost of not more than one hundred and fifty dollars." This was the modest start of our vast and costly high school equipment. A basement room was rented in the Universalist church on Prospect street and on July 13, 1846, Andrew Freese called the forty- four pupils of the school to order. Before the end of the year he had eighty- three and in this damp and darkened room, heated by a peripatetic old stove, furnished with long pine benches, began the real work of our secondary public education. There probably has been no better quality of instruction in any of our princely buildings than was given in that lowly basement, to that for- tunate group of boys, a true spirit of work prevailed there.
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