USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > History of Dayton, Ohio. With portraits and biographical sketches of some of its pioneer and prominent citizens Vol. 1 > Part 28
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On the 11th of June, 1885, Mr. R. M. Allen offered a resolution, which was adopted, that the Committee on Buildings and Repairs be instructed to advertise for bids for the work of excavation and furnishing of the materials and labor necessary in the construction and laying of the foundation. The bids were opened on the 14th of July, and at the follow- ing meeting the contract for the excavation was awarded to Cain & Hildebrand, and for the foundation, stone, and work to Conrad Herrman. On the 17th of September the bids for the cut-stone and brick work were opened, and after being referred to the Committee on Buildings, the contract was, on the 1st of October, awarded to Mr. A. Doll, Jr. The contracts were awarded for wrought and cast iron work to McHose & Lyon; carpenter work to B. N. Beaver; plastering to George B. Sefton; copper, tin, and slate work to Adam Bretch; plumbing and steam heating to Ware & Moodie; painting and glazing to MeCune & Pugh; fire proofing to The Wight Fire Proofing Company; shelving to C. . Wight & Son.
The architects describe the building as follows: " In general style of architecture the building is a free treatment of the Southern French Gothic, or Romanesque, built of Dayton limestone, laid in random range work, with Marquette red sandstone trimmings freely used, giving a very rich contrast, assisted largely by red slate for the roof. The building, standing in the park among the trees, will always have a very attractive appearance."
The library was removed into the new building in January, 1888. In May, 1889, it contained twenty-six thousand, six hundred and forty-seven volumes and one thousand and two pamphlets.
The following persons served at different times during its existence on the board of the Dayton Library Association: 0
Presidents: M. G. Williams, Joseph II. Crane, C. G. Swain, J. W. Van Cleve, D. A. Haynes, R. W. Steele.
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Vice Presidents: Dr. John Steele, J. D. Phillips, E. Thresher, II. L. Brown, Wilbur Conover.
Secretaries: R. W. Stecle, G. W. Houk, I. H. Kiersted.
Treasurers: V. Winters, D. II. Bruen, Y. V. Wood, W. C. Bartlett, H. S. Fowler, Charles G. Grimes, J. H. Winters.
Directors: D. Beckel, James MeDaniel, J. G. Lowe, J. II. Peirce, John Howard, Edmund Smith, L. B. Gunckel, T. A. Phillips, W. P. IIuffman, Joseph G. Crane, E. A. King, J. A. McMahon, D. E. Mcad, J. Greer, S. Craighead, Harvey Conover, T. J. S. Smith, L. B. Bruen, E. C. Ellis, E. S. Young, James Campbell, Dr. John Davis, D. Waymire.
Library committees of the board of education: Henry L. Brown, E. J. Forsyth, John Lawrence, W. Bomberger, S. Boltin, H. Elliott, J. V. Miller, John Howard, B. F. Ayres, R. W. Steele, D. A. Houk, E. M. Wood, Wilbur Conover, E. S. Young, W. J. Shuey, W. F. Heikes, I. H. Kiersted, G. P. Clarke, G. M. Lane, W. L. Winchell, George L. Phillips, J. R. Andrews, J. G. Soulsby, C. L. Bauman, C. N. Vallandig- ham, D. G. Breidenbach, W. J. Conklin, A. Junikl, S. W. Davies, J. A. Marlay, G. Neder.
The library board to 1889: W. J. Conklin, J. H. Hall, R. M. Allen, J. A. Marlay, George Neder, J. A. McMahon, II. C. Marshall, R. W. Steele.
In 1844 the Cooper Female Seminary was incorporated. The first board of trustees consisted of Samuel Forrer, J. D. Phillips, Edward W. Davies, Robert C. Schenck, Robert W. Steele, and Richard Green. The principal object of the founders was to provide a school for the thorough education of their daughters at home. The name was given in honor of the founder of the town. The trustees of the Cooper estate, with the consent of Mrs. L. C. Backus, gave to the seminary a large and valuable lot on First Street, extending from Wilkinson to Perry streets, and a liberal subscription of stock was made by citizens for the erection of a building suitable for day and boarding scholars. The stockholders neither desired nor expected dividends on their stock, and the only privilege they enjoyed above others was the right to vote for directors to manage the institution. In October, 1845, the school was opened. Mr. E. E. Bar- ney was elected principal, and entered upon the work with the ability and energy that characterized whatever he undertook. Under his man- agement the school attained a great reputation, and attracted a large number of scholars from abroad.
The following persons served as principals of the school in the order in which they are named: E. E. Barney, Miss Margaret Coxe, Dr. J. C. Fisher, Rev. Victor Conrad, Rev. John S. Galloway, Mrs. B. G. Galloway, and J. A. Robert.
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For many years the seminary property was exempt from taxation, but was placed on the duplicate by order of the auditor of state. As the owners of the property derived no profit from it, and it was used for educational purposes, the trustees believed that it could not be legally taxed and refused to pay. The property was sold for taxes and the trustees, acting on what they thought sound legal advice, appealed to the courts. The decision was adverse, and by this time the taxes, pen- alties, and court costs amounted to a large sum, which the stockholders personally were unwilling to pay. Rev. John S. Galloway, at that time principal of the school, bought the tax title and paid the costs in self- defense. Subsequently his widow obtained from a large majority of the stockholders the transfer of their stock to her, and by the purchase of the reversionary interest of the Cooper heirs, became the unquestioned owner of the property. Although the trustees had ceased to exercise jurisdiction over it, the school was continued until June, 1886. The property has now been sold by Mrs. Galloway and will be used for other purposes. While it is to be regretted that this valuable property has been lost to the public, no blame can justly attach to anyone in the matter.
The Parochial Schools connected with Emanuel Catholic Church were established almost immediately after the church itself was organized in 1832. The present brick school building was erected in 1865. It is two stories high and seventy by ninety feet in size. It contains six school- rooms and a chapel. The boys occupy three of the schoolrooms and are taught by three Brothers of Mary. The girls also occupy three rooms and are taught by Sisters of Notre Dame. The school for boys was established in 1875 when the brothers came to take charge, the sisters having had charge of both boys and girls until that time. The ordinary branches of an English education are taught in both English and German, and in addition needlework is taught the girls.
St. Joseph's Parochial Schools were established in 1847. Boys and girls both attended the same school until 1873, and were taught by the Sisters of Charity. Since that time the two sexes have been taught in separate schools, the girls still being taught by the Sisters of Charity and the boys by the Brothers of Mary. The school building for the girls is immediately east of the second district public schoolhouse on Second Street, and the St. Joseph's public school for boys is opposite the church building of the parish. It is a two-story brick building and was erected at a cost of thirty-five thousand dollars. In this building there are about two hundred boys in regular attendance. In both schools both the ordi- nary branches and the higher branches of an English education are taught.
The Parochial Schools of St. Mary's Church were established in 1859
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in a small building, which was supplanted in 1878 by the present one crected at a cost of five thousand and three hundred dollars. There are in this building three rooms for boys and three for girls, and there are enrolled about two hundred and fifty pupils. The boys are taught by the Brothers of Mary and the girls by the Sisters of Notre Dame.
The schools connected with Holy Trinity Church were established early in the history of the church, and since then the schoolhouse first erected has been torn down, and a larger one erected a little distance from the church edifice for the girls and another more spacious for the boys. Each has four rooms, and that of the boys has besides a large hall for meetings. There are enrolled about two hundred of each sex in these schools, and the boys are tanght by the Brothers of Mary and the girls by the Sisters of Notre Dame.
There is also a school connected with the new Catholic church, the Holy Rosary, in North Dayton, which has its schoolrooms in the new building.
St. Mary's Institute had its origin in 1849 for the purpose of giving employment to three unemployed teachers and to establish a better school than any then in existence here. The ground upon which the school is located was purchased of a Scotchman, named John Stuart. Two of the three brothers who were to take charge of the school arrived in Dayton on March 8, 1850, and one of these two, Rev. M. Zchler, is still connected with the institution. The third one arrived here two days afterward to take charge of the farm. The movement so far had been under the supervision of Rev. L. Meyer, a priest, who came to Dayton to assist the Rev. Mr. Juncker, then pastor of Emanuel Church, and afterward bishop of Alton, Illinois. On the 9th of March, 1850, the deed was made to the one hundred acres of land of which the farm is composed, and as Rev. Father Meyer had no money he handed Mr. Stuart a small medal of St. Joseph, saying, "St. Joseph will pay." Mr. Stuart, soon after selling the property, left for Europe, and the brothers took entire possession of the premises. In June following the school was opened with about thirty-seven day scholars. In September of the same year boarders were admitted, the boarding school being started with one pupil, Joseph Greu- lich. Rev. Father Meyer, in 1853, purchased twelve aeres more land, which lay within the corporation limits and adjoining the other land. In 1854 he built an addition to the first house erected, but in Decem- ber, 1855, a fire broke out and destroyed both the new building and the old. The brothers, together with their superior, were then without a home and had a debt of twelve thousand dollars on their hands, as they had paid nothing on the principal and had no insurance on their buildings.
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The little community for a time lodged in a house in town, which was being erected, and had in it neither doors nor windows. In August, 1856, they began to rebuild the old house, and carried on the work as time and means would permit. Such was their success that in 1857 the school was reopened and was well patronized from the first. In November, 1862, Rev. L Meyer was recalled to France, where he opened an orphan asylum at Kembs, Alsace. Before he left this country, however, he had paid off all the debt upon the property and left it unencumbered. As the number of pupils increased, it became necessary to erect another building. In 1864 the buildings in existence were a chapel, thirty-two by sixty fect; the main building, forty by eighty feet, and a wing to the south, thirty by sixty feet. To this wing was added a building extending eastward forty by eighty feet, with a basement and two stories for schools and sleeping rooms. A dwelling house was erected in 1866, forty by sixty feet. In 1868 a church was built, fifty by one hundred and twenty-three feet, and forty feet from floor to ceiling. In 1870 the actual institute building was erected. This is four stories high, has a Mansard roof, seventy by one hundred and sixty-four feet. It was built in a very substantial manner and cost sixty-two thousand dollars. The lower floor of this building is occupied by two large study halls, two parlors, a refectory, a kitchen and a store-room. There is a corridor on each floor, ten feet wide; with stairs of easy ascent, with iron plates covering the steps at each end of the build- ing that lead up to the different stories. The ground floor is taken up with eight class rooms and eight private rooms. Other stories are occupied for the various purposes of the institute, and the fourth floor is one large hall extending over the entire building, and is used as a sleeping room. The amusement hall consists of four different divisions-a floor sixty by one hundred and ten feet, and then sixty by fifty-eight feet on a floor for quiet amusements. The bath house consists of twelve small rooms, each provided with a window, bath tubs, and faucets for both cold and warm water. The upper story is frame and is the exhibition hall,. in which the pupils give entertainments from time to time during the year. The expenses for construction were ten thousand and five hundred dollars, and the buildings so far were all complete and paid for.
The Rev. L. Meyer was superior provincial until 1862, when he was succeeded by the Rev. John Courtes who served until 1864. From this time until 1886 the Rev. J. N. Reinbolt served in that capacity, and was then succeeded by the present superior provincial, Rev. L. Beck. The superior provincial has charge of all the schools belonging to the Brothers of Mary in the United States, Canada, and the Sandwich Islands.
The office of inspector of schools was held by Brother J. B. Stintzi
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from 1869 until 1886. He was then succeeded by Brother John Kim, who is still in that position. Like the superior provincial, he is obliged to visit all of the schools in the province once cach year. Of these schools there are about forty in the United States, one in Canada, and thirty-two in the Sandwich Islands. In these schools there are employed about two hundred and fifty teachers, each of whom has, on the average, sixty scholars under his care, making a total of at least fifteen thousand scholars in the province.
The first superintendent of the institute was the Rev. M. Zehler, one of the first of its teachers, who served until 1876. At this time he asked to be relieved from the cares and responsibilities of his position, and was succeeded by the Rev. Francis Feith, who was succeeded in 1879 by the Rev. George Meyer. Rev. George Meyer served until 1886, when he was succeeded by the Rev. John Harks, and he was succeeded in his turn by the present superintendent, Rev. Joseph Weckesser.
The present normal school building was erected in 1883, to take the place of one that had just been destroyed by fire. Previous to 1870 this building had been used for both boarding. and normal school, but then the building on the north side of the church relieved the one on the south side from its boarding scholars, and has since been used exclusively for the normal school, with the slight exception of being used for teachers who have served out their years of usefulness as a kind of retreat. Rev. George Meyer has been the superior of the normal school since 1886, when he succeeded Brother Joseph Senentz, who is now employed at Tokio, Japan, in connection with a college which the Society of Mary established there in 1888.
The number of scholars in attendance upon this institute varies from about two hundred and fifty to three hundred. The latter number is in attendance at the present time, including day scholars and boarding scholars. The day scholars usually comprise about one third of the entire number in attendance. The institute was incorporated in 1878, and in 1882 it was empowered by the legislature of Ohio to confer degrees. The academic year consists of but one session, beginning on the first Monday in September, and closing the last week in June. Can- didates for admission are required to present testimonials of good moral character, and being examined immediately upon their arrival at college, they are placed in the classes to which they belong. The course of study includes the common branches, and a full classical, commercial, and theo- logical course, the student making his own choice of the higher course of study which he will follow. The discipline of the school is firm yet kind, strict obedience to the rules, diligent application to study, and blameless
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conduct being required of every pupil. In securing these results, appeals are made to the honor of the pupil, to his conscience, and to religion.
Deaver Collegiate Institute was established by Professor G. C. Deaver in 1876. The first year the school was taught in Miami City on the site of the old military school, which was burned down in January, 1877, and at that time it was removed to its present location, the northwest corner of Wilkinson Street and Monument Avenue. The object of the school is to prepare young men and boys for college, and the course is of such a grade that scholars pursuing it faithfully are admitted to the Freshman class of such colleges as Harvard, Yale, Amherst, Williams, and Cornell. For several years Professor Deaver had different assistant teachers, but the plan not succeeding to his satisfaction, he amended it by dismissing his assistants, and limiting the number of his pupils to eighteen, and teaching them all himself. Professor Deaver is a graduate of Prince- ton, and has met with remarkable success in his educational work in Dayton, his scholars in numerous instances having carried the honors in the leading colleges in the country.
Miss Anna L. J. Arnold's select school for girls is located at No. 310 West Second Street. It was established in the fall of 1886. The number of scholars in attendance has steadily increased until, at the present time, there are seventy. There are three distinct courses of study in this school -literary, scientific and classical. The design of the school is to prepare young women for college, and two of the graduates of the school entered. Wellesley College in 1886. The course of study is somewhat higher for those young women who do not intend to pursue their studies after leaving this school, the last term's studies for those who finish their education here being literature, the history of art, chemistry, geology, mental science, and two of the three languages - Latin, German and French. The teachers in Miss Arnold's school are Miss Anna L. J. Arnold, principal; Miss Frances R. Benson, primary department; Miss Ella G. Sullivan, intermediate department; Miss Myrtle Brett, penmanship and conven- tional drawing; Miss Emma Mercer, vocal and instrumental music, and Mrs. A. L. Howard, French. Scholars from this school are admitted to Vassar, Wellesley, and some other colleges, on certificates.
John Truesdell's select school for boys was established in the fall of 1885. It was at first located on Second Street, and afterward was moved into the Cooper Academy building, and at last into Room 8, Rike's build- ing, where it is at present. The number of scholars is limited to fifteen. The course of study is adapted to the wants of each student, each student who desires, being fitted for college in the shortest time possible, consistent with thorough preparation. The work of the school, however, is not
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limited to that object. The course of study includes the ancient lan- guages ( Latin and Greck ), French and German, English literature, and a thorough course in the natural sciences.
Miami Commercial College has, for more than a quarter of a century, held an important position among the educational forces, not only of the city, but of the central West. It was founded in 1860 by E. D. Babbitt, Esq., a cultivated, scholarly man, who, after a little over a year, admitted into partnership with him the present proprietor and principal, Mr. A. D. Wilt. During the four years in which they were associated together, the college received a large patronage and was firmly established. The firm issued the Babbittonian system of penmanship, which became widely known throughout the United States and in England. This branch of their business assumed such proportions that in 1864 Mr. Babbitt retired to take entire control of it, and Mr. Wilt has since then been sole owner and manager of the college, excepting a period of four years and a half, from 1882 to 1886, during which time he was postmaster of the city, and at that time had associated with him as partner Mr. W. H. Sunderland, who retired in 1886, leaving Mr. Wilt in sole control again.
Since its foundation the college has had an attendance of between seven and eight thousand students, many of whom are among the leading business men of the West, their successful careers illustrating in the most satisfactory manner the practical value of the course of training here given. This course embraces a training in the theory of accounts, and also a series of practical transactions in a thoroughly equipped practice department. This department is provided with banks, and transactions are made by students in the various departments of trade, in such a way as to elucidate the operations of the business world.
In addition to the course in book-keeping, a very comprehensive course in phonography has been given for the past seven years, and hun- dreds of graduates have entered business offices as amanuenses. The college has occupied for a number of years the entire upper floor of the elegant Firemen's Insurance building, on Main Street. Its present corps of instructors consists of the principal, A. D. Wilt, and Messrs. Charles S. Billman and Bickham Lair in the book-keeping department, and Miss Ella Steely and Miss Margaret Parrott in the phonographic department.
Union Biblical Seminary is located on the northwest corner of First and Euclid streets, in Dayton, Ohio, on a slight elevation, which com- mands an excellent view of the city, its suburbs, and the surrounding country. The grounds contain five acres of land. The building is a neat, substantial, three-story brick structure, with porch, tower, and double front. Its dimensions are sixty-four by eighty-three feet. It
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contains, on the first floor, a chapel, business office, and two recitation rooms; on the second floor, a library and two recitation rooms; and on the second and third floors, well furnished dormitorios for the accommo- dation of twenty-five students. The cost of the building was about twelve thousand dollars, and the building and grounds are now valued at . thirty thousand dollars ..
Previous to 1871, the Church of the United Brethren in Christ had no institution specially devoted to theological training. In a few of the colleges instruction in some of the branches of theology had been given to young men who intended to enter the ministry, but nothing had been attempted adequate to the necessities of the Church. The General Conference of 1869, therefore, which was held at Lebanon, Pennsylvania, "instructed the bishops to appoint a board of education, whose duty it should be, besides seeking to promote the general work of education in the Church, to devise and adopt a plan for founding a Biblical institute, to be under the control of the General Conference, and to take measures to raise funds, to locate the institution, and to proceed with its establishment as soon as possible."
Accordingly, the following persons were appointed members of the board of education, namely: Rev. Lewis Davis, D. D., Rev. Daniel Shuck, Rev. W. C. Smith, Rev. M. Wright, Rev. E. B. Kephart, Rev. D. Eberly, Rev. S. Weaver, Rev. P. B. Lec, Rev. W. S. Titus, and Rev. E. Light. " This board met, July 29, 1870, and passed resolutions soliciting one hun- dred thousand dollars for the founding of the proposed institution, to be located in or near Dayton, Ohio, and to be called Union Biblical Seminary. At the second meeting of the board, August 2, 1871, it was resolved to open the seminary, October 11, 1871, with Rev. L. Davis, D. D., and Rev. G. A. Funkhouser, A. M., as professors. The executive committee was empow- ered to add another member to the faculty. They accordingly appointed Rev. J. P. Landis, A. M., pastor of Home Street [ now Summit Street ] Church, to assist in the work of teaching." The executive committee consisted of Bishop J. J. Glossbrenner, Rev. W. J. Shuey, Rev. L. Davis, D. D., Rev. John Kemp, Rev. D. K. Flickinger, Rev. D. Berger, and Rev. M. Wright.
The seminary was opened at the time appointed, October 11, 1871, in the classrooms of the Home Street Church, Dayton, Ohio, with eleven students. This church was used for seminary purposes for eight years, in addition to its occupation by the congregation. Meanwhile Rev. John Kemp, Jr., treasurer of the Missionary Society from 1853 to 1869, donated grounds not far from the church, valued at ten thousand dollars, and upon this site a seminary building was erected in 1879, and to this building the work of the seminary was transferred in September of the same year.
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At the opening of the institution, in 1871, Dr. L. Davis was called to its head from the presidency of Otterbein University. He held the position of senior professor until 1886, when, on account of advanced age, he was succeeded by Rev. George A. Funkhouser, D. D. Both of these gentlemen have been connected with the institution from the beginning. Rev. J. P. Landis, D. D., occupied a professorship from 1871 to 1874, and also from 1880 to the present time. Rev. A. W. Drury, D. D., was called, in 1880, to the chair of Church History, which he still occupies. Rev. R. Wahl, A. M., was Professor of Hebrew Exegesis and Church History from 1874 to 1875, and Rev. George Keister, A. M., was Professor of Hebrew Exegesis and Biblical History from 1875 to 1880.
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