USA > Ohio > Knox County > History of Knox County, Ohio, its past and present > Part 71
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According to the directions of this act, an election was held on the seventh day of March, 1845, and the officers therein pro- vided for were elected. On the eighth day of March the mayor, recorder, and councilmen-elect, met and formally accepted the said charter, organized thereunder, and, as they constituted the
board of school directors for the town, their names are here in- serted :
Isaac Davis, mayor; James Smith, jr., recorder; Johnston Elliott, First ward; Job Evans, Second ward; Rollin C. Hurd, Third ward, Henry B. Curtis, Fourth ward; Charles Cooper, Fifth ward; members of council.
The first action taken by this body in regard to the schools was in September, 1845, when the following resolutions were adopted :
On motion, resolved that George B. White be and he is hereby appointed school treasurer for the school district of this town, and required to give bond and security according to law."
Resolved, That the recorder act as clerk of such school dis- trict, and that he cause to be taken an enumeration of the youth of said district, distinguishing between the children of the dif- ferent wards.
Resolved, that the general compensation of school teachers for district schools in said town (to commence, as near as may be, on or about the first Monday in November next) shall be twenty-two dollars per month-each to provide him or her- self a suitable room, fuel, and furniture, to be approved by the directors; and when the directors furnish room or stove, or either, a reasonable deduction to be made in the above named compensation.
Resolved, That in each and every engagement of a school teacher the directors reserve to themselves the right of visitors, with power to dismiss such teacher for such cause as to them shall seem right and proper.
It will be observed by the adoption of these resolutions the mayor and common council, acting in the capacity of a board of school directors, exercised great caution in the employment of teachers, by inserting in their contracts a clause reserving the right to visit the schools, and the power to dismiss the teacher for any cause which to them might scem just and proper. It is presumed this precaution was taken to avoid any vexatious liti- gation in case a teacher was so unfortunate as to be dismissed for apparent, if not real, deficiency in either morals, govern- ment, scholarship or skill to successfully impart instruction. An agreement containing such a clause was, in all probability, sug- gested by and owing to the legal acumen of two distinguished lawyers, members of the council, and when signed by the teacher transferred the jurisdiction and power of determining the justice and propriety of his removal from the judicial tribu- nals of the country, and vested the same solely in the board of school directors.
At this time, the only public school-house in the town was the old two-story brick on Mulberry street, in the Fifth ward, and by neglect it had become so dilapidated as to be unfit to be occupied for school purposes, without thorough repairing. In this condition the school directors and Mount Zion lodge, No. 9, Free and Accepted Masons, of this town united in executing a lease of said school-house for the term of fifteen years to R. R. Sloan and John K. True for educational purposes, upon con- dition that they should repair and build an addition to said school-house. It appears incredible that competent teachers could be procured at the price above specified. The meagre sum left, after paying rent for a suitable school-room, and pro- viding furniture and fuel, was a very small compensation to the teacher for his services, showing that the labors of the teacher in the common free schools at that time were not esteemed very valuable, and certainly they were not very lucrative.
FIFTH WARD SCHOOL BUILDING.
1
SECOND WARD SCHOOL BUILDING.
381
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
Yet some very worthy and competent persons were employed, and taught the public schools of the several sub-districts of the town in the winter of 1845-6-such as D. M. Camp; Charles Conklin, A. Spaulding, G. W. Stahl, Lafayette Emmett, after- wards a judge of the supreme court of the State of Minnesota, Mrs. P. A. Nicholas, Miss Helen Curtis, Miss Louisa Burgess, and others.
Our citizens not being fully satisfied with the tardy progress of the schools under the existing laws applicable to the town, became anxious for a change, and being favorably impressed with the report of the successful working of the Akron system of schools, desired to have the same adopted in Mt. Vernon.
The law entitled, "An Act for the support and better regula- tion of the common schools in the town of Akron, passed Feb- ruary 8, 1847, authorized the election of six directors of the com- mon schools who shall meet and organize by the election of a president, secretary, and treasurer, and shall be a body politic, and corporate in law by the name of the board of education of the town of Akron. It shall have the entire management and control of all the common schools in the said town of Akron, and all the houses, lands, and appurtenances already provided for school purposes, as well as those hereafter to be provided. Said town shall, in law, constitute but one school district, and all moneys accruing to said district for school purposes, under any law of the State, shall be paid over to the treasurer of said board of education.
"The council to appoint three competent persons to serve as school examiners for said town.
" The board to certify to the council the amount of money necessary to erect buildings, and the amount necessary to be raised, in addition to the money accruing to said town under the general school laws of the State, to defray all other ex- penses of said school system during the current year. And thereupon the town council shall proceed to levy a tax suf- ficient to meet such expenses of building and repairing school- houses, and for the maintenance of free schools in Akron during the whole year, customary vacations only excepted."
These are the provisions of the law, which formed the basis of the school system sought to be introduced into our town. And, by virtue of the law passed February 14, 1848, the pro- visions of the Akron school law could be extended to any in- corporated town or city in the State, whereupon two-thirds of the qualified voters thereof shall petition the town or city coun- cil in favor of having the same so extended.
Under this law, petitions were circulated, numerously signed, and presented to the council in the form following:
"To the mayor and common council of the town of Mt. Vernon. The undersigned, legal voters of the town of Mt. Vernon, petition your honorable body to have the provisions of the act entitled 'An act for the support and better regulation of common schools in the town of Akron,' and the amendatory acts thereto, passed by the Forty-sixth general assembly of this State, carried into effect in this corporation, as provided for in an act passed February 14, 1848."
At a meeting of the council, held February 15, 1849, the fol- lowing proceedings were had:
"On examination the council find that petitions are now presented in the form aforesaid, signed by three hundred and thirty-three of the qualified voters of this town; and further, that at the last election for officers of this corporation, the whole number was four hundred and sixty-one who voted at said election, and that, taking the same as the basis upon which
to determine the number of qualified voters, it is declared that two-thirds of the qualified voters aforesaid have petitioned the town council in favor of having the provisions of said act ex- tended to the town of Mt. Vernon. Therefore, in pursuance of the statute in such case made and provided, it is hereby de- clared by the mayor and common council of the town of Mt. Vernon, that the provisions of 'An act for the support and better regulation of common schools in the town of Akron, and the several acts amendatory thereto, be extended to the said town of Mt. Vernon.'
It was further resolved that the recorder give notice, as re- quired by law, to the legal voters of the town, to meet in their respective wards, at the usual places of holding elections, on the first Friday of March next, and then and there to elect, in addi- tion to the other corporation officers, six directors of the com- mon schools of said town, by general ticket.
At the annual corporation election, held March 2, 1849, and in pursuance of said notice, (`. P. Buckingham, Abel Hart, Job Evans, Jonathan N. Burr, James L. Young, and Samuel Israel were elected school directors
On the eighth day of March, the school directors elect met, and organized by the election of C. P Buckingham as presi- dent, James Smith, jr., as clerk, and Samuel Israel as treasurer. On the same day, the council appointed William Dunbar, Sewal Gray, and Rolin C. Hurd school examiners for the common schools of said town.
April 3d Henry B. Curtis, esq. was, by a unanimous vote, chosen a director of the common schools of said town, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of James L. Young.
All the offices being now filled, the whole machinery of the Akron school system was in working order in the town of Mt. Vernon. The board of education, after estimating the amount of money necessary to be raised for building school-houses, and continuing the schools during the current year, certified to the council a tax of-mills, to be levied and collected according to law, and proceeded to procure and adopt plans, specifications and estimates for the erection of the necessary school buildings, iucluding a grand central building in which instruction in the higher branches was to be given. The people, now compre- hending more clearly the extent of the provisions of this law, and the power of taxation conferred upon the board of education, became dissatisfied and alarmed at the heavy expense this sys- tem would entail upon the town, fearful that the advantages to be derived from the system could not fully compensate for the great burden of debt it would necessarily impose on them, and which they felt illy able to bear-they therefore determined to appeal to the legislature for relief, and on the-day of ---- , 1850, an act was passed exempting the town of Mt. Vernon, in Knox county, Ohio, from the provisions of the Akron school law. Thus, before the contracts for building school-houses were let, and the schools fully organized under said law, the same was repealed. The schools again reverted to, and con- tinued under the management of the mayor and common coun" cil of the town.
The agitation consequent upon the adoption and repeal of the Akron school law increased the spirit for educational progress, and the desire for greater efficiency in the common school sys- tem. The necessity for some better accommodations, in the way of school buildings, was still more apparent.
The treasurer of the board of education was, by law, on re- quest of the council, required to transfer to the town treasurer all school funds collected, and unexpended by said board. The
380
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
After the passage of the general law establishing free common schools in the State of Ohio, the schools of this town were under the management of the Clinton township trustees, and so continued until the year 1845. But they were slow in growing into public favor, on account of the prejudices of caste, and reluctance on the part of many of the best citizens to patronize them. Some of the more wealthy and refined, fearing that evil consequences might result from the mingling of the children of all classes of society in the free common schools, preferred to send their children to private select schools. To overcome this preju- dice, and to improve, develop, and perfect the free common school system, so as to gain the confidence and support of the public, was the work of many years.
In the meantime private schools were well sustained, Rev. R. R. Sloan established a school and academy, which was suc- cessfully conducted more than twenty years, in which a high educational standard was maintained, and the youth of the town, both male and female, were well trained and liberally edu- cated. This high school, taught by Mr. Sloan, assisted by his estimable wife and such male and female teachers as he found it necessary to employ, prospered until the free graded school system grew into public favor. It was then converted into a female seminary, which flourished for a time, and began to de- cline, and finally, for the want of sufficient patronage, was closed up.
By an act of the legislature, passed February 26, 1845, the town of Mount Vernon, in Knox county, Ohio, was incor- porated. In the charter thus granted the town was divided into frve wards by metes and bounds, and authorized to elect one councilman for each ward, and among other provisions the following is made in reference to the schools: Each ward shall constitute a separate sub-school district of said town, subject to the regulations hereinafter provided. The mayor and common council of the town of Mount Vernon shall have the control and regulation of the school districts within said town, in the same manner as the same is now held by the trustees of the township ; and shall also be a board of school directors for said town, subject to all the regulations and re- quirements of the act for the support and better regulation of common schools, except as hereinafter provided. Each council- man, by virtue of his election as such, be a special school direc- tor for the ward in which he resides and the election of school directors, as provided for in the thirty-second section of said act, shall, so far as this corporation is concerned, be dispensed with ; all taxes for building, purchasing, repairing or furnishing school-houses and lots shall be equally assessed upon all prop- erty in the sub-district where such expenditure shall be required, and shall be expended for the benefit of such sub-district only ; and such sub-district shall have in all respects the same power to purchase lots, build, repair, or finish school-houses, and assess taxes therefor, and do all other acts that other school districts can lawfully do ; and the mayor and common council, acting as a board of school directors for said town, shall ap- point a district treasurer, other than the treasurer of the corpora- tion, who shall give bond and security, and perform all the duties required of him by law.
According to the directions of this act, an election was held on the seventh day of March, 1845, and the officers therein pro- vided for were elected. On the eighth day of March the mayor, recorder, and councilmen-elect, met and formally accepted the said charter, organized thereunder, and, as they constituted the
board of school directors for the town, their names are here in- serted :
Isaac Davis, mayor; James Smith, jr., recorder; Johnston Elliott, First ward; Job Evans, Second ward; Rollin C. Hurd, Third ward, Henry B. Curtis, Fourth ward; Charles Cooper, Fifth ward; members of council.
The first action taken by this body in regard to the schools was in September, 1845, when the following resolutions were adopted :
On motion, resolved that George B. White be and he is hereby appointed school treasurer for the school district of this town, and required to give bond and security according to law."
Resolved, That the recorder act as clerk of such school dis- trict, and that he cause to be taken an enumeration of the youth of said district, distinguishing between the children of the dif- ferent wards.
Resolved, that the general compensation of school teachers for district schools in said town (to commence, as near as may be, on or about the first Monday in November next) shall be twenty-two dollars per month-each to provide him or her- self a suitable room, fuel, and furniture, to be approved by the directors; and when the directors furnish room or stove, or either, a reasonable deduction to be made in the above named compensation.
Resolved, That in each and every engagement of a school teacher the directors reserve to themselves the right of visitors, with power to dismiss such teacher for such cause as to them shall seem right and proper.
It will be observed by the adoption of these resolutions the mayor and common council, acting in the capacity of a board of school directors, exercised great caution in the employment of teachers, by inserting in their contracts a clause reserving the right to visit the schools, and the power to dismiss the teacher for any cause which to them might seem just and proper. It is presumed this precaution was taken to avoid any vexatious liti- gation in case a teacher was so unfortunate as to be dismissed for apparent, if not real, deficiency in either morals, govern- ment, scholarship or skill to successfully impart instruction. An agreement containing such a clause was, in all probability, sug- gested by and owing to the legal acumen of two distinguished lawyers, members of the council, and when signed by the teacher transferred the jurisdiction and power of determining the justice and propriety of his removal from the judicial tribu- nals of the country, and vested the same solely in the board of school directors.
At this time, the only public school-house in the town was the old two-story brick on Mulberry street, in the Fifth ward, and by neglect it had become so dilapidated as to be unfit to be occupied for school purposes, without thorough repairing. In this condition the school directors and Mount Zion lodge, No. 9, Free and Accepted Masons, of this town united in executing a lease of said school-house for the term of fifteen years to R. R. Sloan and John K. True for educational purposes, upon con- dition that they should repair and build an addition to said school-house. It appears incredible that competent teachers could be procured at the price above specified. The meagre sum left, after paying rent for a suitable school-room, and pro- viding furniture and fuel, was a very small compensation to the teacher for his services, showing that the labors of the teacher in the common free schools at that time were not esteemed very valuable, and certainly they were not very lucrative.
FIFTH WARD SCHOOL BUILDING.
1
SECOND WARD SCHOOL BUILDING.
381
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
Yet some very worthy and competent persons were employed, and taught the public schools of the several sub-districts of the town in the winter of 1845-6-such as D. M. Camp; Charles Conklin, A. Spaulding, G. W. Stahl, Lafayette Emmett, after- wards a judge of the supreme court of the State of Minnesota, Mrs. P. A. Nicholas, Miss Helen Curtis, Miss Louisa Burgess, and others.
Our citizens not being fully satisfied with the tardy progress of the schools under the existing laws applicable to the town, became anxious for a change, and being favorably impressed with the report of the successful working of the Akron system of schools, desired to have the same adopted in Mt. Vernon.
The law entitled, "An Act for the support and better regula- tion of the common schools in the town of Akron, passed Feb- ruary 8, 1847, authorized the election of six directors of the com- mon schools who shall meet and organize by the election of a president, secretary, and treasurer, and shall be a body politic, and corporate in law by the name of the board of education of the town of Akron. It shall have the entire management and control of all the common schools in the said town of Akron, and all the houses, lands, and appurtenances already provided for school purposes, as well as those hereafter to be provided. Said town shall, in law, constitute but one school district, and all moneys accruing to said district for school purposes, under any law of the State, shall be paid over to the treasurer of said board of education.
"The council to appoint three competent persons to serve as school examiners for said town.
" The board to certify to the council the amount of money necessary to erect buildings, and the amount necessary to be raised, in addition to the money accruing to said town under the general school laws of the State, to defray all other ex- penses of said school system during the current year. And thereupon the town council shall proceed to levy a tax suf- ficient to meet such expenses of building and repairing school- houses, and for the maintenance of free schools in Akron during the whole year, customary vacations only excepted."
These are the provisions of the law, which formed the basis of the school system sought to be introduced into our town. And, by virtue of the law passed February 14, 1848, the pro- visions of the Akron school law could be extended to any in- corporated town or city in the State, whereupon two-thirds of the qualified voters thereof shall petition the town or city coun- cil in favor of having the same so extended.
Under this law, petitions were circulated, numerously signed, and presented to the council in the form following:
"To the mayor and common council of the town of Mt. Vernon. The undersigned, legal voters of the town of Mt. Veruon, petition your honorable body to have the provisions of the act entitled 'An act for the support and better regulation of common schools in the town of Akron,' and the amendatory acts thereto, passed by the Forty-sixth general assembly of this State, carried into effect in this corporation, as provided for in an act passed February 14, 1848."
At a meeting of the council, held February 15, 1849, the fol- lowing proceedings were had:
"On examination the council find that petitions are now presented in the form aforesaid, signed by three hundred and thirty-three of the qualified voters of this town; and further, that at the last election for officers of this corporation, the whole number was four hundred and sixty-one who voted at said election, and that, taking the same as the basis upon which
to determine the number of qualified voters, it is declared that two-thirds of the qualified voters aforesaid have petitioned the town council in favor of having the provisions of said act ex- tended to the town of Mt. Vernon. Therefore, in pursuance of the statute in such case made and provided, it is hereby de- clared by the mayor and common council of the town of Mt. Vernon, that the provisions of 'An act for the support and better regulation of common schools in the town of Akron, and the several acts amendatory thereto, be extended to the said town of Mt. Vernon."
It was further resolved that the recorder give notice, as re- quired by law, to the legal voters of the town, to meet in their respective wards, at the usual places of holding elections, on the first Friday of March next, and then and there to elect, in addi- tion to the other corporation officers, six directors of the com- mon schools of said town, by general ticket.
At the annual corporation election, held March 2, 1849, and in pursuance of said notice, C. P. Buckingham, Abel Hart, Job Evans, Jonathan N. Burr, James L. Young, and Samuel Israel were elected school directors
On the eighth day of March, the school directors elect met, and organized by the election of C. P Buckingham as presi- dent, James Smith, jr., as clerk, and Samuel Israel as treasurer. On the same day, the council appointed William Dunbar, Sewal Gray, and Rolin C. Hurd school examiners for the common schools of said town.
April 3d Henry B. Curtis, esq. was, by a unanimous vote, chosen a director of the common schools of said town, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of James L. Young.
All the offices being now filled, the whole machinery of the Akron school system was in working order in the town of Mt. Vernon. The board of education, after estimating the amount of money necessary to be raised for building school-houses, and continuing the schools during the current year, certified to the council a tax of-mills, to be levied and collected according to law, and proceeded to procure and adopt plans, specifications and estimates for the erection of the necessary school buildings, iucluding a grand central building in which instruction in the higher branches was to be given. The people, now compre- hending more clearly the extent of the provisions of this law, and the power of taxation conferred upon the board of education, became dissatisfied and alarmed at the heavy expense this sys- tem would entail upon the town, fearful that the advantages to be derived from the system could not fully compensate for the great burden of debt it would necessarily impose on them, and which they felt illy able to bear-they therefore determined to appeal to the legislature for relief, and on the-day of-, 1850, an act was passed exempting the town of Mt. Vernon, in Knox county, Ohio, from the provisions of the Akron school law. Thus, before the contracts for building school-houses were let, and the schools fully organized under said law, the same was repealed. The schools again reverted to, and con- tinued under the management of the mayor and common coun" cil of the town.
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