USA > Ohio > Erie County > History of the Fire lands, comprising Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers > Part 37
USA > Ohio > Huron County > History of the Fire lands, comprising Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers > Part 37
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In August, 1831, Miss Roxana Sprague was employed to teach the school in district number one, and occu- pied a room upon the first floor of the academy build- ing. The studies taught in the academy at this time were all the common branches, including rhetoric, elocution, astronomy, chemistry, philosophy, mineral- ogy, geology, music, engineering and surveying, and the Latin and Greek languages.
In April, 1833 Miss Eliza Ware opened a school exclusively for young ladies, in the academy building.
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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
under the title of "Norwalk Female Seminary," but soon after it was moved to the residence of C. P. Bronson, who then resided on the lot directly west of St. Paul's Church. This school was not of long dura- tion.
NORWALK SEMINARY.
On the 11th of November, 1833, the "Norwalk Semi- nary" was opened in the academy building, under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with Rev. Jonathan E. Chaplin as principal. Norwalk at this time had a population of eight hundred and ninety-nine.
The seminary opened with the principal and one male assistant, and three female teachers, Miss Jen- kins, Miss Louisa Hamlin and Miss Anna Langford.
The school was opened successfully, and was prose- euted vigorously, and, at the close of the first year, showed an average attendance of one hundred pupils. Our population in July, 1834, was one thousand and twenty. During the second year a course of lectures was delivered by Dr. Bigelow upon chemistry, and a philosophical apparatus was procured for the use of the school. The number of pupils rapidly increased as the character of the institution became more widely known, and at the end of the second year they re- ported one hundred and eighty-nine in attendance; and a very large proportion of this number was made up of young ladies and gentlemen of more advanced years, who labored with unusual zeal in acquiring an education.
The seminary burned down on the night of Febru- ary 26, 1836, with a loss of about three thousand dol- lars, and no insurance; school books, library and apparatus were all destroyed. The blow was a severe one to the institution, as it had no endowment nor support from publie funds, and the people of Norwalk and the patrons of the institution were in no pecu- niary condition to rebuild; but with commendable energy the friends of the seminary immediately set themselves to work to raise funds for rebuilding, and upon a larger scale than before. Mr. Chaplin, the principal, and Rev. H. O. Sheldon went east to solieit assistance, while others were laboring amongst our own people for contributions; but means came slow and sparingly. In the intervals. however, the school was not discontinued. The Methodist Church, to- gether with the basement of the Baptist Church, were improvised for the emergeney, with an interruption of but four days. Rev. J. E. Chaplin continued as principal, with Mr. Darnell assistant, Mrs. Goshorn, Miss Loveland and Miss Langford in the female de- partment, and Rev. H. O. Sheldon as general agent for raising funds and promoting the general interests of the institution. The catalogue for 1836 showed one hundred and thirty-seven in the male department and one hundred and eighteen in the female-aggre- gate, two hundred and fifty-five.
The fall term commenced in October, 1836, the
trustees presenting a flattering prospectus. J. M. Goshorn became the agent, and the same corps of instructors were retained. Rev. Dr. Thompson de- livered the commencement address to the students and patrons of the school.
In February, 1837, the trustees issued proposals for the erection of a new building, of brick, forty by eighty feet, and three stories high; and, in December, 1838, they were enabled to re-open the school in the new building for male scholars, the apartment for female pupils not being complete. The former prin- cipal, Rev. J. E. Chaplin, having been transferred by the Methodist conference to Michigan, Rev. Ed- ward Thompson was appointed to fill the vacancy in 1838. Alexander Nelson was his assistant in the mathematical department, and new life was infused into the school.
At the annual commencement in 1842, the cata- logue of the seminary showed three hundred and ninety-one students during the year, and the examin- ing committee spoke in the highest terms of the pro- ficiency of the students and the zealous and faithful labors of the instructors in the various branches.
The financial condition of the seminary was not good. Since the effort to rebuild, debts had accumu- lated upon the trustees, which they found it exceed- ingly difficult to meet, and, for the purpose of relief, a society was organized in the fall of 1842, known as the "Norwalk Education Society," the object of which was to collect funds, and aid in other ways the institution to relieve itself of debt and to increase its usefulness, of which society Rev. Adam Poe was elected president.
The general conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, held in New York City in June, 1844, elected Rev. Edward Thompson, editor of the Ladies' Repository, published in Cincinnati, and, at the close of the summer session in July, 1844, he tendered his resignation as principal of the seminary, which posi- tion he had occupied since the fall of 1838. His resignation was accepted with regret. He was a man of rare literary attainments, of ripe scholarship, of pleasing address, of refined and gentlemanly manners, and purity of life and character, and the vacancy thus created was one of great difficulty to fill.
H. Dwight, who had for some time been the prin- cipal assistant of Doctor Thompson, was appointed his successor, and the fall term of 1844 was opened under his supervision, and he remained principal of the seminary until its elose, January, 1846.
The seminary had been laboring under heavy in- debtedness from the time of rebuilding in 1838, which the most strenuous of its friends had been unable to remove; and now that the stronger interests of the Methodist denomination throughout the State had been transferred to the university at Delaware, the local interest of Norwalk was found inadequate to the removing of the incumbrance, and the whole property was sold under execution in favor of the builders.
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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
NORWALK INSTITUTE.
The Baptists of Norwalk called a meeting Janu- ary, 1846, to take into consideration the purchas- ing of the property, and the continuance of the school under the auspices of that denomination; and measures were immediately inaugurated to carry the proposition thus brought forward for accomplishing this into effect. A board of trustees was elected, con- sisting of J. S. Lowry, Rev. Jeremiah Hall, Rev. R. N. Henderson, Rev. Samuel Woodsworth and John Kelly, and arrangements made to make immediate efforts to procure subscriptions and donations for the purchase and opening of the school, under the name and style of the "Norwalk Institute."
The institute was opened August, 1846, with Rev. Jeremiah Hall as principal, assisted by Nathan S. Burton, and Miss Martha J. Flanders as principal of the female department. The terms of tuition remained the same as under the seminary management, and pupils rapidly filled up the school. In November, 1842, the catalogue showed the number of pupils for the year to be two hundred and thirty-one hundred and fifteen gentlemen, ninety-three ladies, and twenty- two primary-and the numbers continued to increase, till in 1849 their catalogue showed three hundred and six. Rev. J. Hall was succeeded by A. S. Hutehins as principal, who continned to occupy that position till 1855, when the institute ceased to exist.
The legislature of Ohio passed the Akron school law, February 8, 1847, and under this act and the one amendatory thereto, other towns, by a petition of two-thirds of their qualified voters, could avail them- selves of its provisions. This law authorized and inaugurated the system of graded schools, which were soon after so generally adopted, and which experience has amended and improved till it has resulted in our present efficient system.
March, 1855, the Norwalk institute was purchased by the Union school district, together with library and apparatus, and Mr. Hutchins, who had been principal of the institute, became the superintendent of our public schools.
FEMALE SEMINARY.
The history of our schools would be incomplete should we omit to mention the Female seminary, established in December, 1837, under the principal- ship of Miss Harriet Bedford. The school was under the control of a joint stock company, and managed by a board of directors, of which David Gibbs was president, and Dr. John Tifft, secretary. The build- ing occupied was the one erected at an early day for our county courthouse, but finding it too small to accommodate the increasing business of the county, it was sold and moved to Whittlesey avenne, and occupied for several years for school purposes. No data can be found from which the text books used, the course of study adopted, or the number of pupils in attendance can be given. In March. 1839, Miss
Bedford was succeeded by Mrs. M. F. C. Worcester, the accomplished wife of Hon. S. T. Worcester, then a resident of our village, whose love of the occupa- tion, united with educational qualifications of a high order, soon gave to the school an enviable reputation amongst our own citizens, and brought in many pupils from other towns.
The price of tuition in English branches was five dollars, including drawing, six dollars; Latin and French in addition, eight dollars; music, five dollars extra.
The seminary, however, continued but a short time, though the precise date of its close we cannot readily determine, as no records have been found. A want of means and pecuniary embarrassment led to its dis- continuance, and the building was sold. Mrs. Wor- cester, however, continued a private school for young ladies for some time after. which was eminently suc- cessful.
But the necessity of a good female school amongst our people was still strongly felt, and the matter con- tinued to be agitated until the winter of 1846 and '47, when an act of incorporation was obtained for the "Norwalk Female Seminary," with S. T. Worcester, W. F. Kittridge, C. L. Latimer, John R. Osborn and Rev. Alfred Newton, as trustees, and an effort was made to get the necessary amount of stock subscribed, which was fixed at three thousand five hundred dol- lars. This amount, after considerable labor, was finally obtained, and a beautiful location was selected in the west part of our village, corner of Main and Pleasant streets, which was the generous gift of Hon. S. T. Worcester, and a suitable two-story brick build- ing was erected, which was completed and fully paid for in June, 1848.
It was not until the spring of 1850 that the semi- nary was finally opened under the charge of Rev. J. M. Hayes, a Presbyterian minister of scholarly ac- quirements, who had previously obtained, by purchase and assignment, the interests of the shareholders, with the reservation on the part of some that the building should continue to be used for the purposes originally designed.
Mr. Hayes remained two years, and was succeeded by Rev. Asa Brainard, of New York. He remained but two years, and was succeeded by Miss E. Cook, a graduate of MIt. Holyoke, who had charge of it for the two succeeding years, when she resigned the posi- tion to her sister, Miss C. Cook, who remained one year.
Miss Metcalf, of Hudson, Ohio, was then (in 1852) employed with Miss Eliza S. Watson as assistant, and they fully sustained the good reputation the school attained under the former instructors. But the com- mercial disasters of the country at this time, com- bined with the growing interests of our citizens in our Public schools, left the seminary without an adequate support, and in 1858 it suspended. Though its life was less than ten years, it had exerted a marked influence in our village and its vicinity.
ERI MESNARD
was born at Norwalk, Conn., Oct. 16, 1797. He moved with his father's family to Saratoga Co., N. Y., in the year 1806; thence, in 1818, to Onon- daga Co., N. Y., where he married Lucy, danghter of Ebenezer Hill, in the year 1826. His wife died in 1830, and in 1835 he married, for his second wife, Harriet, daughter of Seth Baker, of Lafayette, Onondaga Co., N. Y., and resided at Ithaca, N. Y., nntil 1836, when he moved to Fairfield, Huron Co., Ohio; thenee, in 1843, to Norwalk, in said county, where he remained until the date of his death, Jan. 28, 1879, in the eighty- second year of his age. He was employed as eivil engineer, about 1831, on the Ithaca and Owego
Railroad, one of the first railroads built in the United States.
He officiated as county surveyor of Huron County for fourteen years, and did more or less surveying during all the years of his residence in Ohio, thongh he made farming his principal occupation, being proprietor of the fine farm now owned by his son, Capt. L. B. Mesnard, and located two miles south of Norwalk.
But few men were more widely known or re- spected throughout the county. He was an exem- plary Christian, and a man of sterling worth and integrity. He leaves a son and three daughters, all residents of Huron County.
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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The history of the public schools of Norwalk, Ohio, from the date of its first settlement in 1809 to the adoption of our present system of graded schools in 1850, presents little of especial interest.
Our district schools were taught for many years in bniklings rented for that purpose, but one school house belonging to the district up to 1837, which stood upon the west lot of the grounds now occupied by our high school building. It was a one-story wooden struetu.e, with but one room. which was removed about 1830.
In 1837, a school house was built on the brow of the hill southwest of the court house, now known as Benedict avenue, and being somewhat pretentious from being painted, was known as the " White school house." Another was soon after built on Seminary street, near the old Methodist church, of brick, and another was built on Whittlesey avenue in 1841-the same building now occupied by our public schools.
A building was also rented on Railroad avenue in 1841, where a school was kept by J. H. Foster; and another was kept in a building near the corner of Main and Milan streets, and still another was in the Norwalk seminary building.
The directors in 1841 were Timothy Baker, John R. Osborn and Jairus Kennan.
Our seminary being in operation at that time, there were few excepting primary scholars who attended the district schools.
FIRST TEACHERS' INSTITUTE.
In February, 1848, the first congregation of teach- ers, under the title of Teachers' Institute, was called in this place.
The county board of examiners earnestly requested all teachers, and those intending to make application, to attend this institute, as they had determined upon a more thorough and rigid course of examining the qualifications of teachers than formerly.
The commissioners of the county made an appro- priation to meet the ordinary expenses, board ex- cepted.
The first institute proved a great success. It was conducted by Prof. M. F. Cowdry, then of Geauga county, and J. Hurty, of Mansfield, Ohio, assisted by Rev. Jeremiah Hall, the principal of the Norwalk institute. From one hundred and fifty to two hun- dred teachers, and those desiring to become such, were in attendance.
Lectures were delivered by Hon. S. T. Worcester, then of Norwalk, and Rev. Mr. Sawyer, of Monroe- ville, and Hon. Isaae J. Allen, of Mansfield, and an interest was awakened in educational matters, the result of which extended far beyond our borders.
FIRST NORMAL CLASS IN THE STATE.
On the 14th day of June, 1848, the first normal class of the "State Teachers' Association" hekl in Ohio was convened in this place, continuing nine
weeks, and marks an epoch in our educational his- tory, for it seems to have proved the radiating point from which a better, a more thorough and far higher system was soon to be eliminated.
The Honorable Samuel Galloway, then secretary of state, and president of the Ohio State teachers' as- sociation, delivered an address before the class.
UNION SCHOOLS.
Immediately upon the adjournment of the "State Normal Class," a meeting of our citizens was called at the court house, to take into consideration the pro- priety of establishing a system of union schools. This was in Angust, 1848.
The legislature of our State, in February, 1849, passed an act under which all incorporated cities, towns and villages having a population of two hund- red or more might vote upon the adoption of the sys- tem -- a majority vote deciding the adoption or rejee- tion of the law.
At the spring election in 1850, the question was submitted to a vote of the people, and was adopted with great unanimity. A board of education was elected, and proceeded at once to adapt the brick school building on Whittlesey avenue to the necessities of the school.
Mr. D. F. De Wolf was elected superintendent, and all arrangements were made for opening under the graded system on the 23d of September of that year.
The board of education consisted of six members: W. F. Kittridge, E. E. Husted, Samuel Pennewell, S. T. Worcester, Henry Brown and C. L. Boalt; Henry Brown as clerk of the board.
There were three buildings occupied for school pur- poses. The Central, on Mechanie street (now Whit- tlesey avenue.) the South Pleasant street building, and the brick school house on Seminary street; the latter two as ward schools for primary scholars, with five female teachers. The superintendent also gave the larger portion of his time to teaching.
The female teachers were Mrs. De Wolf, Miss Eunice C. Fox, Miss Isabella Farr, Miss M. Barrett and Miss Julia Hitchcock.
The population of Norwalk at this time was about two thousand, and the union school district extended over the corporation.
The school opened with three hundred scholars in the various grades. The salary of the superintendent was fixed at six hundred dollars a year, and that of the female teachers at fourteen dollars per month. A tax was levied for school purposes of two and one- half mills, producing one thousand and fifty dollars, besides the money received from the State school fund, amounting to three hundred and forty dollars.
The enrollment of the year amounted to about four hundred, of whom one hundred and ninety were males and two hundred and ten females, with an average at- tendance of three hundred. The school was taught for ten months. The departments were divided into primary, secondary and grammar schools.
20
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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
At the May election in 1851, O. G. Carter and John R. Oshorn were elected members of the board of education to fill the vacancies occasioned by the ex- piration of the terms of S. T. Worcester and C. L. Boalt. Mr. De Wolf was continued in the superin- tendency, and Mrs. P. A. Seymour was engaged in the grammar school at a salary of two hundred dollars. She continued but a short time, and Miss Janes was appointed to the vacancy.
The enumeration for 1852 shows seven hundred and seven between the ages of four and twenty-one years, with an enrollment in our schools of four hundred and fifty-six. The salary of Mr. De Wolf, as superintendent, was increased to seven hundred dollars. During the year, Miss Ella Tenney, one of the teachers, died, after a brief illness, and a special meeting of the board was held, and resolutions of respect and condolence were passed.
No course of study appears in any of the records of the school at this time.
At the close of the school year, 1853, Mr. De Wolf tendered his resignation as superintendent, and the vacaney was filled by the election of William P. Clark, of Hillsdale, Michigan, as superintendent, at a salary of eight hundred dollars. Mrs. Bates was employed to take charge of the grammar school, and Miss Hill, Miss Julia Hitchcock, Miss Fannie Wil- son, Miss Dealing and Miss Lowe in the other depart- ments. The school examiners at this time were Rev. E. Winthrop, Rev. Alfred Newton and Samuel T. Worcester.
The whole value of our school property was re- turned at 82,300, and the total expenses of our school for the year at $1,800. The average salary of female teachers for forty weeks was $180. A special school tax was levied of two mills. The value of maps and school apparatus was $150.
In 1855, the board purchased the brick building occupied by the Norwalk Institute, to be used as a central and high school building for the district. The purchase was for the sum of $3,500,. which em- braced the two central lots and the present high school building, a small library and some apparatus.
Mr. A. S. Hutchins, the former principal of the Norwalk Institute, was elected superintendent of the Union Schools in September, 1854, in place of Mr. Clark. Mr. S. F. Newman was elected principal of the grammar school, with seven female teachers in the primary and secondary departments.
Previous to the close of the school year in 1855, Mr. IIntchins resigned his position as superintendent, and Mr. William Mitchell was appointed to the va- tancy.
Mr. Mitchell was re-elected superintendent in 1856, at a salary of 81,000 per year, with the following corps of teachers : S. F. Newman, principal of the grammar school, salary, $600 ; Miss S. S. Sanford, at $350, Miss Julia Hitchcock, at 8300 ; Miss Fannie Wilson, at $250 ; Miss Dealing, 8300.
The board at this time consisted of N. S. C. Per-
kins, JJos. M. Farr, C. E. Newman, H. Rose, F. Sawyer and R. P. Geer. A levy of four mills was made for school purposes, and Mr. Mitchell was con- tinued in the superintendency at his previous salary.
At the annual election in 1858, J. A. Jackman and Theodore Baker were elected in the places of C. E. Newman and R. P. Geer, whose terms had expired, and the new board systematized their labors by the appointment of committees to attend to specific du- ties, to wit : A committee upon teachers, a committee upon buildings and repairs, upon text books, and upon supplies. Rev. A. Newton, William Mitchell and S. T. Worcester were appointed examiners for the year.
There seemed to the board a necessity for retrench- ing expenses, and the salary of the superintendent was reduced to nine hundred dollars, and in the fol- lowing year Mr. Mitchell tendered his resignation.
Mr. Theodore E. Baker was elected by the board to succeed Mr. Mitchell in the superintendency, at a salary of eight hundred dollars.
At the annual election, May 5th, 1860, Messrs. C. E. Pennewell and William Case were elected mem- bers of the board in the places of Perkins and Rose, whose terms had expired, and at the close of the school year in July, the board elected R. W. Steven- son. then of Dresden, Ohio, to the superintendency, at a salary of eight hundred and fifty dollars, and his wife as assistant teacher in the high school, at a salary of three hundred and fifty dollars.
In 1861, sub-district number nine, joining the union school district on the cast, was by petition added to it. At this time the number of teachers increased to twelve, including the superintendent.
In 1863, the salary of the superintendent was raised to one thousand dollars.
The first graduate of our union schools was Miss Sarah E. Wilkinson, in 1861, and the next was Miss Nettie M. North, in 1862; and in the class of 1863 were Miss Arletta Newman, William F. Parker and Cortland L. Kennan.
In 1864, Mr. Stevenson's salary was increased to one thousand one hundred dollars. All the teachers of the previous year were invited to remain, at in- creased salaries. At the close of this school year there were seven in the graduating class.
In 1865, Mr. Stevenson's salary was again increased, to one thousand two hundred dollars, and all the teachers of the previous year were invited to remain at former salaries. The population of our union school district at this time was three thousand eight hundred and twenty-one, and the enumeration of children between five and twenty-one years was one thousand four hundred and forty-three, divided as follows: Six hundred and 'ninety-five white males, seven hundred and thirty-seven white females, seven colored males and four colored females. At the elose of this school year there was a graduating class of six.
In 1866, Mr. Stevenson's salary was again increased by the voluntary action of the board, they recogniz-
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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
ing the value of his services, and the salaries of inter- mediate and secondary teachers were also increased fifty dollars per year each.
In 1867, Mr. Stevenson was again re-elected to the superintendency, with his salary increased to one thousand five hundred dollars.
The board decided to erect a larger and better school house on South Pleasant street, the old one being small and dilapidated. A lot was purchased, adjoining the old one, for eight hundred dollars, and a brick building was erected to accommodate primary scholars. The tax levied was five mills, and the amount disbursed for school purposes was thirteen thousand and thirty-five dollars and seventy-nine cents. There were ten graduates at the close of this year.
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