History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume I, Part 67

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1202

USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume I > Part 67

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The first classical school in Columbus was opened in 1817, in the west room of a frame building on the northwest corner of Town and High streets, where the United States Hotel now stands. Its first teacher was a Mr. Butler, who conducted it for two years, and was succeeded by Doctor P. Sisson who had moved his school from Franklinton to a room in the Pike Tavern, which room be abandoned to take charge of the classical school, which contained several quite advanced students, " thus justifying its enrollment in the list of early seminaries of the State." From the Pike Tavern, says Mrs. Price, above quoted, " Doctor Sisson removed to a build- ing which stood on the present site of the United States Hotel and which, I think, was built by subscription for a schoolhouse. This was Doctor Sisson's largest school, and I think he had an assistant. He had previously taught both boys and girls, but now his school consisted of boys alone. About this time Mrs. Smith, wife of the editor and proprietor of one of the papers published in Columbus, opened a school for girls only on Front Street near the old Presbyterian Church. She had twelve or fifteen pupils. In addition to the instruction in the different branches ~ of learning, we were taught to embroider samples, and had lessons in needlework on satin and painting in water colors. She [Mrs. Smith] was a refined, intelligent and cultivated woman." Rudolphus Dickinson taught the languages to a class of boys in a frame house on Front Street, not far in rear of the Neil House. The Explanatory Monitor, a schoolbook, was published in Columbus in 1818. Samuel Bigger, afterwards an able lawyer and Governor of Indiana, and Daniel Bigelow, were among the early teachers.

During the settlement period the number of schools was sufficient to accom- modate all who desired to attend. " There was not," says Hon. J. R. Osborn, " as early as 1817 the same demand for schools that would be found perhaps in similar-sized villages of the present day, and in the absence of a general law for the maintenance of schools public sentiment was not sufficiently advanced to permit an assessment for the education of all the children of the community." The advantages of general education were not then regarded as indispensable to the welfare of the State, yet it was sufficiently esteemed to secure to this isolated community fair school opportunities at moderate cost. When it is remembered that in 1817 there were less than two hundred dwellings in Columbus and about seventy in Franklinton, it will be perceived that this community was fairly provided with schools and with excellent teachers, for a pioneer settlement.

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From 1820 to 1830 the number of private schools increased from about four to eight or ten, all grades included. From that time the private schools for small scholars diminished in number until 1845, by which time nearly all of them were diseontinned. John Kilbourne's Ohio Gazetteer for 1826 says : "Columbus con- tains four or five English schools and a Classical Seminary," there being "two hundred dwellings and fourteen hundred inhabitants." Near the close of that year the first publie school was established, and with the gradual growth of the public school system the private school pupils, especially the younger ones, were drawn to it. Nevertheless, many primary pay schools were maintained, while instruction in the higher branches was left almost wholly to the private schools, which, under the names of academies, seminaries, classical schools and institutes, prospered until the introduction of the graded public school system. The number and character of the schools indicates a strong sentiment in favor of education. Persons who took " bound " children to rear were required to send them to school at least one quarter in each year and " to teach them reading, writing and the three rules of arithmetic." The term of school usually lasted three months but some of the schools were kept in almost continuous operation. Until the advent of the common school system the primary schools in which the rudimentary branches were taught bore the name of "common," and the academies and seminaries received the more advanced pupils. The terms " subscription " and " pay," as applied to schools, came into use to distinguish the private ones from those which were public or free. Many schools designated as academies and seminaries were simply subscription schools into which pupils of all ages were admitted, and in which little else than the common branches was taught, while others contained classes of advanced scholars and merited the names applied to them.

On December 1, 1820, John Shields, a Newlight preacher, afterwards a justice of the peace, opened a school called the New Academy, in the second story of the old markethouse, a single room being used both for schools and for church purposes and another for a printing office. Mr. Butler, already mentioned, and others, also taught in this building. In 1820 Miss Sarah Reed taught a school on the east side of High Street near Broad ; the same lady afterwards taught a " Female Seminary " in a frame house on the west side of High Street north of Main. Among the textbooks used were Murray's Grammar and Morris's Geog- raphy. There being but two copies of the geography in the schools, the scholars learned their lessons from them by turns. Drawing and painting were taught in a rudimentary way.

The Columbus Academy .- In 1820 Lucas Sullivant and about twenty other citizens organized a school company and built what was known as the Columbus Academy, a singlestory tworoom frame building near the site of the present Second Presbyterian Church on Third Street. Its furniture was of primitive style- " desks built around the room where scholars could conveniently sit with backs to their teacher, while their eyes, unobserved, might look out at the open windows or else be employed with pocketknives upon the smooth surface of the desk." This building stood away out in the commons "among the pawpaw bushes, with but

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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS.

three other houses in the vicinity." The Academy was opened for the reception of students, having as its first teacher, Aaron G. Brown, a graduate of the Ohio University, who was "a gentle and kind man, a good scholar and a good teacher." One of his pupils refers to him as kind, good, patient Mr. Brown. He was after- wards a professor in his alma mater and still later became a noted lawyer .. His successor as teacher was Cyrus Parker, a man of education and high character, who taught in the Academy for a number of years, usually in the north room after it was removed to Front Street. Moral snasion was not an element of school management with him. Although he had a partially withered right hand, he excelled all the other teachers of the town in the administration of corporal punishment. His frequent and immoderate use of the whip sometimes trans- cended even the tolerance of that age of physical force and heroic living. During the winter months Parker also taught an evening school. At the close of each term, certificates of diligence and good behavior were given to the scholars who merited them. Besides the common branches, geometry and astronomy were taught. The textbooks were Webster's Spellingbook, Murray's English Grammar, and Pike's and Daball's arithmetics. Among the pupils during the first two or three years after the school was opened were J. Sullivant, W. A. Platt, John Overdier, Daniel Overdier, Margaret Livingston, J. R. Osborn, Robert and John Armstrong, Henry Mills, Keys Barr, Margaret Hoge (afterwards Mrs. Judge Baldwin), Elizabeth Hoge and Rev. Moses Hoge. The Academy was several times removed ; about 1826 it was taken to the southwest corner of Sugar (Chapel) Alley on Fourth Street, the latter being then the eastern limit of the town, beyond which were cowpastures and cornfields. In close proximity to this location was a large pond which occupied the territory on which now stands the Central Markethouse. At a later date William Lusk, the almanac-maker, in good nature and with lax discipline, tanght a crowded school, composed usually of boys, in one room of this building. Often, as he took his afternoon nap, the boys would steal away to skate on the pond or to enjoy their games of " two and fourhole cat " and " round the stake." After the nap was completed, a wave of the teacher's old umbrella or at most a short trip down to the pond brought back the troop of boys who, after mild reprimand, returned to their studies. Mr. Lnsk also taught in other parts of the city. He is said to have been well educated and at first efficient and popular, but in later life he became intemperate. " Old Billy Lusk," says one who knew him, was "a short stout man with a red face, a still redder nose and short grisly hair, who wore an old camlet cloak and carried an old umbrella with a brass ring about it."

H. N. Hubbell, Andrew Williams and Moses Spurgeon also taught in this Academy. Most of the persons over sixty years of age, educated in the schools of Columbus, received instruction in this institution, which will always be an object of interest in the history of the city. Although the school directors bought the Academy in 1827, it seems that members of the original company (whether at that time school directors or not does not appear) collected part, at least, of the rent for the use of the building, and William Lusk claimed to have bought nearly half of the shares from the original owners. Lusk says: " Two of the company rented

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the building, the teachers paying only what would keep the house in repair for some time. After the disorganization of the company, the member who pur- chased the lot deeded it to the directors of the district in which it was located." On July 16, 1836, William Lusk offered for sale an undivided onehalf of the lot on which the Academy stood. At an early date James Robinson taught school in a small brick buikling on the southeast corner of Wall and Broad streets. Sheep were then pastured on the commons around that building. In the fall of 1826, J. P. Smith, who afterward taught in the public schools, had charge of a school in

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SULLIVANT SCHOOL.

the Academy and gave instruction in the " various branches of English learning ;" -in orthography and reading at $2.50 per quarter; in writing and composition, arithmetic and the first rudiments of grammar and geography at $3.00; in geography and astronomy, chemistry, and natural and moral philosophy at $5.00. Mrs. Smith instructed young ladies in fine needlework, drawing and painting. " In 1824 or 1825 Miss Bigelow opened a school for girls in a double frame house next to the residence of Otis Crosby. The instruction was in reading, writing, arithmetic, and grammar, which latter study neither teacher nor pupil under- stood."

In 1820, J. M. C. Hazeltine, an able teacher, opened a school in a frame building on Main Street between Third and High. After teaching there for sev. eral years he built a frame schoolhouse, probably in 1832, on the east side of Third Street near Rich, where he and others taught both public and private schools.

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In 1838, he was accidentally drowned in the river at the foot of Rich Street. J. H. Godman taught in Franklinton between 1820 and 1825, and Orange Davis con- ducted a school about the same time in a onestory building on the south side of West Gay Street. Simultaneously with these, Stern Berryhill, James Riggs, Cornelius Sharp and Huldah Bull were instructing the youth in the southern part of the city. Seth Smith, A. Montgomery and John Calvin were also teachers of that period.

" A Female Academy," conducted by Miss Anna Treat, formerly of the Worthington Academy, and Miss Sarah Benfield, of Columbus, was opened in the Jarvis Pike property on West Broad Street, in 1826, and was maintained for sev - eral years Reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and embroidery were among the branches taught. This was a wellmanaged school. Maps are still extant which were drawn by a ten-year-old pupil of this school in 1827, and show good instruction. In 1829, an " English Classical and Scientific School " was opened by John Kilbourne in the Miller building (Buckeye House) on the north side of the Public Square.

The Columbus Female Seminary was opened on the first Monday in December, 1829, under favorable auspices, with Rev. Joseph Labaree as Principal, and N. McLean, R. W. McCoy, J. M. Espy, Henry Brown and James Hoge as superintending committee. It occupied rooms in the second story of the McCoy building on High Street, opposite the Statehouse. Mr. Labaree was a refined and successful teacher who "required the scholars to get their lessons.", The school contained two departments, one taught by the principal and the other by Miss Emily Richardson, a niece of Mrs. Labaree, assisted in 1829 and 1830 by Miss Margaret Livingston. Setting copies and making quill pens for the scholars was no small part of a teacher's duties in those days. The studies were reading, writ- ing, arithmetic, grammar, geography, botany, Latin, and heathen mythology. Mr. Labaree taught at a later date in the Eight Buildings. The memory of Mrs. Amy Adams, a teacher of several years, is still cherished by those who received her instruction.

In the basement of Trinity Church were kept successively a Grammar School by J. W. Mattison, a Scotchman ; an English and Classical School by J. O. Master- son ; a Select School, in 1837, by W. S. Wheaton ; a Classical School by George Cole ; a "School in English Branches " by Ezra Munson ; and an " Elementary School for Boys" by Dorance Mathews. Twenty years later R. W. Thompson, referring to this period, addressed these lines to General Irvin McDowell :

When that old fence was built around The Statehouse yard, you know, 'Twas there we played our schoolboy games Upon the lovely green, And happier hearts - some silent now - The world has never seen ; 'Twas Wheaton's school just over the way, Methinks I hear the bell, That called us from our sports and play, - Its ringing seemed a kuell,

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For several years a school was taught in a hewed log house on the southeast corner of Spring and High streets, near the banks of Doe Run, by Hugh Maxwell, who lived in the upper story of the same building. The same teacher taught in a small brick building which is still standing on the southeast corner of High and Gay streets. J. O. Masterson taught in the Old Jail Building on Gay Street, and also on West Broad. One morning, just before dismissing his school, Mr. Master- son requested each of his scholars to write an essay -a very unusual request - giving them as a subject, " never speak ill of the dead," and told them to bring their compositions next morning, which they did and learned that their teacher had been drowned in the Scioto. Miss Molly McGowan taught in a building on High Street near McGowan's Run. Miss Penelope Lazelle and others taught in a small schoolhouse near the corner of Third and Lazelle streets. George B. White- sides, who taught here about 1830, was very exacting about having the boys " make bows." He is said to have governed without the aid of the whip. In 1830 Rev. George Jeffries taught in a hewed log schoolhouse which he erected on the south side of Mound Street near Wall. The First Baptist Church, of which he was pastor, used the same building as a house of worship. The record shows that the congregation contributed 84 95 in money and two and threefourths days' work " toward fixing the schoolhouse built by Elder Jeffries for the purpose of having meetings in." Several years later the Baptist Church building, which is still standing on Front Street, near Noble Alley, was used for a schoolhouse. Mrs. J. B. Ward, a refined English lady, taught a school for young children in a frame building yet standing on the southwest corner of Fourth and Walnut. She after- wards conducted a Ladies' Seminary.

During the cholera plague of 1833 the schools were suspended. In an auto- biography of Christian Spielman we find this passage: " The schools were closed and business was almost paralyzed. Our seminary was al-o closed for a number of months and the students returned to their homes. I desired to utilise these months in earning a little money. Through the aid of Professor Schmidt I secured quite a number of pupils in German, to whom I imparted instruction in the little frame church on Third Street, where, in after years, the Universalist Church was erected. At that time there were only six or seven German families in Columbus. A larger number of my pupils belonged to prominent American families among whom a lively interest had been awakened for the German. At last, in the height of the plague, I was also forced to close my school."

The department of classical and general education of the Lutheran Theological Seminary was opened in 1831 under the superintendence of Rev. William Schmidt .- For fifteen or twenty years instruction was given in the elementary branches to students preparing for the ordinary business of life as well as to those preparing for the advanced studies of the Seminary. Neither the teacher nor the students in this department were required to bear any special relation to the Lutheran sect. 'The school was conducted first in the basement of the Reformed Church which stood on the south side of Town Street; in 1849 and 1850 in the Covert Building on Town Street; and later in the University Building on South High Street. The literary department was afterwards under the direction of C. F. Schaeffer and

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Charles Jucksch, and special instruction was also given in the training of teachers. P. Pence, C. F. Schaeffer and S. Heyl were the managing committee appointed by the Board of Directors. Throughout the early history of the city the basements and leeture rooms of the churches were very generally used for school purposes.

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THIRD STREET SCHOOL.

In 1838-9 a High School for Young Ladies was conducted in the lecture room of the First Presbyterian Church by Miss Mary A. Shaw, who had formerly taught in other parts of the city. Rev. J. Labaree conducted a school in this room at one time, the pupils reciting French to Monsieur Gauthier. Abiel Foster and others

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also taught school in this church at different times. The Wells sisters, Susannah, Abbie and Anna, were identified with the schools of the city as prominent teachers for many years. They taught a Young Ladies' School in a rude building on Iligb Street just north of the Deshler Block, and also in the Exchange Building.

Among other schools of less note between 1830 and 1845 may be mentioned one on the corner of Front and Cherry, taught by Jacob Hare, subsequently founder of the Hare Orphans' Home; a " Ladies School for instruction in the vari- ous branches of a useful and polite education," by Miss E. Johnstone; a school for the study of French, Spanish and Italian, by Carlo de IIaro; a school in the base- ment of Mrs. E. Campbell's residence on Front Street by Mary B. Smith ; instruc- tion in music, singing, drawing, painting, French and German by Edward Kersten, late from Paris; a school in Number 5, Commercial Row, by Samuel D. Preston ; " an evening school for gentlemen in Greek, Latin, bookkeeping and Enclid," by J. K. Hoffer; instruction in "common and higher branches, together with the French language, also drawing, painting and needlework, by Miss H. Shaw, tuition four to ten dollars per term ;" school for young ladies and misses in the Exchange Building, over the store of Cushing & Warner; " boarding and day school for young ladies by Mrs. and Miss Heilson ; " a school by Doctor and Mrs. MeCanly at their residence, Number 32 East Town Street ; a Female Seminary in Mrs. O. Parish's residence by the Misses De Bartholds ; the Columbus Female Seminary by B. Gonzales; a young gentlemen's select school in the Buttles Block, corner of High and Town, by J. S. Brown; and a school for instruction in survey- ing, engineering, drawing and mathematics in the Exchange Building by Valentine Gill and others. We here perceive the great variety of this class of schools and of their location. There was no uniformity in their courses of study or textbooks. Many of them existed for only a short time.

A High School was opened June 18, 1832, by Horace Wilcox, in a building erected on State Street by Colonel Olmsted. It contained three departments, each having its appropriate studies and textbooks best adapted to the ages of the pupils and their capacity for improvement. Its managers endeavored to make its course of study and thoroughness of instruction compare favorably with those of the best contemporary institutions of its kind, but during the following winter it was dis- continued for want of a suitable building. In the ensuing spring it was reopened with some modification and in more commodious apartments. As reorganized it was styled the Columbus High School for Young Ladies. Horace S. Gillett was engaged as one of its assistant teachers. Adjacent to the building were five or six acres of land planted with shrubbery and fruit trees, and used as a playground. The school was subsequently removed to Town Street and is said to have been equipped with chemical and philosophical apparatus. The tuition was three dol- lars in its primary, four dollars in its junior, and five dollars in its senior depart- ment, per quarter.

In July, 1836, a Charity School was established under the patronage of a few ladies who became convinced of the necessity for it while engaged as almoners of the Female Benevolent Society. It was instrumental in doing much good. The ladies who founded it organized a society of representatives of all the Christian

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denominations of the city. The annual subscription fee was one dollar. At the time of the December meeting in 1837 seven hundred and fifty dollars had been raised and the school had been conducted five quarters at an expense of $287.55, on a lot in rear of Mrs. Parisb's, which had been presented to the society by Alfred Kelley and on which a commodious brick schoolhouse was erected. Of ninetytwo children received, thirtynine were fatherless and several motherless. The average daily attendance had been thirtyfive and the average annual expense of each child less than $6.20.

The colored people of Columbus have been active in their efforts to secure educational opportunities for their youth, and their school progress has been in advance of that of their people generally throughout the State. Prior to 1836 the colored people maintained a school in the southern part of the city, near Peters's Run. In that year they organized a school society with David Jenkins, B. Roberts and C. Lewis as trustees. In the fall of 1839 they had sixty dollars in their treasury and a subscribed building fund of $225.00. The estimated cost for schoolhouse and lot was $700.00. M. M. Clark was their authorized agent to solicit subscriptions. Within the year ended Angust 31, 1840, a colored school with sixtythree scholars enrolled was maintained for six months. On September 7, 1840, the School Fund Association of the colored people of Ohio met in the Methodist Church, and received the cooperation of citizens of Columbus in promoting its objects. In spite of many discouragements the colored people secured fair school privileges for their children so far as possible to do so by their own efforts, and by prudent manage- ment prepared the way for the final withdrawal of the color line from the schools. In 1841 Alfred Kelley, John L. Gill and Peter Hayden, as a company, erected a building on the northeast corner of Oak and Fifth streets, and established a school therein which was successfully conducted for several years by Robert Barrett. The building is now used as a residence.

On May 11, 1840, the Columbus Institute was opened under the direction of Abiel Foster and his sister, Miss Catherine Foster. It was begun in a new building on the corner of Rich and Front streets. Its course of instruction included reading, writing, composition, English grammar, geography, Latin, Greek, mathematics and higher branches. It was graded at first into two departments, and was soon removed to the Eight Buildings, where a third department was opened under the care of Augusta Foster. In two rooms on the second floor girls were taught by the Misses Foster, while Mr. Foster taught the boys " down stairs." One of the tricks of mischievous boys in this and other schools of that day is said to have been that of throwing crackling hackberries on the floor and stairways, which startled the pupils as they walked over them and often prefaced the morning exercises with a fusillade. The Fosters were well educated and capable teachers. They introduced new methods of instruction and were quite successful. Special attention was given to good reading.

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History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume I, Part 67

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co Publication date: 1892 Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co. Number of Pages: 1202

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1202