USA > Ohio > Women of Ohio; a record of their achievements in the history of the state, Volume I > Part 7
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FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY
Cincinnati has the distinction of having started the first public school of the entire Northwest Territory.
This took place, as far as all available records show, early in 1829. The school stood on the Ohio River bank, just below what is now the junction of East Front and East Pearl Streets. The site is marked with a tablet, dedi- cated October 2, 1938 with ceremonies in special charge of a women's organ- ization, the Daughters of America. These ceremonies, which called special
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attention to the one hundred and tenth anniversary of the organization of the first public school system within the limits of the Northwest Territory, were part of a three day celebration at Cincinnati of the Sesquicentennial of the Territory.
How did the public schools of Ohio get this start ?
It should be remembered that there were-and had been for more than 30 years-excellent private or "subscription" schools in virtually all towns and settlements of the state. Moreover, these schools took account, in many instances, of the needs of the child whose parents were unable to pay the ordinarily modest tuition fee. Many of them had funds-donations or en- dowments-set aside for this special purpose.
But clear sighted citizens of that day were alive to the fact that this was not public education. And on public education, they realized more and more, rests the main hope of a real democracy. So they did their best to push a movement for support of public schools through public taxation.
Many well known public men participated in the movement. There is no question, however, as to who led it. This was Nathan Guilford, born in Massachusetts in 1786, graduated from Yale College in 1812, who came West and began to practice law in Cincinnati in 1816.
Guilford became deeply interested in this matter of public education. He joined hands with Samuel Lewis and other outspoken advocates of a statewide public school system. He fought a good fight and won a signal victory, for a letter which he addressed to the general public on this funda- mental topic was published by the General Assembly of Ohio in 1824. Even so, the Assembly was not ready to risk advanced school legislation.
So Guilford then got himself elected to the state senate, for this express purpose. He labored incessantly for passage of a school bill authorizing the assessment of half a mill on the value of all taxable property, for support of public schools.
The bill passed in January, 1825, with a senate vote of 28 to 8 and a house vote of 48 to 24. Even so, the way was not yet clear. The law was objected to by many of the most important tax-payers, in Cincinnati and elsewhere. Proprietors of private schools had plenty-and very obvious- objections. Even the underprivileged citizen, poor but proud, was dubious about the thing. He feared that should he permit his children to attend free schools, it would be accepting public charity.
But gradually objections were overcome. Inadequacies of the law of 1825 were remedied by special action of the state legislature. A bill was introduced to amend the charter of the city of Cincinnati. Friends of public education seized this opportunity and obtained a state law which authorized the city to establish its own public schools.
On January 26, 1827, the city charter of Cincinnati was amended so as to make it compulsory for the City Council to provide for the support of
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"common" schools through local taxation. Each of the five wards of the city-that's all there were then-was divided into two school districts and in each of those ten districts "suitable" rooms were to be rented.
But that was not all. Those old city fathers believed that when you did a thing, you might as well do it right. So it was furthermore ordered that suitable lots for permanent school buildings should be bought in each of these districts and that "at any time within two years thereafter" they should cause to be erected on each of these lots a "good and substantial building."
For the purpose of school lot buying and school house building, Council was empowered to levy an annual tax of one mill. Meanwhile the city was authorized to borrow money for the lots and buildings. "The same to be refunded as aforesaid tax shall be collected." It was also required that the city lay a tax for upkeep of temporary buildings-and incidentally, to pay the teachers.
This matter of teachers pay was then, as now, very interesting but as we look backward we need a magnifying glass, especially as regards the earnings of women teachers.
"Female teachers" was the official classification. Nobody, of course, expected a female to receive pay equal to that of a man, even for the sanie or better work and qualifications.
So, whereas the first two men teachers, Stephen Wheeler and J. F. Easter- brook, mentioned in the earliest records of Cincinnati public schools, were paid at the rate of $25.00 a month, women were given from $18.00 to $14.00 for the same period. This does not mean that services of women teachers were not approved or not desired. On the contrary, it was officially com- mended, more than once, in the early reports and records. Here is an excerpt from the early reports of the "Trustees and Visitors of the Common Schools of Cincinnati," as the present Board of Education was styled until 1878.
"To say nothing of their influence in controlling the waywardness and softening the feelings of their pupils, the power that women of intellect and high moral principle exert over the young can hardly be estimated. It is not merely in the formation of a correct taste but in the higher power of giving tone to the moral sentiments, that we regard the female teacher as indispensable to the healthy vigor and permanent success of our school system. It is to the self denying efforts of the estimable ladies who compose our ex- cellent corps of instructors that we attribute a large share of the prosperity and high standing of our schools."
Old manuscript minutes of the "Trustees and Visitors of the Common Schools of Cincinnati," as the board of education was termed up to 1878, go back to July of 1829. The minutes of July 14th make first mention of women teachers, as follows: "The visitor of each ward was authorized to employ one or more female teachers in their respective wards and to insert advertisements for female teachers in the 'Chronicle' and the 'Daily Gazette'."
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Minutes of August 19, 1829 recorded that MISS CLARISSA LINDLEY had been engaged to teach for one quarter in the fifth ward, at the rate of $18.00 per month. So Clarissa was in all probability the first woman teacher employed in the Cincinnati public schools. Nor was her salary low, in com- parison with the then average payment to "female" teachers in subscription schools. Men were paid from $20.00 to $25.00 per month. Surely nobody would have expected a woman's earnings to equal those of a man, no matter how much more efficiently she might function. Clarissa Lindley commenced to teach Aug. 2, 1829.
Minutes of Oct. 19, 1829 record the employment of MISS E. WERK and of MISS CAROLINE LINDLEY, sister of Clarissa, at the same salary. MISS GIBSON was also employed but her salary was only $14.00 per month. On Nov. 23rd the board minutes show that MRS. LUCRETIA MATTHEWS was engaged to teach in the first ward, and MISS ELIZA WERTH, MISS SOPHRONIA GILMAN. MISS ELIZABETH LEDYARD and MISS SARAH COMSTOCK were also employed as public school teachers about this time.
Within the next 10 years, more than 50 women were teachers in the "female department"-this classification was still continued for a number of years-of the "common" schools of Cincinnati. Among them were several who had by now obtained recognition for their ability as school administrators and had been appointed to the position of "female" department principals.
MARGARET WING was principal of this department at the First District School, MARGARET TAIT at the Fourth District.
About this time male principals were paid $500 per annum and female principals $250 a year. This was $50 less than was being received by male assistants, whose salary was $300. Female assistants got $200 a year-and doubtless were regarded as lucky to obtain this much.
It would be many and many a year-nearly a century, in fact, before the principle of equal pay for equal work, regardless of sex, was cstablished in Cincinnati schools. But at last it was, not only in this city but virtually throughout the country.
The list of female teachers for 1841 shows, in addition to the women principals above mentioned. MARY JANE MILLER, MARY BLAKE, IRENE ROOT, LOUISA MULLIKIN, ELIZABETH FLINTHAM, MARIA D. BUCK- LEY, HENRIETTA VALETTE, SARAH PANCOAST, AND HANNAH LAFERTY.
To these had been added, by 1842, REBECCA FOLGER, ELIZABETH JAMES, MARIA MOSHER, CHARLOTTE DAVIS, AUGUSTA HILTON, ELIZA SMITH, FRANCES BAUMAN, ELIZABETH MATHEWSON, CLARA BEST, MARY CLARK, ELIZABETH STEER, SARAH STEER, REBECCA PALMER, ELIZABETH LEWIS, LUCY LOOKER, RUTH LANGDON, EMMA LEWIS, HARRIET DAWSON, ELIZABETH CRANE, ELIZABETH LE- COUNT, ANNA PHILPOT, SARAH GLENDENNING, ANN MCNAUGHTON,
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LYDIA CRANE, ELIZABETH HOLLEY, MARGARET COLEMAN, MARTHA REAGEN, ELIZABETH MCGILL, REBECCA BRYANT, MARGARET WING, SAVANNAH MORRILL, SERENA MORGRIDGE, NANCY FIELD, MAR- THA DAVIS, MARY BRUSCUP, JULIA HEASLITT, MARY VANCE, SOPHIA WOOD, JANE ROBINSON, MARGARET CARBOY, ELIZABETH LATTA, LUCRETIA PADDOCK, ELIZABETH SLAYBACK.
It is time to tell of another woman of early Cincinnati, not a teacher but one who co-operated enthusiastically in the establishment of the city's earliest high school. This was MRS. ABIGAIL WOODWARD, wife of William Woodward, a prosperous farmer and business man, who as early as 1818 became deeply interested in the education of children who could not attend private schools.
Even were there not old documents to indicate it, we could safely assume that Abigail Woodward was as deeply interested as her husband in plans, which they often talked over with Nathan Guilford and Samuel Lewis, for giving all children of their community a chance to obtain an education.
It so happened that Thomas Hughes, a shoemaker, whose modest little farm stood on the southwest shoulder of Mt. Auburn, was a friend of the Woodwards. Both families were childless. It seemed to have made them more sympathetic to the needs of other people's children. The Woodwards talked with Hughes, the cobbler, so convincingly that when Hughes died, in 1824, it was found that he had left his all-his little farm-"for the education of the poor destitute children whose parents or guardians were unable to pay for their schooling."
This absolutely settled the Woodwards in their intention, so, in 1826 they gave seven acres of land, of which the present Woodward High School, Woodward and Sycamore Streets, is central point, for establishment of a grammar school. The movement to start public schools was already well under way and the Woodwards felt that there would be need for an inter- mediate type of school which public funds could not provide.
Then it was decided that public schools should extend through the inter- mediate grade, so the Woodward gift-to which they added more-was applied to a high school erected and opened in 1831. The Hughes gift was applied to this same purpose for a time. Finally through the efforts, largely, of Guilford and Lewis, it was made possible to include high schools in the public education system of Cincinnati and in 1851, both Woodward and Hughes were organized as part of the public schools.
A statue of William Woodward stands on the grounds of Woodward High School but none of Abigail. She is there, however. For in 1860 alumni of the historic school had remains of the founder and his wife removed from the cemetery in which they had been interred and buried in a stone vault, above which they erected a suitable monument.
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Since it was organized as a public high school Woodward has graduated 7,922 young men and women. One of them became president and later Chief Justice, of the United States. This was William Howard Taft, graduated in 1874. Both Woodward and Hughes have many other notables, jurists, phy- sicians, attorneys, business men and women, economists, sociologists, scientists, clergymen and writers to their credit. They have served their city, their state and their nation, some of them very famously. A woman helped to give them this opportunity.
Woodward High School teachers have won a place of their own in the esteem and, many times, with deep affection of Cincinnatians. Among the notable women educators, now passed away, of this, Cincinnati's first high school, was MATILDA BRAY, 1858-1864, who on her death left a bequest of $5,000 to Woodward, as part of a list of legacies totalling about $35,000 to various humanitarian and educational organizations of her city.
An interesting high light about Matilda Bray is that she married a man whose name was much like her own-Melvin Albray-and that their daughter, SARAH A. ALBRAY, was also on the Woodward faculty. She was teacher of history and deeply interested in her pupils, an interest that also manifested itself on her death in a bequest, to be applied to scholarships for Woodward graduates.
HENRIETTA WALKER, 1865-1892, former teacher of English at Wood- ward, was another exponent of kindly and considerate living, in which human helpfulness was the main design.
NETTIE FILLMORE, 1879-1921, taught Latin with unusual success in that she aroused in her pupils her own keen interest in the classic language.
ADALINE A. STUBBS, who retired as teacher of history at Woodward in 1928, was instrumental in establishing the fine art collection of the school, in which this former faculty member still takes active interest.
LOUISE M. ARMSTRONG, 1886-1921, was teacher of speech and drama and to her is credited the fine achievement of organizing vacation schools as part of the Cincinnati public education system.
But for ELEANOR C. O'CONNELL, 1882-1925, the fine collection of Woodward relics which has helped to center interest of students and hold that of graduates in the wonderful early history of their school might never have been possible. She delved deep into the past in order to regain and preserve values tangible and intangible.
MARGARETTA BURNET, who retired in 1911, was teacher of biology whose fine ideals still influence teachers and pupils and whose deep interest in Woodward has never wavered.
The same is vividly true of ALICE M. DONNELLY, who retired as teacher of Latin in 1919.
ISABELLE H. NEFF, 1893-1930, descendant of one of Cincinnati's most prominent old families, pioneered in the teaching of household arts.
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Former students of Woodward still keep green the memory of E. JANE WISENALL, 1915-1934, music director, whose leadership in the fine art of helping others was only one of her splendid gifts.
MATILDA RABENSTEIN, 1915-1937, had the satisfaction before her death of seeing established a high school course in economics which she was mainly instrumental in planning.
The above named are but a few of the women faculty members who in the past have helped to illustrate as well as to pass on the fine tradition- the Woodward spirit-alive and alert in the hearts of the students of today and of tomorrow.
Avondale Public School of Cincinnati has long played an important part in the educational life of the community.
Today a fine modern building occupies the same site that the early citizens of Avondale purchased in 1848 for school purposes. The first build- ing was erected in 1851 at a cost of $2,750.00.
Avondale has from its very beginning ranked as one of the outstanding schools of the community. This has been due to many different influences, but primarily to the teachers who consecrated themselves to its service.
Here are outlined the services of a few of the former teachers who were identified with the Avondale Public School for many years.
MISS NELLIE M. STANSBURY, MISS EMMA O. HOWARD, MISS MELANIE A. SCHUTE, MISS EVA HERBST, MISS LAURA HIBBARD, MISS GRACE E. RICHARDSON, MISS EDNA MEADE SPILLARD, MISS ANNIE LENNOX KINSELLA.
Columbus was made the capital of the state of Ohio, by legislative action, in 1812. The older portion of the city, named Franklinton, in honor of Benjamin Franklin, by its founder, Lucas Sullivant, was located in 1797, adopted as their home by Sullivant and other pioneers and had grown into a thriving community by the time it was absorbed into Columbus.
So records on the earliest school of the community deals with Frank- linton, where a one room log school house was built in 1806 and taught by Dr. Peleg Sisson. The schoolhouse was put up and liberally supported, as was virtually every other enterprise of the thriving pioneer community, by Lucas Sullivant, whose children were among those occupying the slab seats disposed about the big fireplace and the puncheon floor.
Columbus had various difficulties in establishing a public school system it was not until 1835, according to MRS. GEORGE L. CONVERSE, in "We, Too, Built Columbus," that women teachers were employed in the public schools. KATE REESE was the first woman teacher employed and ELIZA- BETH WILLIAMS, who became Mrs. Abel Hildredth, was the second. The first list of women accorded public school certificates includes the names of Nancy Squires, Kate Reese, Margaret Livingston, Phoebe Randall, Lucy Wilson, Priscilla Weaver, Isabella Green, Grace Pinney, Flora Andrews,
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Emily Maynard, Rachel Jamison, Pymela White, Hannah Culkins, Mary Ross and Henrietta Christie.
In 1837 Samuel Lewis-the same Lewis who helped to obtain free public school legislation for Ohio, was made state superintendent of the "Common Schools," for this was still their official name. The annual report of the direc- tors of the common schools of Columbus showed in 1841 that eight female teachers were then employed, each receiving $50.00 per quarter.
So no advance had been made, even in the Capital of the state, in the matter of paying women teachers, at this time.
Columbus did, however, score first in another and highly important phase of education.
It seems to be an inescapable fact, notwithstanding the claim of highly educated Boston to the same distinction, that the first kindergarten in the United States was opened and conducted at Columbus, Ohio, in 1858 by CAROLINE LOUISA FRANKENBERG, a pupil and disciple of the great Froebel himself.
This was 10 years before a kindergarten was started in Boston by Eliza- beth Peabody. So the honor of introducing Froebel's principles to America belongs, it seems, to the cultured little woman who emigrated from Eddinge- hausen, Germany, to make Ohio her adopted home.
Fraulein Frankenberg had, in fact, made an effort to sew the seed for her children's garden in this country as early as 1836, when she made her first trip to Columbus.
It is now established, according to Elizabeth N. Samuel, in "We, Too, Built Columbus," that Froebel had a friend, Ernst Frankenberg, living at the Capitol of Ohio and that to this friend the founder of the kindergarten sent plans for establishing an institution for the "care of the active instincts of childhood and youth" to the Ohio city in 1838, these plans being soon followed by the first effort of Caroline Frankenberg to start the movement.
This, however, proved impractical, so Fraulein Frankenberg returned to Germany and returned to Columbus 20 years later.
After her return to Germany, Caroline taught six years at Keilhau under Froebel's immediate direction. Then she taught at Dresden and then at Bautzen. Even the German parents of these cities had little idea of what this new idea was all about. It was fine to keep the little ones busy and happy and out from under the busy mother's feet, they doubtless conceded. But to call this teaching-
In her little home on Rich St., Columbus, as soon as she was established there, in 1858, the devoted educator set up her kindergarten, the first in the United States. She did her best to interest others in her cause. She even advertised in Die Westbote, German newspaper of the city. She charged a modest tuition fee-seventy-five cents per pupil was the maximum. But she could not speak English and how, with this handicap, could the underlying
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motive of a great educational principle be adequately explained? But Caroline struggled on-might, perhaps, have expanded her work, but for a fall which disabled her for any further physical activity. From Columbus Fraulein Caroline went to Zanesville, finally to a home in the Lutheran Orphanage at Germantown, Pa.
Columbus was the first city of Ohio to establish a training school for kindergarten teachers. This was the achievement of MRS. ANNA B. OGDEN, who had acquired her own special training at Boston. She started with seven pupils and made it a practice to have parents visit the center, in order that they might understand what in mere words she found impossible to explain. Later Mrs. Ogden became director of the Elizabeth Peabody kindergarten at Minneapolis.
A third attempt in the field of child training was made in 1879, when three Columbus women, MRS. J. D. DUNHAM, MRS. GEORGE PETERS and MRS. C. D. FIRESTONE opened a kindergarten in a house at Gay and Front Streets.
This too failed of understanding and support. Even so, Columbus has the educational honor of having first, among cities of Ohio, established kinder- gartens as part of the public school system. Eleven such centers were estab- lished-then came lean times for the board of education and the work was dropped.
But members of the Columbus Kindergarten Association, headed by MRS. JOHN W. BROWN, continued their efforts and in 1912 four centers for kindergarten work were re-opened and their number grew until the city school system included 22 kindergartens. But the depression reached even this basic and now full approved entrance to formal education. In 1932 kindergartens were discontinued by the Columbus Board of Education be- cause of shrinkage in school income and the work started by little Fraulein Frankenberg nearly a century ago, is once more in abeyance at the capital city of Ohio.
Efforts of equally devoted and enthusiastic women in this field of educa- tion have achieved permanent results in a number of other leading cities of Ohio.
Of these MISS ANNIE LAWS, of Cincinnati, whose biography appears in the chapter on social service was acknowledged leader.
DORA SANDOE BACHMAN, whose fine brain and strong heart won her recognition as Lawyer, Writer and Suffrage Leader, was the first woman on the Columbus Board of Education.
She was followed by JANE PURCELL GOULD, Mrs. George Converse informs us, KATE LACEY, MRS LUCRETIA MCPHERSON, MRS. ALICE ARPS, MRS. CORA MAE KELLOGG, JULIETTE SESSIONS. AUGUSTA BECKER, MRS. ETHEL GEORGE, MRS. O. C. MARTIN, MRS. GRACE R. CLIFTON and MRS. MARY LOUISE JOHNSON.
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The first teacher on record in the settlement that later became the metropolis of Cleveland was a young woman by the name of SARAH DOAN. She had charge of a log cabin school on Ridge Road. She could not have had many pupils for at this time, about 1810, the entire population of the settle- ment was 57. We have mentioned Ann Spofford, "Squire" Spofford's daugh- ter, as having taught school in Major Carter's log cabin and there were unquestionably many other "female" schoolmarms as the community de- veloped.
The establishment, in fact, of the first free school of Cleveland can be directly traced to a woman. Sarah Van Tyne it seems, had conducted., previous to 1836, a Sunday school in a basement down in the poorest part of the city, near the river. This she developed into the old Bethel Chapel, at Diamond and Superior Sts. and here it was that through the efforts and energy of Sarah and others interested that a free school was first opened, right in Bethel Chapel. But the school was, of course, for the poor and was supported by charity.
Cleveland received its city charter in 1836. The Council, under this charter, was authorized to establish a public school system and was given the right to purchase or receive by donation a lot in each of the wards of the city, as site for a school building.
To support the schools, Council was authorized to levy a tax of one mill for schools and sites and one mill for cost of operating including pay- ment of teachers.
Women have always had an important part in the Cleveland public education system. In 1842 the average salary of a Cleveland woman teacher was still, however, not more than $5.00 per week. By 1864 her average salary had increased appreciably-but it was still about $465.00 a year. There were about 83 "female" teachers employed in Cleveland publie schools the school year 1864-65.
This did not keep women of outstanding ability from public school service, for instance, ELLEN G. REVELEY. Miss Reveley was graduated from Albany (N. Y.) State Normal School in 1859. She taught a year in Verona, N. Y., then at Rome, N. Y., then at Greylock Institute, Mass., and then began her career of 38 years in the public educational system of Cleve- land. From primary grade teacher she was promoted to principalship of the Sterling and then of the Mayflower School. Then she was made principal of the Normal School at Cleveland and then supervisor of Cleveland public schools.
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