USA > Pennsylvania > Clearfield County > History of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 33
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"' And now, 26th August, 1876, I hereby donate to the school district of Clearfield the sum of fourteen thousand three hundred and two dollars and
306
HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
fifty-three cents (14,302.53), being the balance due me for money advanced for the erection, furniture, and apparatus of the Leonard Graded School build- ing, upon settlement this day made. JAS. T. LEONARD.'
" All of which appears upon the minutes of said school board, and is hereby respectfully submitted to the tax-payers of the district.
" (Attest.) BY ORDER OF THE BOARD.
" A. C. TATE, Sec'y.
JAMES T. LEONARD, Pres't."
Also, under the head of " Complimentary Supper to Hon. James T. Leon- ard," is the following :
" CLEARFIELD, August 30, 1876. " Hon. James T. Leonard :
"DEAR SIR : In the statement published this day, by the school board of Clearfield, the citizens of your borough are informed of your munificent gift to the Leonard Graded School. As a slight evidence of their appreciation of that gift, and of your other persistent labors in the cause of education in our midst, they would respectfully tender you a complimentary supper, to take place at the Leonard House, on Friday evening, September 1, 1876.
"W. H. DILL, " A. C. TATE, "E. A. BIGLER, " Committee."
Reply :
"CLEARFIELD, August 31, 1876.
" Rev.W. H. Dill, A. C. Tate, and E. A. Bigler, Committee on behalf of Cit- izens :
" GENTLEMEN : Your letter of 30th inst., inviting me to a complimentary 'supper,' is before me. I accept, with pleasure, your kind invitation, and would express to you and through you to the citizens of Clearfield my thanks for their appreciation of my efforts in behalf of education.
" Very respectfully, your obedient servant, " JAMES T. LEONARD."
The supper took place at the time appointed, Hon. G. R. Barrett sitting at the head of the table. In the language of Father Test, a great amount of good things were "deposited beneath this vest ;" numerous toasts were offered and responded to in neat addresses by Hon. William A. Wallace, Hon. G. R. Barrett, Hon. J. B. McEnally, Rev. W. H. Dill, T. H. Murray and Israel Test, esqrs.
"The Leonard Literary Association" was an out-growth of and an auxiliary to the Leonard Graded School. It, was organized in November, 1874, by the teachers and older scholars of the schools, and became an efficient educator. The meetings of the society were held on Friday evenings, and were very in- teresting and largely attended by the citizens, regardless of age. As a liter- ary and debating society it has never been excelled in the county. After the
307
EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS AND INSTITUTIONS.
close of the schools, in 1876, the interest in this direction seemed to calm down, and since 1878 no meeting has been held.
The literary society had, as one of its objects, the establishment of a public library. Through dramatical entertainments, the first of which was given June 8, 1875, another on December 23, 1875, and lecture courses, a considerable sum of money was raised, which, with donations from the citizens, was used in the foundation of a public library, the care of which was assumed by the Leonard Literary Association. The library, consisting of about 500 volumes, was opened to the public on September 1, 1876. Oscar Mitchell, esq., and W. A. Hagerty, esq., are the present librarians.
Through the efforts of Mr. B. C. Youngman, the present principal, a school library has been established in connection with the High School department of the Leonard Graded Schools. Some donations have been made, and with the purchases this library is worth about two hundred and fifty dollars.
CURWENSVILLE.
In the Curwensville Academy the first common school for Pike township was held about 1835 by John Patton, sr., at eighteen dollars per month. Hugh Caldwell, Peter Hoover, Reuben Hunter, et al., taught here. This building was used until 1852, when a school-house was built on Walnut street. The board bought the old Methodist Church and held school in it until 1869, when it was sold. Their district at that time owned one lot on Walnut street. General Patton bought and presented it with two other lots adjoining, on which additional buildings were erected. These lots were finally sold for $3,400, and the lots on which the Patton Graded Public School building stands were purchased. General Patton again purchased another lot on the corner and presented it to the district. The Patton Graded Public School building was completed in 1885. It is of stone, and is the finest school build- ing in the county. General Patton donated towards its erection $16,500 and the corner lot valued at $3,500. The first school in this building commenced October 5, 1885, with the following teachers :
Mr. G. W. Weaver, principal ; Mrs. G. W. Weaver, grammar school ; Miss Lou Farewell, intermediate school; Miss Mamie Irvin, second primary ; Miss Lizzie Crouch, first primary school.
The first commencement was held in 1886 with the following graduates : Harriet Crouch, Katie Krise, Blanche Sloss, May Kratzer, Mollie Hoover, S. P. Arnold, Walter Buoy, G. F. Kittleberger, Orvis Kerns.
During the year 1886 a library association was formed. A new book case costing $120, and 400 volumes have been placed in the library room.
William Irvin erected in Curwensville a brick school-house in about 1854, which was rented by the borough and used for many years as a "High School."
308
HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
RACE IN THE SCHOOLS.
But little of interest can be learned concerning the attendance of colored children at the early schools ; whether there were any such in the county is not known to the writer. The first authentic reference to provisions made for this class of scholars is a minute of January 17, 1844, when George Leech was authorized to rent benches in the upper school room of the Clearfield Academy for the use of colored pupils going to school.
Dr. Schryver informs us that in 1855 there were colored scholars attend- ing the common schools of the county ; that they were children of Samuel Cochran, and attended the Grampian Hills school; that there was no distinc- tion made because of their color.
Two colored boys attended the "Town Hall " schools about 1866 and occupied a platform in one corner of the room. W. Banks Holmes was the last colored scholar who attended the "Town Hall " schools.
There are but few colored scholars in the county, and so far as the writer can learn no distinction is made because of their color
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS.
Until after the passage of the act of 1854 the secretary of the Common- wealth was ex-officio superintendent of all the common schools of the State. That act directed that there should be chosen an officer for each county, to be called the county superintendent, whose duty it should be to visit, as often as practicable, the several schools of his county, and to note the course and method of instruction and branches taught ; to examine all candidates for the profession of teacher, etc. This act has done much in advancing and improv- ing the grade and character of the schools of the county. Knowing the char- acter of the schools and efficiency of the teachers of to-day you need but con- trast them with the schools and teachers of 1854 to appreciate the improve- ment. The county superintendent in his report made November 14, 1854, says : "Nine-tenths of the schools are of a very low grade, reading, writing and arithmetic only being required by the directors and citizens. Orthography is not understood by one-tenth of the former teachers, and arithmetic but im- perfectly to the single rule of three ;" also, " I have examined about fifty applicants, to eight of whom I gave certificates by authority of law, and four of these were natives of New York [so was the superintendent]. Twenty got second class certificates, four for reading, orthography and the elements of arithmetic, the balance were know-nothings."
The same superintendent says that he examined one applicant, to whom he refused to give a certificate. The applicant returned afterwards and wanted to know why he did not receive a certificate. He was informed it was because " he did not know anything." Whereupon he insisted upon his having a cer-
309
EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS AND INSTITUTIONS.
tificate to that effect, which was given him, and upon which he afterwards obtained a school.
The schools of to-day, as well as the teachers, are, as a rule, of a high grade, in fact equal to those of any county in the State, very much of which is due to the efficiency of our county superintendents and their care in the examination of candidates for the profession of teacher, and in the granting of certificates.
The following gentlemen have served as county superintendents, viz .:
Dr. A. T. Schryver, 1854-7; L. L. Still, 1857-60; Jesse Broomall, 1860-3; Chas. B. Sanford, 1863-6; George W. Snyder, 1866-72; Jno. A. Gregory ; 1872-8; M. L. McQuown, 1878-84; Matt. Savage, 1884-7, and re-elected for the term from 1887-90.
COUNTY INSTITUTES.
An attempt was made to hold an institute in 1854, but it was a complete failure. In 1855 a second attempt was made, which is described as follows by Dr. Schryver, the superintendent : " The first of the kind was held in the Town Hall, in Clearfield borough, by myself, assisted by J. L. Evans. On the first day but eight teachers were in attendance with three school directors and ten citizens. On the second day the attendance was better and Miss S. S. Swan [now Mrs. Liddle], teacher in the Town Hall, brought in a large number of pupils. On the third day an organization was effected, and officers appointed for the year, after which the meeting adjourned to meet in December." At the last county institute 255 teachers were in daily attendance.
In 1859-60 institutes were held in Curwensville.
In 1861 the county superintendent reports : "No institute this year ; po- litical excitement in the fall and war excitement in the spring seemed to for- bid or excuse them."
In 1864 an institute was held in the borough of Clearfield, commencing on 23d August and continuing five days. About fifty teachers in attendance.
In 1869 an institute was held in Curwensville; 110 teachers present ; six days' session.
After this the institutes were as a rule held in Clearfield.
In 1878 M. L. McQuown established a permanent lecture course in con- nection with the institute and introduced many prominent lecturers. This course was continued by his successor, Mr. Savage, and is now a prominent feature of the institute.
In 1879 an educational exposition of scholars' and teachers' work was held in connection with the institute. Premiums or diplomas were awarded the successful competitors.
40
310
HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
NORMAL SCHOOLS.
The first normal school in the county was taught in Curwensville by Mr. Still, in the first year of his term, and was a failure. He taught only about two weeks. The next year he was more successful, teaching eight weeks. No normals appear to have been held after this until Mr. Snyder's term, during which he held nineteen months. Mr. Gregory and Mr. McQuown continued them and Superintendent Savage abandoned them.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The first attempts made in the county to grade the common schools was in 1858, in Clearfield and Curwensville.
In 1856 public sentiment with regard to education and the school system was favorable.
Mr. Broomall reports in 1861 : "Public sentiment is mostly favorable to the school system ; it is taken to be a fixed fact, though occasionally I heard it de- cried."
In 1864 Mr. Sanford reports that, "Owing to the war, which deprived us of the services of some of our best teachers, we were obliged in some instances to grant certificates to those whose qualifications were considerably below the standard."
In the summer of 1875 Professor J. W. Dale taught a successful elocution school in the Leonard graded school building.
The last pioneer log school house stood in the " Wood's District " of Ferguson township. It was removed in 1886 to give place to a more modern structure.
In 1887, Miss Julia A. Orom, of Philadelphia, opened a summer school of elocution in the Leonard Graded School building in Clearfield. Miss Orom is a teacher of the Lemuel G. White method.
Miss Matilda H. Ross, of Philadelphia, held a summer school of methods in Clearfield in June, 1887.
The State Teachers' Association of Pennsylvania held its annual session at Clearfield, July 5, 6 and 7, 1887. Over five hundred members were enrolled.
A school was opened about 1875, in Frenchville, under the auspices of the Catholic Church. Recently a new building was erected in which it is proposed to have a school under the charge of the sisters of charity. A school under the auspices of the same church was opened in Houtzdale in 1886.
This article gives but a brief reference to the schools of the county. Noth- ing more was promised ; nothing more was attempted. The history of the schools of Clearfield town and borough have been treated more fully, and after much research and careful examination of such records as could be found, it is be- lieved that the history of these schools here given is authentic.
311
EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS AND INSTITUTIONS.
CONCLUSION.
From the first settlement until 1804, Clearfield county has no educational history. The first period of interest is from 1804 to 1830, the date of the opening of the Clearfield Academy. From 1830 to 1834 there was great ad- vancement, and from 1834, the date of the inauguration of the common schools, until the present, there has been remarkable progress, as will be seen by a glance at the statistical table below. Instead of the "old log cabin " in which the scholars were practically taught nothing but reading, we have our elegant brick and stone buildings in which the classics and all the higher branches are taught. And yet, as Carlyle has fitly said, " If we think of it, all that our final highest school can do for us, is still but what the first school began doing-teach us to read. We learn to read, in various languages, in various sciences ; we learn the alphabet and letters of all manner of books. But the place where we are to get knowledge, even theoretic knowledge, is the books themselves ! It depends on what we read, after all manner of professors have done their best for us. The true university of these days is a collection of books."
312
HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
The subjoined table will serve to show the comparative growth in educa- tional institutions within the county since the year 1835 ; the number of schools, teachers, salaries paid, and number of pupils attending school annually :
SCHOOLS.| TEACHERS.
SALARIES.
SCHOLARS.
YEAR.
OF
SCHOOLS.
MALE.
FEMALE.
AVERAGE PAID
PER MONTH TO
AVERAGE PAID
PER MONTH TO
FEMALES.
MALE.
FEMALE.
1835-6
6
7
$
$
119
IOI
1836-7
IO
IO
2
16. II
6.913
784
676
1838-9
30
43
17
16.734
5.34
782
620
1840
513
46
II
17.374
8.43₺
880
725
1841*
1842
64}
54
6
16.814
6 00
878
740
1843
83₺
59
21
16.54
8.54
1,324
1,126
1844
80
71
II
16.31₺
8.33
1,327
1,125
1845
76
51
13
16.981
8.132
1,112
914
1846
82
50
15
16.89
6.632
1,058
883
1847
75
59
18
17.49
10.65
1,341
1,138
1848
77
55
18
18.33
11.08
1,518
1,243
1849
91
67
I3
17.29
9.16
1,484
1,223
1850
83
65
IO
18.00
11.33
1,549
1,252
1851
96
77
19
15.85
9.95
1,856
1,479
1852
100
78
18
19.13
10.72
1,911
1,542
1853
85
61
18
19.85
11.84
2,506
1,757
1855
100
70
32
24.61
1.214
2,534
2,017
1856
II4
83
34
24.38
20.00
2,370
1,823
1857
119
73
37
26.56
18.90
2,697
2,288
1858
123
80
34
24.62
19.62
2,828
2,202
1859
I26
85
47
23.89
20.33
2,957
2,555
1860
127
84
54
24.69
19.89
2,799
2,450
1861
I34
87
60
25.03
20.32
2,983
2,503
1862*
1863
I31
61
84
23.20
19.53
3,065
2,827
1864
140
47
95
27.02
21.95
3,097
2,939
1865
I37
38
103
35. II
27,31
3,133
2,950
1866
140
44
103
35.60
28.19
3,169
2,961
1867
1432
44
IT4
40.15
29.99
2,178
3,090
1868
153
69
91
37.15
30.27
3,558
2,973
1869
154
72
83
39.72
31.97
3,377
2,825
1870
157
79
79
40.30
33.82
3,557
2,871
1871
158
80
79
40.16
35-45
3,638
3,139
1872
167
94
82
41.13
37.09
3,040
3,210
1873
171
104
72
42.23
38.23
4,028
3,576
1874
179
106
88
43.62
38.53
3,908
3,331
1875
193
115
96
40.73₺
35-43
4,199
3,638
1876
199
I20
83
39.122
33 064
4,499
3,910
1877
208
126
94
34.83
30.03
4,387
3,918
1878
212
130
98
32.84
28.73
4,662
4,327
1879
211
118
107
32.16
26.94
4,698
4,512
1880
226
I26
105
32.49
26,74
4,867
4,716
1881
242
128
137
34.33
28.33
5,048
4,71I
1882
250
106
149
40 82
29.56
5,174
4,919
1883
251
93
166
38.47
30.46
5,630
5,686
1884
263
102
169
42.52
31.52
6,095
5,836
1885
275
I26
162
39.36
32.25
6,842
6,454
1886
289
130
171
37.47
31.87
6,807
6,432
1854
85
61
19.85
11.84
2,506
1,757
1837-8
53
352
14
MALES.
WHOLE NUMBER
200
207
* No report.
313
POLITICAL HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
CHAPTER XIX.
POLITICAL HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
T' THE political history of Clearfield county is singular in this respect : While the first third of the century passed without the county assuming a posi- tion of any importance in the politics of the State, in the latter part of the century she has exercised a commanding influence in at least one of the great political parties of the State.
The first election that tradition gives us was held in the year 1804, when Thomas Jefferson was elected president of the United States. The officers of that election were John Bloom, Matthew Ogden and one other whose name has been lost. The issue in the election appeared to be confined to the prejudice that then existed between the tory element and the patriots of the Revolution. A riot occurred at the poll, there being but one election district in the county at the time. As the story of the election was told by one of the officers, the participants in the riot on the one side were Bloom and Ogden, assisted by their compatriots. The leaders on the other side were Caleb Bailey, Benjamin Hartshorn and others.
From that time down to 1832, there appeared to be no party division or party organization. Candidates for office were compelled to stand on their own merits, and if elected, it was done without the aid of party organization.
In the year 1832, William L. Moore, having become proprietor of the news- paper, attempted to effect the organization of the Democratic party, which was numerically in the ascendency in the county, but with indifferent success, and without succeeding in obtaining any recognition from the mass of the people. In 1834 an open rupture between the contending factions, one led by Moore and the other by Thomas Hemphill, took place, creating a division among the masses of the party which has never been entirely healed to the present time, but manifests itself whenever local issues of any importance arise. The old custom of springing independent candidates, after attempts at party nomina- tions, was regularly followed.
In the year 1840 the first convention of regularly elected delegates of the Democratic party was held in Clearfield town, at which George R. Barrett was nominated for the Legislature. Immediately succeeding that nomination a mass-meeting was called, at which the late Governor William Bigler presided, and James H. Lafferty was put in nomination by that meeting for the same office. Lafferty was at the time the sitting member from this legislative dis- trict. The malcontents succeeded in obtaining recognition from the district convention which was composed of delegates from Clearfield, Clinton and Ly- coming counties. After receiving the nomination in the district convention
314
HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
his election was easily accomplished, but before the time of the meeting of the Legislature arrived, there developed the fact that he had engaged in fraudulent and corrupt practices while in the Legislature the year before, one of which was receiving certain town lots in Lock Haven as a compensation for his vote upon certain measures. Political excitement at the time ran high. Lafferty took fright and fled the State, and as a consequence, the district had no repre- sentation in the Legislature that year.
The disastrous ending of the Lafferty bolt had such an effect upon the minds of the members of the Democratic party as to make a more perfect party organization not only feasible but desirous upon the part of all factions. The succeeding year Barrett, Lafferty's opponent of the preceding year, was nominated and elected, and the regular party nominations were elected by the people until 1844. Up to this time there existed no other party organiza- tion in the county. Alexander Irvin, that year, ran as a Whig, but without party nomination, for the office of prothonotary, and was elected over Con- stance C. Hemphill. In 1842, Dr. Henry Loraine, a practicing physician of the town of Clearfield, received the instructions of Clearfield county for Con- gress. The convention of the district was held at Clearfield, where he was nominated by the convention of the district. The Democratic party had a fair working majority in the district at the time, but on account of the personal unpopularity of the candidate he was defeated at the polls.
The political history of the county was uneventful from that time until 1848, when political feeling was again aroused to a high pitch of excitement in the dominant party by the candidature of William Bigler for the office of governor. All factional differences gave way before his personal popularity, and the gen- eral desire on the part of the people that Clearfield county should furnish an executive to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was defeated, however, for the nomination.
In the year 1847 Alexander Irvin succeeded in effecting a partial organi- zation of the Whig party and received the nomination of that party for Con- gress, he being the first member of the House of Congress ever elected from Clearfield county. Notwithstanding it was the year of the presidential election, his personal popularity was so great that he succeeded in evading the Demo- cratic party sufficiently to overcome the existing majority.
As is usual after such revolutions in party politics, the waters became placid again, and nothing of note or event occurred to disturb the harmony of party relations until 1851, when William Bigler became again a candidate for gov- ernor, the effect of which was to break down party lines in the enthusiasm of the people in his support. He was placed in nomination by the State conven- tion and elected.
The next year a contest arose over the nomination for the office of sheriff. Isaac L. Barrett, brother of Judge George R. Barrett, became a candidate for
Am Bigler
315
POLITICAL HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY.
the place. When the convention assembled it was found that delegates enough had been instructed for him to nominate on the first ballot. This apparently aroused again the old factional fight of the Lafferty campaign of twelve years before. The Whigs placed in nomination William Powell, of the borough of Clearfield, who was supported also by the Lafferty Democrats. This, perhaps, was the most bitter, acrimonious contest ever known in the politics of the county, it being the year of a presidential election. The charge of treason to the organization was made freely on the one side. The bolters from the nomi- nation defended themselves on the ground that it was the result of bossism and personal dictation.
Powell at that time was the business partner of Governor Bigler, who had evinced great popularity the year before. He was also supported by Wil- liam A. Wallace, then a young lawyer just entering politics. The result was in the defeat of Barrett and the election of Powell. From this time nothing occurred to disturb the political harmony of the county until 1854, when the advent of Know-Nothingism caused the complete disintegration of the Whig party, and drew largely from the Democratic organization. Governor Bigler having been nominated again by the State convention, it was thought by party managers that he would have power to preserve the integrity of the party or- ganization and hold the members to their allegiance ; but even his popularity failed to a certain extent, and he received less than half the majority of the votes that had been given three years before.
The county convention this year instructed their congressional delegates to support George R. Barrett for Congress. The conference met in Brookville, Jefferson county. There were twenty-four delegates. Barrett received twelve votes for fifty-seven ballots, when finally David Barkely, of Jefferson county, was placed in nomination ; he having also received secretly the nomination of the Know Nothings, he was elected without difficulty.
The Know-Nothing party, like all organizations of the kind, exhibited its greatest strength at the first election held after its organization became com- plete, and, although it had in that campaign a leader of recognized ability and eloquence in the person of H. Bucher Swoope, who had but recently become a resident of the county, yet the Democratic party resumed its old majority in the succeeding year. During and pending the Know-Nothing contest, the op- position party to the Democratic party, for the first time, had the benefit of a newspaper organ, edited by the brilliant but erratic H. Bucher Swoope.
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