USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, a history, Volume I > Part 17
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45
Academic Schools-The earliest academic school within Montgom- ery county was Washington Hall Collegiate Institute, founded by Henry Prizer, at Trappe, in 1830. In 1849, Prof. Abel Rambo took charge and conducted it ably many years. The second academic school was Tre- mount Seminary, established in 1844, at Norristown, by Samuel Aaron, A. M., a noted educator in his day. Next came Oakland Female Insti- tute, founded by Rev. J. Grier Ralston, in 1845, at Norristown ; this insti- tution was conducted until the death of its founder, in 1881. The fourth academic school in the county was Freeland Seminary, established in 1848, by Abraham Hunsicker, and his son, Rev. Henry A. Hunsicker. This school existed from 1848 to 1869, when it merged into Ursinus College. The fifth of the academic institutions was Cottage Seminary, of Pottstown, founded in 1850, by Rev. William R. Work. This was purely a young ladies' school, and was conducted until 1881. Prior to this was established the Montgomery Female Institute, of Collegeville. This was organized by Abraham Hunsicker and Prof. J. Warrene Sun- derland, in 1851 and 1852, then merged into the Pennsylvania Female College.
The Hill Business School was founded in 1851, by Rev. Matthew Meigs, and he was succeeded by his son, John Meigs, Ph. D., in 1876. That school property joined the borough plat of Pottstown, and its students were always able to enter college without further schooling than that received here. The North Wales Academy and School of Business was started by Prof. S. U. Brunner, in 1867, at Kulpsville, but four years later was moved to North Wales.
Ursinus College-This highly successful educational institution is beautifully situated at Collegeville, and was chartered by the State in 1869. It really succeeded the old Freeland Seminary, where more than two thousand men were graduated with high honors during the existence of the institution. While it was never the property of the Reformed Church, it has been in harmony with the theological teachings of that church. The founder of this college was Rev. J. H. A. Bomberger, who
149
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
was its president from 1870 until death claimed him in 1890. The next president was Rev. Henry W. Super. In 1892, Bomberger Memorial Hall was completed at a cost of $62,000. It was in 1869 that funds were raised with which to buy Freeland Seminary; a charter was obtained, and the work of opening a new institution went forward rapidly. Of the present, it may be said that this institution (named for one of the most distinguished reformers and scholars of the days of the Reforma- tion period, Ursinus, of the University of Heidelberg), that it was incor- porated by the Legislature, on February 5, 1869, and has been highly successful ever since. The college grounds contain fifty-six acres, including the fine lawn and campus of twelve acres. The present offi- cers of the corporation are: Harry E. Paisley, president; Edward A. Krusen, first vice-president; A. D. Fetterrolf, second vice-president ; Rev. S. L. Messinger, secretary ; J. Truman Ebert, treasurer. Up to the date of his death, recently, Hon. John Wanamaker, of Philadelphia, was one of the three members of the advisory council. The buildings con- sist of Bomberger Memorial Hall, named for the first president, a large, imposing Pennsylvania marble structure, built strictly up-to-date. The Alumni Memorial Library building is now in course of construction; it is of Chestnut Hill stone in colonial style. It will hold sixty thousand books easily. It is fire-proof, well lighted and near the college proper. It is being built by the alumni and non-graduates, as a tribute to their fellows who served their country in the great World War, and in mem- ory of those who gave their lives in the service. On the walls of a beau- tiful vestibule 12x24 feet in size the inscriptions will be carved.
Freeland Hall, the original building of Freeland Seminary, Derr Hall, and Stine Hall, constitute a group of worth-while buildings, all of stone, four stories high. Olevian Hall, a large old-fashioned dwelling on the west campus, is one of the residences for young women. Shreiner Hall, facing the college, is another building for ladies. Trinity Cottage, ac- quired in 1916, is an additional hall for women. Maples and Glenwood are two residences off the campus, recently leased. Sprankle Hall, a stone mansion on the east campus, is a large three-story structure. Super House, an attractive residence opposite the College, was be- queathed by the late Henry W. Super. The Thompson Athletic Cage, erected in 1912 as a memorial, is another splendid property.
A central heating plant was installed in 1919 and supplies all the buildings. The College Library now has about fifteen thousand volumes, while periodicals and newspapers are almost without end in the reading rooms. The last year-book shows the attendance of pupils to have been two hundred and eighty-five. It is a wonderfully well conducted, modern institution of learning, based on Christian principles.
Other Institutions of Learning-Prior to 1885 and mostly before 1871, the following educational institutions were conducted in Montgom-
150
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
ery county : St. Charles Borromeo, a Roman Catholic school, in Lower Merion, had its buildings erected in 1866-71 ; Pennsylvania Female Col- lege, at Collegeville, 1851; Ursinus (originally Freeland Seminary) building erected 1848; Oakland Female Seminary, 1846-48; Cottage Seminary, Pottstown, 1850; Hill School, Pottstown, 1852; Washington Hall, Trappe; Frederick Institute; Tremont, Norristown, 1844; North Wales Academy; Centre Square Seminary ; High School, Norristown. A number of these are still being successfully conducted, while a major- ity of them have been merged with other educational interests, or gone down with the changes that ever come with the advancement of years and the progress made by the people of any given community. Mention is made elsewhere of some of these institutions just named.
Bryn Mawr College was founded by Dr. Joseph W. Taylor, of Bur- lington, New Jersey, who died January 18th, 1880. By his will he left the greater part of his property for the purpose of establishing and main- taining an institution of advanced learning for women. This college is situated at Bryn Mawr, a suburb of Philadelphia. The site was pur- chased by the founder on account of its healthfulness and beauty, and the college buildings were commenced during his lifetime. In 1880, the year of his death, the college was incorporated under the laws of the State of Pennsylvania, and invested with the power to confer degrees. A circular of information was issued by the trustees in 1883. A presi- dent and a dean of the faculty were elected in the spring of 1884. All that could be learned by visits and research into the plans used at other women's colleges was obtained, including the methods of Vassar, Smith, and Wellesley. Also, from the Johns Hopkins University was borrowed the excellent system of major and minor electives in fixed combination to which Bryn Mawr College first gave the name of the Group System. In the spring of 1885 the first catalogue was issued, and the college was opened for instruction in the autumn of 1885. Three classes of persons are admitted to the lectures and class work of this college-graduate students, undergraduates and hearers.
The college buildings are situated at the beautiful spot known as Bryn Mawr, five miles out of Philadelphia, on the main line of the Pennsylvania railroad. The site of the buildings are four hundred and twenty feet above sea level. The grounds cover fifty-two acres, and include the finest lawns, tennis-courts and three large athletic fields. Taylor Hall (named for the founder), a large building of Port Deposit stone, contains a general assembly room, ten lecture rooms, and office for the Alumnae Association.
Donors' Library, the gift of friends, graduates, and students of the college, was begun April, 1903, and completed in February, 1907. It is built of a handsome gray granite. All in all, it is a beautiful structure, and is well stocked with very valuable books. Other buildings include Dalton Hall, for the scientific department ; the gymnasium, built in 1909;
151
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
an infirmary, separated from the other buildings, was opened in 1905; the music rooms. The central power house was erected in 1902 as part of the gift of John D. Rockefeller, providing heat, light and ventilation for the entire group of buildings. Steam is conducted through tunnels underground to coils in the basement of each building. Every room in the buildings has its independent thermostatic device, assuring a regular degree of warmth.
Among the noted persons who have been instructors at this women's college was ex-President Woodrow Wilson, who taught history here from 1885 to 1889.
The Philadelphia Theological Seminary of St. Charles Borromeo is a Roman Catholic educational institution, where students are fitted for the priesthood. It is situated in Montgomery county, at Overbrook, a sta- tion on the main line of the Pennsylvania railway, about five miles out of the city of Philadelphia, but over the line in Montgomery county. It was founded in 1832. At first it was in Philadelphia, but was char- tered by the State of Pennsylvania in 1838 under its present title. Its original home was at the corner of Eighteenth and Race streets, Phila- delphia. It was seen that more room must be had, as the growing city was crowding out the seminary, which was also greatly increasing and needed more room. So in 1865 the present beautiful site was purchased -the old Remington estate, consisting of one hundred and twenty-four acres, the price paid being $30,000. To this was added a thirteen acre lot on City avenue, the same being bought in May, 1870, for $12,000. Competent judges declare the site and buildings of to-day to be among the finest educational establishments in the Republic, and one of the grandest ecclesiastical seminaries in the world. Here the corner stone was laid April 4, 1866, by Bishop Wood, assisted by a hundred priests. The order of its architecture is Italian, and none but the best of material can be found within its structure. The cost of the original building was $484,665. In the antechamber of the chapel is a beautiful white marble monument erected in 1902 to serve as a reminder of the generosity and philanthropy of Mr. Francis A. Drexel. There is also a chaste and ever- charming altar erected in memory of Mr. Drexel, so well known in Philadelphia.
Among the noted structures in the group of buildings making up the seminary at Overbrook, should be named the Archbishop Ryan Memo- rial Library Building. This was finished in 1911, after two years' work. It is 90 by 187 feet in size, and cost $169,380. Another immense build- ing of the group is St. Edmond Hall, a four-story stone structure, 40 by 205 feet ; its cost was $107,144. One of the recently built structures here is the Service Building, the corner stone of which was set October, 1917, and cost over $100,000.
During the history of this great institution there have been educated for the Catholic priesthood more than one thousand students who have
152
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
gone forth into the world fitted to do the will of their Master. The presidents of the board of trustees have been: Rt. Rev. Francis P. Ken- rick, D. D., 1838-51 ; Rt. Rev. John N. Neumann, D. D., 1852-60; Most Rev. James F. Wood, D. D., 1860-83 ; Most Rev. Patrick J. Ryan, D. D., LL. D., 1884-1911; Most Rev. Edmond F. Pendergast, D. D., 1911, who is still serving.
The Hill School, of Pottstown, is one of the excellent educational institutions of Eastern Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1851 by Rev. Matthew Meigs, Ph. D., LL. D., ex-president of Delaware College, and formerly of the University of Michigan. The twelve-acre tract on which it was first situated lies in the eastern border, adjoining the cor- porate limits of the beautiful borough of Pottstown, on the main line of the Philadelphia & Reading railway. It is on a sightly hill overlooking the wonderfully beautiful Schuylkill Valley. As long ago as 1883 the buildings were all steam-heated and supplied with electric lighting, with hot and cold water in every room. It is what its name indicates-a pre- paratory school where the student fits himself for his duties in the active world by being further fitted upon leaving the institution to at once enter any college or university in the land. It is now in the hands of the third generation of the founders' genealogical stock-grandfather, father and son. In 1876 the founder was succeeded by his son, John Meigs, Ph. D., by whom the school was reorganized with special reference to the work of preparation for college and scientific school. On March 4, 1884, the buildings of the school were destroyed by fire. On the Ist of October the same year the work was resumed in the new, modern struc- ture, and since that time numerous spacious buildings have been erected, until the present group is interesting to view from either within or with- out. In 1920 the entire property was carefully appraised for the purpose of insurance, at over $1,520,000. The real estate, now comprising more than 154 acres, was put in at $180,000. The total assets of the school were thus in excess of $1,700,000.
The chain of head masters in this school, with much other valuable information concerning the institution, will be found in the biographical section of this work, in the Meigs and Edwards sketches. In brief, it may be stated that in 1876 John Meigs reorganized the school, and then had thirty boys and three masters; 1882, coming of Mrs. John Meigs to the Hill; 1883, accessions of George Q. Sheppard to the faculty (62 boys, six masters) ; 1886, bought the "Cottage;" 1890, accession of Alfred G. Rolfe to the faculty (101 boys and fifteen masters); 1895, completion of West Wing (228 boys and twenty-six masters); 1910, completion of "Upper School" (347 boys, 38 masters) ; 1911, death of John Meigs. The three great destructive conflagrations that reduced the plant to crum- bling walls and heaps of ashes, were in 1884, 1890, and 1901, but Phoenix- like the structures were soon replaced and the work went on. F. Boyd Edwards, D. D., present head master (see Biographical section), comes from the same family tree as did the famous Jonathan Edwards.
UPPER HILL SCHOOL, POTTSTOWN
153
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
The Modern District School-In searching out a model set of schools in some one of the districts within Montgomery county, to illustrate the advancement made in schools since the common school system obtained away back in the thirties, none seemed as complete and perfect in all their details as the schools of Lower Merion township. This takes into account the class of buildings, the instructions given, the corps of effi- cient officers in various departments of the educational interests of the township, etc. The Board of Education here at this time is as follows: William L. Austin, president ; Richard J. Hamilton, vice-president ; Wil- liam J. Brynes, Jr., secretary ; Mrs. J. C. Sellers, Jr., Thomas C. Yocum, Dr. William C. Powell, Mrs. H. Wilson Moorhouse. There are now ten male and ninety-one female teachers in this township. The average attendance two years ago was 2,300; average wages for men, $194; and for women, $100 per month. The total number of school houses is ninety-nine. These buildings have no superior in our days. They must be seen and occupied in order to make this statement good.
The high school at Ardmore is situated on a beautiful tract of four- teen acres, purchased in 1909, 1915 and 1921, at a cost of $126,664. The building is constructed of Holmesburg granite, with limestone trim- mings. It contains twenty-five class rooms. All departments, includ- ing woodworking shops, the science laboratories, the library, the cook- ing, sewing, art and commercial rooms, the gymnasium and the large auditorium with 867 seats, contain modern equipment. This school is supplied with two artesian wells giving an abundance of pure water, stored in a fifteen thousand gallon tank, all under automatic control. The school has a most excellent athletic field, with its quarter mile training track.
Ashland school was built in 1919 at a cost of $124,425, besides the grounds, which in 1917 cost $8,035.
The Bryn Mawr primary and grammar schools are models within themselves. The latter was built in 1914 at a cost of $67,247, on a four- acre tract costing in 1910 almost $36,000 more. School gardens occupy a part of the four-acre tract on which the building stands. Other schools of this district are the Cynwyd school, costing in excess of $200,000; Merion Square school, with attractive, substantial buildings; Bala school, with eight class-rooms, an office, play-room, a lunch room, and all modern equipment.
Of all things attractive and modern in these Lower Merion schools, the matter of transportation is the one that appeals to everyone, espe- cially to the older generation who had to walk from one to three miles to attend school, summer and winter. During the past six years the school buses have averaged in their regular trips approximately fifty thousand miles. Motor buses were first started in 1914 with one autocar in con- junction with horse-drawn vehicles owned by others, and in that year the total transportation cost was $4,982.70. At the close of the 1920
154
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
school year, so enlarged was the transportation system, that its cost totaled $15,162.69, which included the chauffers, salaries, gasoline, grease, oil, repairs to the cars, etc. The item of transportation is all fig- ured in when reporting the total cost per pupil per month, in the grades to be $6.05 ; in the high school, $13.45 per month. The assets and liabil- ities for the Township's schools for year ending July 1, 1921, were $1,791,- 388.41. Amount in outstanding bonds at that date was $627,000.
There are scores of other excellent schools within the county to-day -places where the borough schools have very fine, modern buildings, able executive boards and competent instructors, all showing the great advantages the children of the twentieth century have over their parents and grandparents; and, as a rule, the present-day pupils have come to duly appreciate these educational advantages, which is seen by the many graduates from our high schools annually.
While statistics are usually not interesting, this table, extracts from the latest State reports on the districts of Montgomery county, gives much imporant and valuable information.
Average. No. Schools -Teachers- In District. Male. Female. Attendance.
~Wages Male. Female.
Abington Township
58
10
43
1,222
$137
$85
Ambler Borough
20
I
20
549
175
72
Bridgeport Borough
16
I
15
570
218
85
Cheltenham Township
70
10
62
1,444
142
91
Collegeville Borough
6
I
5
136
125
69
Conshohocken Borough
33
2
31
132
76
Douglas Township
9
4
5
197
57
54
Dublin (Upper) Township.
17
1
16
413
70
72
East Greenville Borough.
10
2
8
306
87
70
Fegleville, Ind.
8
3
5
275
60
60
Frederick Township
8
2
6
159
56
50
Green Lane Borough.
2
. .
2
75
....
62
Gwynedd (Upper) Township ...
8
2
6
268
95
70
Gwynedd (Lower) Township ..
6
..
6
165
60
51
Hatborough Borough
8
1
8
335
155
80
Hatfield Borough
5
I
4
170
IIO
70
Hatfield Township
7
I
6
218
70
64
Lansdale Borough
26
2
24
698
130
69
Limerick Township
12
1
1I
379
60
49
Merion (Lower) Township ....
99
10
91
2,300
194
100
Montgomery Township
3
3
71
...
61
Moreland (Upper) Township ..
9
. .
7
1
6
162
125
63
Narberth Borough
20
3
18
450
183
89
Norristown Borough
117
14
103
3,583
I3I
76
Norriton (East) Township.
3
. .
3
75
..
Norriton (West) Township. . .
7
I
7
115
122
74
North Wales Borough
II
I
10
296
I68
73
Pennsburg Borough
7
3
4
190
73
60
Perkiomen Township
3
. .
3
85
....
63
·
I
25
. .
. .
70
Marlborough Township
4
2
2
91
67
57
Merion (Upper) Township. ...
20
20
752
....
69
Jenkinton Borough
16
. .
14
377
...
Line Lexington, Ind ..
I
1
24
236
....
73
Hanover (New) Township ....
9
2
7
175
Horsham Township
5
2
5
I20
1
60
Franconia Township
73
Moreland (Lower) Township ..
9
75
Districts.
155
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
No. Schools ~Teachers Average.
Districts.
In District. Male. Female. Attendance.
64
Pottsgrove (Upper) Township.
2
. .
2
41
....
52
Pottsgrove (Lower)
Township.
4
4
98
....
60
Pottsgrove (West)
Township ..
9
3
6
173
70
59
Pottstown Borough
76
II
70
2,365
108
66
Providence (Upper) Township.
14
4
10
502
75
58
Providence (Lower)
8
2
6
183
70
65
Red Hill Borough
5
2
3
159
75
58
Rockledge Borough
5
. .
5
155
96
70
Salford Township
4
3
I
86
62
50
Salford (Upper) Township
5
3
2
117
51
52
Salford (Lower) Township
10
5
5
301
60
61
Schwenksville Borough
5
. .
5
92
Skippack Township
8
4
4
233
63
62
Souderton Borough
17
4
13
578
97
64
Sumneytown, Independent
3
1
2
91
70
60
Towamencing, Independent
6
I
5
174
70
67
Trappe Borough
2
. .
6
213
137
59
West Telford Borough
5
3
2
146
71
55
Whitemarsh Township
7
2
13
443
99
73
Whitpain Township
6
I
5
128
95
66
Worcester Township
6
1
5
191
70
75
Total
935
137
808
24,798
$81
$66
The latest State reports issued on the condition of the public schools by counties in Pennsylvania is dated July 6, 1919, and from such official report and other sources the following has been compiled for Montgom- ery county especially for this work :
Whole Number of Schools in County.
935
Average Number of Months Taught in County.
91/4
Male Teachers Employed.
140
Female Teachers Employed.
815
Average Salary for Male Teachers
$81.00
Average Salary for Female Teachers
$66.67
Number of Male Pupils in Schools.
15,937
Number of Female Pupils in Schools.
15,052
Average Attendance ..
24,798
Taxes Levied for Schools of County.
$1,263,000
Total Receipts for School Purposes.
$1,920,000
Total Amount Expended for School Purposes.
$1,821,000
.
·
I
33
...
60
Swamp, Independent
I
. .
16
345
77
Springfield Township
16
17
3
14
467
-Wages Male. Female.
Plymouth Township
II
. .
375
. . . .
65
West Conshohocken Borcugh ..
I
. .
2
42
70
71
Royersford Borough
Township.
. .
From County School Superintendent Landis' annual report for the same school years above mentioned, it is learned that he made 1,294 visits to the schools of Montgomery county, and that with a few excep- tions, he found few teachers not fully up to the standards laid down. On the subject of consolidated schools, he noted the free discussion throughout the county, and also that the sentiment favoring such school consolidation is rapidly increasing; that wherever such a system has been thoroughly tested, it has proven highly successful; that the item of bad roads was about the only objection that could reasonably be brought up against such schools. Concerning teachers' county institutes he men-
$56
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
tioned the fact of none being held that year (1919) on account of the fearful epidemics raging in the county. But there were nine local insti- tutes held within the county, and they proved very successful and were well attended.
CHAPTER XIII. AGRICULTURE AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES.
In all ages man has depended largely on the products of the soil for his subsistence. Good farming has been well defined as the process of taking large crops from the soil, and at the same time leaving the soil as good as it was before the crop had been raised. However, agriculture, strictly speaking, is a science of modern birth. The farmers of Mont- gomery county since its first settlement have kept abreast with the gen- eral advance in agriculture. In 1880 this county contained 6,114 farms, averaging forty-nine acres each. At that date five thousand of these farms were cultivated by their owners. The cereals produced in 1879 in this county were as follows: Buckwheat, 2,344 bushels; Indian corn, 1,521,000 bushels; oats, 840,000 bushels; rye, 195,000; wheat, 487,000 bushels. There were raised 565,000 bushels of Irish potatoes that year ; the spring clip of wool, in 1880, was 15,480 pounds; sixteen acres pro- duced a crop of 21,000 pounds of tobacco. In its dairy products, a third of a century ago, this county ranked as second in Pennsylvania, with 35,000 cows whose milk made over five million pounds of butter.
In more recent years agriculture in this county has been intensified, though somewhat changed as to its chief products. The following fig- ures are from the State reports in 1920, showing the products of Mont- gomery county at that date : Value of all agricultural products in county, $7,283,410; total of manufactured products in county, $246,000,000 ; num- ber of manufacturing establishments, 606; total number of persons em- ployed, 32,430; wages paid, $42,000,000. Total number of acres under cultivation, 210,000; number of farms in the county, 4,840; number cul- tivated by renters, 837; by owners, 4,003. The number of horses was 12,158; of mules, 328; cattle, 33,314; hogs, 39,000; number of acres in wheat, 25,600; bushels, 449,000 ; corn, acres of, 36,800; bushels of, 1,609,- 000; oats, acres, 19,366; bushels, 419,430; hay, acres of, 51,868; tons of, 70,000 ; number of automobiles used by farmers, for pleasure or farming work, 2,420; number farm trucks, 669; number of retail licenses issued to merchants in county, 3,894 ; number wholesalers, 147.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.