USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Ludlow > History of Ludlow, Vermont > Part 5
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The school-house on Andover street, known as No. 15, was built by Alfred Warner in 1856. Mr. Warner then lived at the place that was later the residence of E. P. Kingsbury,
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and at that time the highway was where the school-house now stands. Mr. Warner gave the land for straightening the highway, so that the school-house could be built where the highway was then located. At the annual town meeting in March, 1880, it was voted to unite District No. 15 with District No. 1, each school to retain its number. This caused some hard feeling on the part of the residents of No. 15, as it made their school taxes very much higher, and brought con- siderable of their real estate under the corporation tax. This school was discontinued in 1890.
In 1816, a small, four-gabled brick school-house was built in Ludlow village. It stood north of the Baptist church, on the site of the house where Mrs. Benjamin Spaulding formerly lived. For several years after this school-house was built, this district was called the Center district. This school-house was used for school purposes seventeen years. Stephen Cummings, afterward one of the leading business men in town, taught the school for some time. He was suc- ceeded by Edward Manning. John Crowley, Ardain G. Taylor, Sewall Fullam, Wm. Rodney Manning, and James Beard, were teachers in this school.
One of the above-mentioned teachers one day put out the word "tresses" to one of the spelling classes and a small boy spelled it "tress-ses". The teacher asked him if he ever saw a word in which there were three s's in succession. "Yes", replied the boy "What was it?" inquired the teacher. "S. S. Snell" was the answer. He had seen the name on the sign of a shoemaker whose name was Simon Sigman Snell.
Abram Adams bought the school-house in 1834. It was used as a store-house for several years afterward.
The first school-meeting held in the village south of the river, for the purpose of building a school-house, was on Jan. 28, 1833. Silas Warren was chosen moderator, and the session was then adjourned for two days, when the meeting was again called to order. Ardain G. Taylor was elected moderator, Amos Heald, Joel Gould, and Ptolemy Edson were made committee for the purpose of selecting a suitable place for the proposed school-house. A subsequent meeting was held, when Joseph White, Jesse Adams, and Samuel Adams were added to the board of committee. Asa
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Fletcher was elected district clerk for District No. 1, as it was to be called. It was voted to raise a school-tax of three and a half cents on the dollar of the grand list, to build the school-house and support the school the first year. The school-house was finished in 1834, at a cost of $1,237.71, besides $58.34 for the lot. It stood on the lot now occupied by the residence of William Lamere, was built of brick, and was two stories high. Peter T. Washburn, son of Reu- ben Washburn was the first one who taught in this school- house, and he remained three terms. In 1844, he moved to Woodstock, Vt. and in 1869 was elected governor of Vermont. He died while in office, and was the only man ever removed by death from that office in this state.
There were ninety-one scholars who attended school the first term in the brick school-house and the school gradually increased until, in 1845, there were two hundred scholars, there being a hundred and twenty-nine families within the corporation. In 1849, and 1850, the school reached its highest attendance, their being two hundred and seventy- six scholars in attendance in the two departments, called the primary and intermediate grades. The great increase in attendance at this time, was partly due to the building of the railroad, many of the Irish laborers bringing their fam- ilies into town. At this time, the schools throughout the town were much larger than they are now.
This school-house was burned in the spring of 1871, at the same time that Hammond's block was burned. It was thought best to rebuild on the hill near the Academy, and the present school building was built the same year. It is the best building ever provided for the lower grades of school in town.
District No. 3, West Hill, was originally called the Moun- tain school district, from the fact that when the town was sur- veyed into school districts in 1799, this district, which embraced a greater territory than any of the others, in- cluded all the mountain on the west, to the Mt. Holly line.
The first school-meeting held for the purpose of organ- izing a school, was on Mar. 21, 1806. Jesse Fletcher and Abel Haild, selectmen, were present at this meeting. James Wilcox was chosen moderator, Jared Goodell, clerk, Asa Abbot, collector of taxes, and Hezekiah Haven, Asa Abbot,
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and Jared Goodell, comprised the committee. At this meet- ing, it was voted to raise fifty cents to pay for a record book.
Schools were held in private houses until 1811, when a small school-house, eighteen by twenty feet was built. It stood west of the road leading to the H. L. Petty farm south of the brook that crosses the road a little south of the junction of the roads.
In 1821, a vote was taken to raise one hundred dollars to repair the school-house, and it was moved and placed at the forks of the roads. In 1866, a new school-house was built, a little northeast of this location on land formerly owned by Isaac Wadleigh. Schools were held here until 1879. At the annual town-meeting in March 1880, it was voted to connect this district with district No. 1, there not being a sufficient number of scholars to pay for supporting a school.
Sally Laws was employed as the first teacher in this district, in 1806. She received the sum of eight dollars for teaching the term of twelve weeks. She was succeeded by Lucy Fletcher, who was born in Ludlow, June 25, 1792. This youthful teacher continued in this school from the spring of 1807, to the closing term of the year 1813, when she married Dr. Richard Williams of Newark, N. J., where she afterward resided.
At the beginning of the year 1814, Miss Emma Patch, then a resident of Pond district, No. 7, took up the work of the school at a salary of one dollar per week. She re- mained till the closing of the school year of 1815. At first, the schools were in session six days in the week, then half- holidays were introduced, or only alternate Saturdays kept, but for many years, the school week has been only five days.
Many other bright and faithful "school-ma'ams" have drummed the rudiments of instruction into the young minds that were of types varying as greatly as the winged tribes of the air differ in the color of their plumage. Difficult are the duties of the public-school teacher. Parents usually consider the teacher responsible for the stock of knowledge stored up in the minds of their children, and often do not consider whether they have endowed their offspring with
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clear, active intellects, or with brains clouded with a veil of dullness, making them incapable of reaping a rich har- vest of knowledge. The faithful teacher, trying to urge on alike the bright and the dull in the pathway of learning, is too often blamed for the unequal results upon different types of intellect. We fail to see how this burden is to be lightened for the public school teachers. A story is told of a wealthy farmer who sent his daughter to a female sem- inary to study the higher branches of learning. After a while, the farmer asked the principal how Jane got along. After some hesitation, the teacher replied that Jane lacked capacity. "Well" says the father, "get her one. I will pay for anything she needs." Such is the natural course of life. What could be expected of Jane? It is illustrated on every side, that the seed of man, tree, or any living organism, produces fruit "after its kind".
It appears from the early records of the schools in Lud- low, that the labors of teachers have changed much since that time. There were then many more scholars in town than there are at the present time. In 1820, the population of the town was about eight hundred, and more than three- fourths of this number lived back on the hills. The number of scholars was about six hundred. In 1840, the population had increased to 1,363, about twenty per cent had become residents in the villages, and the number of scholars had increased to eight hundred, this being about the highest point in the scale of attendance of resident scholars. At the present time the population is about 2,400, with only about 500 scholars, and much of the population has grad- ually moved from the hill farms into the village, where nearly three-fourths of the entire population of the town now reside, and the schools in the hill districts where schools are kept, are very small. In some districts where, fifty years ago, the attendance ranged from fifty to a hundred scholars, there is, at the present time, either no school, or an attend- ance of from six to fifteen scholars. Should this change con- tinue, in a very few years there will be no scholars to attend schools in the hill districts.
The principal work of the teachers in the early days, was to keep order the best they could. The studies taught were few, reading, spelling, writing, and arithmetic, being about
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all that was considered necessary, though a little attention was given to grammar and geography. Arithmetic was usually taught only to the "Rule of Three" (Proportion) in the district schools. The teaching of penmanship was a much more difficult task then than it is now, for the teacher was required to make and mend the quill pens that the scholars used, and also set their copies. Steel pens did not come into use till 1830, and as they were very expensive, the use of quill pens was continued for several years after that date. The girls were taught the art of needle-work in every school, and when a child had been especially successful in working her sampler, her proud parents often had framed, and hung up in the best room. This sampler was a square of canvas on which the alphabet was worked in various colors and forms, and any other ornamental designs that the teacher's taste suggested. Many homes still possess one of these relics of olden times. Instruction in practical needle- work would be an advantage to many of the girls who at- tend the schools at the present time, as it is becoming a lost art with many school-girls.
Since the creation of man, he has advanced steadily in civilization, and at the present time there is, perhaps, no stronger factor for civilization than the public schools. The old methods of teaching have long since disappeared, but it still remains a question whether the present methods are of more practical advantage to the ordinary scholar, who is often urged from the lower studies, to soar through, or over, the higher branches, before a sufficiently mature age has been reached to give thorough understanding, or prac- tical knowledge of the subjects he has passed over, and the boy ends his school days and begins the life of the everyday man, without any experience to make his school- ing useful to him.
The so-called Woodward school building, standing at the head of Main street and used for grades, was bought for $2,500. July 5, 1912, and deeded to the Town of Ludlow by Levi B. Moore, administrator of the estate of Norris H. Woodward.
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First Black River Academy, 1835
BLACK RIVER ACADEMY
Fifty-two years after the first settlers came to Ludlow, Black River Academy was founded. Previous to the estab- lishing of this school, there were only the common district schools in town, which, in most cases, gave but sixteen weeks of schooling each year, and usually, the branches of study taught were passed over with much less thoroughness than at the present time. If any further advancement in educa- tion was required, the student went to the Randolph Nor- mal school, to Burlington, or to Middlebury.
For several years, the great need of some seminary of learning in this part of the state had been felt by the friends of education, and before 1834, a movement had been be- gun among the more active members of the Baptist de- nomination in the counties of Windham and Windsor, to establish such a school under the influence of that society, in some place which should accommodate that territory. Several locations were considered, among others Caven- dish, but the people of that town did not offer sufficient in- ducements, and the inhabitants of Ludlow offered to erect a suitable building at their own expense. The offer was accepted by those members of the community from Windsor county, while those from Windham county decided to lo- cate another school of the same character at Townshend, and Leland Seminary was founded there about the same time that Black River Academy was established here.
The first preliminary meeting with reference to the subject was held May 20, 1834, at the house of John Howe, afterward the boarding-house of the Ludlow Woolen Mills. Here, a number of the citizens of Ludlow who were inter- ested in the promotion of education, met according to previous appointment, and it was voted to establish an acad- emy in Ludlow, to be known by the name of Black River Academy. They also chose a committee to procure an act of incorporation at the next session of the Legislature. The following were the members of the committee: Horace Fletcher, Reuben Washburn, Hon. Jabez Proctor of Proc- torsville, and Jonathan Lawrence. The charter was obtained in October, 1834. The first board of trustees were: Dan- iel Packer, the Baptist minister of Mt. Holly, Joseph M.
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Graves, the resident Baptist clergyman, Jabez Proctor, one of the leading business men of Proctorsville, Moses Pollard, an enterprising farmer of Plymouth, Ruben Washburn, then the leading lawyer of Ludlow, Jacob S. McCollom, a clergy- man, John F. Coffin, Horace Fletcher, C. W. Hodges, Joseph Freeman, the Baptist clergyman of Cavendish, Jon- athan Lawrence, Stephen Cummings, Ardain G. Taylor, Nathaniel Tolles, and Augustus Haven.
The first meeting of the trustees under the charter, was held also at the house of John Howe, Dec. 16, 1834. Reuben Washburn was chosen chairman and Joseph M. Graves, clerk. Horace Fletcher read the act of incorporation. A committee was chosen to prepare a code of by-laws, and another to look out and recommend a suitable teacher. The meeting was then adjourned until Dec. 31, 1834, when they again met, and the organization of the corporation was com- pleted by the choice of Rev. Daniel Packer, president, Hon. Jabez Proctor, first vice-president, Stephen Cummings, second vice-president, Rev. J. M. Graves, secretary, and Augustus Haven, treasurer.
The school building was completed, and the first term commenced on Monday, Mar. 9, 1835, with Norman N. Wood, principal, and Zebulon Jones, assistant. Mrs. Re- bekah Angell was the first preceptress, at a salary of two hundred dollars per annum. The attendance the first year was one hundred and eighty, ninety-five boys, and eighty- five girls.
The first academy was a three-story, brick building, and stood where the present graded-school building stands. When it was built, there were still some of the old pine stumps from the original clearing remaining intact. In 1837, some of the boys piled some of the decayed parts of the old stumps against one of the larger ones, and set fire to the pile. Some of them would run and jump over the fire. One boy, Frank Hadley, lost his balance, fell into the fire, and was badly burned.
The existence of the first academy building was of short duration, it being burned in 1844. Just before the fall term of that year was to commence, Mrs. John Manning was em- ployed to clean the house. She built a fire in the fire-place for the purpose of heating water, and the fire took from the
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Present B. R. Academy
fire-place. The bottom of the fire-place was laid with single brick over the wood floor, and was used only for laboratory work. Mrs. Manning was not blamed for the fire, as she did not know how the fire-place was constructed.
Arrangements were soon made for the continuance of the school, and the old Union church, built by Elihu Ives in 1819, was used for the academy. When this church was built, in accordance with the customes of those early days, a bottle of rum was built into the brick wall, about three feet from the northeast corner, and about two feet from the under-pinning wall. In 1850, Timothy Haild, still re- membered by a very few old residents, took four bricks from the wall, and removed the bottle from its place. This act was kept secret for many years. When this building was taken down in 1888, many were on the spot to get a chance to see that ancient bottle, but, to their amazement, it was not found.
A semi-centennial celebration was held in Ludlow on the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth of August, 1885. Many of the early students came to join the re-union, and talk
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over their by-gone school days, but many more had ended the lessons of life, and passed through "the valley of the shadow." When the hundredth anniversary of the begin- ning of the school shall come, few will be left who celebrated the semi-centennial.
After using the old church for an academy for forty-four years, where more than 4,000 young and hopeful students met to gain and lay away a store of knowledge as a qual- ification for success in the path of life, the present building was erected in 1888, at a cost of $16,336.16. Clinton Smith of Middlebury, did the work by contract.
Mar. 29, 1887, the legal voters of school district No. 1 of Ludlow, voted to appropriate $5,000 toward the construc- tion of a new academy building. Again, Nov. 16, 1888, district No. 1 appropriated $600 more to finish the new building. Liberal donations were made by several non- residents :
Hon. Hiram Hitchcock, N. Y. $3,000
Hon. Dexter Richards, Newport, N. H. 2,500
Edw. E. Parker, Kansas City, Mo., 750
Harry P. Stimson, Kansas City Mo., 750
Wallace W. Marsh, Omaha, Neb., 500
Daniel A. Heald, N. Y., 300
Ellis K. Powers, N. Y., 300
James S. Gill, Boston, Mass., 200
A. F. Davis, Rutland, Vt., 100
Stoughton A. Fletcher, Indianapolis, Ind., .. 100
In addition to his money contribution, Daniel A. Heald presented the bell. Many other non-residents made smaller gifts which were gratefully accepted. The residents of Lud- low contrbuted as follows:
Hon. Wm. H. Walker, $ 300
S. W. Stimson,
200
A. F. Sherman, 200
Geo. S. Armington,
100
Dr. Geo. E. Lane, 100
Chas. Raymond, 100
Lowell G. Hammond, 100
John A. Dennett, 100
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Mrs. M. P. Gale
100
Geo. W. Billings
100
Dr. D. F. Cooledge, 50
Fred O. Knight, 50
Hiram L. Warner,
50
Ira W. Gale,
50
Martin H. Goddard,
50
James Pettigrew,
50
Albert H. Lockwood,
50
D. C. Barney,
50
Wm. P. Spafford,
50
C. H. Howard,
25
T. F. McDonald,
25
Wm. D. Ball,
25
Chas. W. Goddard,
25
Rev. R. L. Olds,
25
Josiah W. Pettigrew,
25
Geo. S. Bridge,
25
Many others contributed to the building of the Acad- emy, and are receiving their reward in the welfare and advancement of the town by the good work the school is now doing.
The new Academy building was dedicated Aug. 27, 1889, by a band of faithful workers and liberal givers to a worthy cause.
In 1895, a valuable reference library was added to the convenience of the school. Mrs. Julia E. Watson of Evan- ston, Ill., donated $1,000 toward the library, a gift which will be a lasting benefit to the school. Mrs. Watson was the daughter of Norris Dickinson of Ludlow, attended Black River Academy in 1850, and was preceptress in 1856.
When the school was first opened, the tuition was $3.00 per quarter for common English branches, $3.50 for high- er English, and ancient languages, and $4.00 for modern languages. An additional charge was made for music and drawing. These rates were for all who attended the school. Later, in 1868, by an act of the Legislature, all living with- in the village corporation were admitted free of tuition, while those living outside of the corporation paid $6.00 per term of twelve weeks, for common English, and $7.20 for
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higher English and Classics. Since the adoption of the town system of schools in 1892, the school is free to all residents of the town.
The following have held the position of Principal of Black River Academy : Norman N. Wood, from 1835 to 1836, Rev. Darwin H. Ranney, 1836 to 1837, Wm. D. Upham, 1837 to 1838, Franklin Everett, 1838 to 1839, Stephen P. Lathrop, 1839 to 1841. R. W. Clark, 1841 to 1845. The spring term of 1845 was taught by Clark H. Chapman, the fall term, by R. W. Clark. W. B. Bunnell was principal in 1845 and 1846, Claudius B. Smith, from 1847 to 1852, Geo. W. Gardner, 1852 to 1853. Rev. Mark A. Cummings, till the fall term of 1854, Moses Burbank, from that time till 1860, Rev. Arthur Little, in 1861. He was succeeded in 1862 by Milton C. Hyde, who remained till 1870 with the exception of the fall term of 1866, when Capt. Linus E. Sherman was principal, and W. B. Stickney, in the spring of 1867.
S. A. Giffin was principal from 1870 to 1874. Under Mr. Giffin's energetic management, the school was greatly im- proved, and the attendance much increased.
Herbert Tilden was principal in 1875, C. G. Farwell from 1876 to 1883, John Pickard, 1883 to 1885, Henry H. Kendall, 1885 to 1887, George Sherman 1887 to 1892, C. H. Richard- son, from 1892 to 1893, D. F. Andrus, fall term of 1893 to 1894, F. L. Bugbee, 1894 to the fall term of 1899, A. G. Bugbee, 1899 to the fall term of 1902, L. W. Elkins, to the fall term of 1903, F. E. Heald, fall of 1903 to 1906. Edwin A. Shaw, 1906 to 1907, John B. Pugsley, 1907 to 1909, James L. Lovejoy, 1909 to 1910, Frank L. Bugbee, 1910 to 1916. Ralph C. Jenkins, 1916 to 1917, Stephen K. Perry, 1917 to 1918, Isaiah A. Bowdin, 1918 to 1924, Carl Young- berg, 1924 to 1925, Harold C. Wells, 1925 to 1926. Earl Haskins, 1926 to 1930.
The work done by these able instructors, has been the foundation on which has been built the reputation which the school enjoys today. They labored faithfully and un- tiringly, that the students of this school might leave its halls with finer, stronger characters, that should help to elevate the morals of mankind.
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Since the founding of this school, all its surroundings have changed, except the "everlasting hills" and the river from which the academy derived its name, pursuing its quiet way as in the days of old, though somewhat dimin- ished in volume. The original walls that shielded the stud- ent from summer's hot suns and winter's cold blasts, have succumbed to the march of time, and the school is now sheltered in its third home.
Most of the pioneer teachers and their pupils have grad- uated from this life, and passed on to the higher grade, where the Great Instructor solves all problems. Many other sons and daughters of Black River Academy, are following the tide of time, that blanches the rose from their cheeks, and furrows their brows with lines of care and sorrow. Younger ones are yearly entering the doors of the Academy and following in the footsteps of their predecessors. And so the ranks are kept full, and the procession moves end- lessly on, from the cradle to the lowest round of public in- struction, the Primary school, upward to Alma Mater, and so on to busy life, and the grave. Long may our old Academy flourish, to teach our boys and girls the greatest beauty and usefulness of this life's work.
Edward Howard Dorsey was born in Benson, Vermont on June 18, 1872 and died February 12, 1940. His father was John Watson Dorsey and his mother Sarah Howard.
Dorsey, as he was commonly called, came to Ludlow as a young man to become a teacher in the Ludlow schools, and for over forty-three years as a teacher and coach for the young people he commanded the respect of all. His love for the children, rich or poor, Catholic or Protestant, made no difference to him, his life work was for them. There will never be another Dorsey, he not only used his money, but he actually wore out a Ford car carrying the boys and girls to ball games, picnic trips, and up to the lake for swimming. Doing all in his power to give his child- ren every opportunity to enjoy themselves. Many times you could hear some of them calling, "Hey, Dorsey".
As a coach of the various athletic teams he stood for ab- solute fairness and when one on his team, or on the team of the opponent overstepped, he was quick to see it and
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TE
E. Howard Dorsey
you could hear his powerful voice calling attention to it and it had to be made right. Nor did he allow one scholar to take advantage over another, but made them all stand on their own merits. Hundreds of boys and girls have gone out into life to become better men and women from having been associated with him.
When his passing came these same boys and girls erected a beautiful monument to his memory, on which is the fol- lowing inscription.
"Unselfish in service - Friendly in spirit - De- voted to the welfare of Boys and Girls. His life and service to the Community an inspiration. His Memory a Benediction."
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