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Schools and Libraries BY HOWARD L. HUGHES I. Early Schools
THE
first settlers in this vicinity were Quakers and it may be presumed
from Quaker practice elsewhere that some elementary schooling was
soon provided. That there was a schoolhouse seems to be indicated
by the following entry in the minutes of the Chesterfield Monthly
Meeting of Friends, December 1, 1693 : "It is Aggree’d
by this meeteing that A weeke day meeteing be kept every fourth Day
of ye weeke at ye falles in the Schoole hous." Beyond this vague
reference to a schoolhouse at the Falls nothing is known of educational
activity among the Quakers for the next hundred years. THE
FIRST COMMON SCHOOL Trenton's
first venture in public education, public in the sense that it was
a semi-community effort, occurred under curious circumstances in 1753,
when a lottery was advertised in The Pennsylvania Gazette, April 26, 1753, as follows:
We whose names are hereunto subscribed, sons of some
of the principal families in and about Trenton, being in some measure
sensible of the advantages of Learning, and desirous that those who
are deprived of it thro' the poverty of their parents, might taste
the sweetness of it with ourselves, can think of no better or other
method for that purpose, than the following
Scheme Of a Delaware‑Island Lottery, For raising 225 Pieces of Eight towards building a
house to accommodate an English and Grammar-school, and paying a master
to teach such children whose parents are unable to pay for schooling.
It is proposed that the house be 30 feet long, 20 feet wide, and one
story high, and built on the South east corner, of the Meeting-house
yard, in Trenton, under the direction of Messieurs Joseph Reed, Benjamin
Yard, Alexander Chambers, and John Chambers, all of Trenton aforesaid.
[Here follows a list of the prizes.]
The managers of the lottery
are Reynald Hooper, son of R. Lettice Hooper, Esq; Joseph Warrell,
junior, son of Joseph Warrell, Esq; Joseph Reed, junior, son of Andrew
Reed, Esq; Theophilus Severns, junior, son of Theophilus Severns,
Esq; John Allen, junior, son of John Allen, Esq; William Paxton, son
of Joseph Paxton, Esq; deceased; and John Cleayton, son of William
Cleayton, Esq ; who hereby assure the adventurers in this lottery,
that the prize money shall be paid by the persons hereafter appointed
to sell tickets, immediately after the lottery is drawn, without any
deduction; and such prizes as are not demanded in three months after
the lottery is drawn, shall be taken as generously given to the school.
The drawing will be on the 11th day of June next, on the Fish-Island,
in the river Delaware, opposite to the town of Trenton: and the money
raised by this lottery shall be paid into the hands of Moore Furman,
of Trenton, merchant, who is under bond for the faithful laying out
the money for the uses above. And we the managers assure the
adventurers upon our honour, that this scheme, in all its parts, shall
be as punctually observed, as if we were under the formalities usual
in lotteries; and we flatter ourselves, the publick, considering our
laudable design, our age, and our innocence, will give credit to this
our publick declaration. Tickets are to be sold at Seven
Shillings and Sixpence each, at Philadelphia, by Andrew Reed, Esq
; and at Trenton, by Moore Furman merchant, Reynald Hooper, Joseph
Warrell, junior, Joseph Reed, junior, Theophilus Severns, junior,
John Allen, junior, William Paxton, John Cleayton. A
later notice in the same newspaper indicates that the lottery was
actually drawn July 2,
1753. As the laws of New Jersey
prohibited lotteries, it was perhaps a polite evasion to hold the
lottery on an island, Fish Island being little more than a gravelly
bar, partly now included in Mahlon Stacy Park. Probably for the same
reason, the lottery was advertised in the name of minors, who in their
"innocence," and considering their "laudable design,"
will readily be forgiven for this circumvention of the law. The proceeds
of this lottery permitted the erection of
a brick schoolhouse in 1753
on what is now the site of the First Presbyterian Church, a little
to the east of the church of that time. Little is known about the management of this school.
Built on Presbyterian grounds it was principally under the control
of that congregation. The pastor, the Rev. David Cowell, seems to
have had correspondence with President Burr of the College of New
Jersey in 1753 regarding a schoolmaster. The minutes of the trustees
in 1765 record that Alexander Chambers and Benjamin Yard were elected
by the congregation "Directors of the School-House." 1 The Episcopalians also shared in the management
as is shown by an entry in the minutes of the vestry of St. Michael's
Church, August 12, 1771, which reads, "The Rev. William Thompson
and Danl. Cox Esqs are chosen Trustees for this Congregation to Visit
the Free-school and do all such things as to them shall appear serviceable
for sd. school in this town." 2
An
advertisement in the New Jersey Gazette, February 23, 1780, tells what was expected
of the schoolmaster: A VACANCY, A VACANCY, In the SCHOOL of Trenton, for a Master qualified to
teach Reading, Writing, Arithmetick, and some of the branches of the
Mathematicks. A person so qualified, and bringing a good recommendation
with him, will meet with great encouragement (as the school is large)
by applying to the Printer. N.B. A single man, or one with a small family, will
answer best, and the sooner the application the better. 1 Hall, History of the Presbyterian Church, p. 72 2 Schuyler, A History of St. Michael's Church, p. 58. A joint meeting of the Legislature was held in this
school building March 17, 1780.
Trenton, November 28, 1781.
3
3 New Jersey Gazette,
Vol. IV, December 12, 1781.
THE
TRENTON ACADEMY Trenton's most important early
institution of learning was the Trenton Academy which first opened
in 1782 and continued until 1884. Among its trustees, teachers and
students are to be found the names of many citizens distinguished
not only at home but throughout the State and nation. The story of
the Academy is told at some length by Dr. John Hall in a series of
newspaper articles in the State Gazette in April and May 1847 and also by William L. Dayton in a pamphlet entitled
"Historical Sketch of the Trenton Academy, read at the centennial
anniversary of its foundation, February 10, 1881." A brief summary
must suffice for these pages. On February 10, 1781, twenty
citizens of Trenton and its vicinity formed an association "for
the purpose of erecting a School. House in the said Town, and keeping
up a Regular School for the Education of Youth, to be conducted under
the Firm of the Trenton School Company." The twenty original
proprietors were Joseph Higbee, David Brearley, James Milnor, Jr.,
Rensselaer Williams, Joseph Paxton, Stacy Potts, Isaac Smith, Isaac
Collins, William Tucker, James Ewing, Conrad Kotts, Stephen Lowrey,
Abraham Hunt, Moore Furman, Robert Neil, Micajah How, Jacob Benjamin,
William Churchill Houston, John Neilson and Francis Witt. Messrs.
Potts, Furman, Ewing, Collins and Houston were elected the first
trustees. The capital stock consisted
of £270,
divided into thirty‑six shares of £7 10s. each, which were subject
to additional assessment to finish the school building. Each shareholder
had the right to send a child to the school without any charge for
the use of the building. Other students were charged, besides tuition,
a half dollar for rent. All students were subject to extra charges
for incidentals. On May 20, 1781, the trustees bought for
£15
the lot on Fourth (afterward Academy) Street where the school was
built. Additional adjacent lots were bought in 1783, 1788 and 1854.
The building, two stories high, twenty by twenty‑six feet, costing
£444, was far enough along on February 11, 1782,
to permit the opening of the school. James Burnside was the first
teacher, and the students during the first quarter numbered forty. The studies were
at first elementary but soon grammar‑school courses were added
under the charge of George Merchant. On January 1, 1783, the trustees
advertised in the New Jersey Gazette for "a writing master
and accountant" who must be "well qualified to teach writing,
arithmetic and bookkeeping," and "be well recommended for
sobriety, industry and capacity." The school was
soon further strengthened by subscriptions and by increasing the number
of stockholders, and two additional rooms were added in 1783. The
quarterly examinations including public speaking were held publicly
in the Presbyterian Church and attended by distinguished citizens
and visitors. On November 10,
1785, the school was incorporated by an act of the Legislature under
the name "The Proprietors of the Trenton Academy." A girls' school
was added in 1787 under the care of Mrs. John Mease, and in the same
year the Rev. James F. Armstrong, pastor of the Presbyterian Church,
was engaged to act as superintendent of the Academy, which position
he held until 1791. One of the pupils at this time was Charles Ewing,
afterward chief justice, who was prepared for Princeton College, where
he graduated with first honors in 1798. The Academy in 1794 obtained permission from the Legislature
to hold a lottery which added considerably to the funds. In 1800 the girls' school was moved to the brick schoolhouse
in the Presbyterian churchyard, this building being leased at $1.00
per year for the purpose and a second story added.
The first Sunday school of
the Methodists was conducted in the Academy building in 1816. The Academy seems to have enjoyed
its most flourishing period in the '50's. David Cole 4 was the very successful principal
from 1851 to 1857. Samuel Backus was a much respected teacher during
this period. He acted as vice-principal from 1847 until he succeeded
to the principalship in 1857, but he died shortly afterward. A catalog
of 1851-52 shows among the students Charles C. Abbott, S. Meredith
Dickinson, Ion H. Perdicaris, Washington and Ferdinand Roebling, William
S. Stryker, Clark Fisher and Alexander C. Yard. George S. Grosvenor
was principal from 1859 to 1875. Mr. Grosvenor, now (1929) in his
ninety‑eighth year, lives at Nice, France. 4 David Cole was an important
educational leader in the State at this time. An interesting chapter
written by him on school matters 1853-58, entitled "Educational
Reminiscences," appears in Murray's History of Education
in New Jersey. He was appointed a member of the first board of
trustees of the State Normal School at Trenton and was professor of
ancient literature at the same institution from 1857-58. In 1858 he
entered the ministry of the Dutch Reformed Church. The development of the State
Model School and‑ the public schools gradually caused a decline
in the number of pupils attending the old Academy. In 1884 its doors
were finally closed and its affairs settled under the receivership
of Barker Gummere. Clark Fisher purchased three of the lots and the
building in order to obtain the old bell. The property continued in
his possession until sold to the trustees of the Free Public Library
in 1900. During the Fisher ownership the building was used as a public
school annex and as a temporary abode for the School of Industrial
Arts.
II.
Public Schools
It must be remembered that
all municipal support of schools by taxation had to be authorized
by legislative action. We cannot here trace the growth of the public
school through the succession of Acts, Amendments, special Acts, and
Charter Provisions of subsequent years, except in a few instances.
The "Act to establish common schools" passed in 1829 and amended in 1830 seems to have induced Trenton's first step in public
education. The "Act to establish public schools" passed
in 1838 is important in that it removed
the pauper stigma from public schools. New Jersey settled the question
of public education in 1875 by
the following amendment to the Constitution: "The Legislature
shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient
system of free public schools for the instruction of all the children
in this State between the ages of five and eighteen years."
TRENTON'S FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOLS
5 Annual reports of the board of education of later years refer to the Free School Act passed in 1835, doubtless an error for 1829 or 1830, and name the earliest school trustees as Thomas J. Macpherson 1835-36, James Skirm 1835-39 and Benjamin F: Vancleve 1835-36. The earliest newspaper notice about a public
appropriation for the education of poor children, as permitted by
the Act of 1820, appeared
in the Trenton Federalist, April 16, 1827, when
it was stated that:
The township of Trenton, at
the late annual town meeting, voted 300 dollars for the schooling
of poor children. In the same newspaper a week later there appeared the
following statement:
Those indigent inhabitants of
Trenton, who wish to avail themselves of the benefit of the late appropriation
for schooling poor children, are requested to report their names,
residence and number of children, to either of the School Committee‑Gen.
G. D. Wall, Charles Parker, Charles Burroughs, William Potts and James
Hamilton. As the Act of 1820 did not
provide for the building and organization of schools, the money appropriated
was doubtless used to pay the fees of indigent children while in attendance
at some of the small private schools. Dr. Hall 6 says that for a time "the public schools" were under the direction
of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Lancaster whose "contract was to teach
eighty children for one year, and supply books and stationery, for
two hundred and seventy‑five dollars." 6 History of the Presbyterian Church, p. 247. The Act of 1829 went farther
and permitted the building and organization of public schools. The
following notice in the Trenton
Federalist on May 4, 1829, probably announced Trenton's first
public school. Although tax‑supported it was doubtless for the
poor only.
The Trenton Free School is now
open for the reception of Scholars. Persons who wish to send children,
are requested to make application to Mrs. Kitchen, at the building
lately occupied by Joseph Lancaster, as a School‑house. A notice in the
State Gazette on April 17,
1830, calling a meeting of the school committee of the township of
Trenton, when studied with other later notices, indicates that the
city of Trenton for school purposes was considered a part of the
larger township of Trenton, which was divided into five districts,
and that each district elected a school committeeman. Each district
had also three trustees, and the city of Trenton as then bounded was
district no. 1, of the township of Trenton. A news item a few weeks
later, May 1, 1830, in the State
Gazette, states that
Trenton township,
at the late town meeting, voted 400 dollars for the support of Common
Schools. The amount receivable by the township, this year, from the
State fund, 7 is 400 dollars. This, we understand,
includes this and last year's dividend. The annual amount which Trenton
township is entitled to draw [from the State fund] is 200 dollars.
7 The School Fund, established
by the Legislature in 1817, was New Jersey's first action toward a
system of public education. This fund has increased from $100,000
in 1818 to $11,126,416 in 1928. From the income annual appropriations
are made and apportioned to the Counties for public schools. This
annual appropriation has been increased from $20,000 in 1829 to $500,000
in 1928. Apportionment is now made on the basis of days' attendance.
Trenton's apportionment from the State Fund in 1928 was $12,299.
The next notice continues the story
COMMON SCHOOLS The Trustees for the district
comprising the city of Trenton, appointed under the act to establish
Common Schools, hereby give notice that they expect to have one or
more Schools open for the reception of scholars to be taught at the
public expense, on or about the first of June ensuing - and request
all those who may wish to send any children to said Schools to make
application with as little delay as possible to the trustees -that
they may know how many scholars to provide for. CHARLES.BURROUGHS
JOHN WILSON Trustees 8 8 State Gazette,
May 22, 1830. The same trustees, in the State Gazette of September 11, 1830, gave
notice that
The Schools supported by the
Public Funds, have commenced another quarter, and are not yet full
- those of the Trenton district wishing to send Children will please
to apply to Charles Burroughs for Tickets of admission.
In 1831 David Johnston was
elected school committeeman for the first district and the trustees
were John McCully, Joel Gordon and Charles C. Yard. A notice in the
State Gazette May 7, 1831, shows that there was to be opened on May
9 in the first district "the male school . . . under the tuition
of Mr. Charles Rice and the Female school . . . under the tuition
of Mrs. Kitchen." In May 1832 the trustees, Thomas
J. Stryker, Charles C. Yard and William P. Sherman, gave notice of
the opening of "the School for girls, and for colored Children"
on May 8 and at the same time they advertised for a teacher for "the
School for boys" which was to be opened on the twenty-third. The first published financial
report of Trenton's public schools submitted by Treasurer William
P. Sherman appeared in the State
Gazette on March 30, 1833:
The total receipts were $522.89 The expenditures were To Charles Rice, balance due
him for teaching male school in 1831
$92.40 To Elizabeth Kitchen, balance
due her for teaching female school in 1831 16.60 To James B. Stafford, balance
due him for teaching colored school in 1831 20.75 To Mrs. Gordon, for one quarter's
rent of room for white male school in 1831 6.oo To George Cole, for two quarters'
rent of room for colored school in 1831 6.oo To Charles C. Yard, Wm. Merseilles
and James Faussett, for re- pairs to room of white male school 5.35 To Charles Rice for benches
and desks for white male school
6.25 To George Sherman for printing
admission tickets for the year 1832
2.00 To Robert Parry for teaching
white male school one quarter, in the year 1832 70.00 To Daniel Coleman for teaching
do. part of succeeding quarter 8.00 To Mrs. Gordon for two quarters'
rent of white male school room in the year 1832, at 6 dols. per quarter 12.00 To Mrs. Fenton for teaching
white female school in 1832, two Quarters 150.00 To
Miss Stafford for teaching four children one quarter 6.00 To James B. Stafford for teaching
colored school two quarters, in 1832 116.75 To George Cole for two quarters'
rent of room for colored school, at 3 dolls. per quarter 6.00 Total amount paid
$524.10 Deduct amount received $522.89 Balance due treasurer $ 1.21 The trustees for the years
beginning May 1833 and 1834 were James Skirm, Benjamin S. Disbrow
and Joseph G. Brearley. It
was necessary again to advertise for teachers. Such were the beginnings of Trenton's free public schools.
So far they were conducted in rented rooms, and for the poor
only. Doubtless they were not largely attended because of the reproach
of pauperism. Ellis claims for Trenton "the honor of having
established the first free school in New Jersey," naming a school
organized in the old Masonic Hall in 1833 "where all the pupils
received free tuition." He attributed his information to Thomas
J. Macpherson who had been a teacher in that school. In view of the
above notices of 1829 and 1830 it is doubtful in what respect the
Masonic Hall school may claim to be the first. As mentioned above, the Act
of 1838 removed the pauper feature from public schools, and it seems
that thereafter for several years a small quarterly fee was charged,
because as Dr. Skelton complains, "the sums appropriated, and
allowed to be raised by tax, were so small that [free] provision could
only be made for those in extreme destitution." The following
notice, appearing in 1842, gives a rather full picture of our school
system at that time:
The schools will be opened on the first Monday in April. In the school
under the care of Mr. F. Kingman, at the State Bank building [corner
of Warren and Bank Streets], the [quarterly] rates of tuition will
be as follows For spelling, reading, writing,
defining, Arithmetic, Geography
$1.50 For these, with Grammar, History,
Rhetoric, Botany, Mathe‑ matics, Natural Philosophy or
Chemistry
$2.00 Music will be taught as a regular
branch of information, without extra charge; but not to such a degree
as to interfere, with the other studies of the school. Exercises on the
black board and slates, in Geography, Drawing, Orthography, Etymology,
Elements of Geometry, and Natural Philosophy, will form part of the
duties of each week; thus affording to every pupil an opportunity
of acquiring a practical knowledge of those branches without the expense
of text books. In the female
school under the care of Miss Mary Johnston, at the school house in
Perry St., the terms will be as follows For spelling, reading, writing,
defining, Arithmetic, Geography
$1.25 For these, with Grammar, Natural
Philosophy, History, Rhetoric and Botany
$1.75 A school will be opened at the
School House in Perry Street, under the are of Mrs. Mary Hunt, in which
the youngest white children, of both sexes, will be taught spelling
and reading. The terms in this school will be $1.00.
In the school for colored children, in Hanover Street,
under the care of Mr. Elymus Rogers, the terms
will be: For spelling and reading
$1.00 For
these, with writing, arithmetic and geography
$1.25 For
these, with other higher branches
$1.75 The number of scholars in each school is limited to fifty. By order of the Trustees, JAMES T. SHERMAN, Secretary.9
9 State Gazette, March 22, 1842. In the same year we note the
advent of the first "high" school in the following:
The schools will be opened,
for the next quarter, on Tuesday, the 5th of July. At that time will be commenced
in the upper room of the State Bank a
PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL under the superintendence of
William M. Hough, late Principal of the Norristown Academy. The terms
of tuition in this school will be as follows For reading, writing, arithmetic, and geography, $1.50
a quarter. For English grammar, composition, rhetoric, mathematics, natural philosophy and chemistry, $2.00. In
natural philosophy and chemistry, frequent lectures will be given,
illustrated with experiments, for which an apparatus is provided. Mr. H. will also
teach the Latin, Greek and French languages; but the Trustees do not
feel authorised to apply the public moneys to the support of a classical
school; and, therefore, the terms of tuition in these studies will
be $7.00 a quarter. . . . The school room
is large and airy, and has been painted and furnished so as to be
comfortable and attractive to the scholars; and the Trustees confidently
expect that this school will acquire general respect and approbation.
. . 10
10 State Gazette, June 30, 1842.
In 1844 the high school under
Mr. Hough and, shortly afterward, the primary departments were moved
to the old town hall 11 building on Academy Street. 11 This building served as the
town hall and jail from 1809 to 1838. The site had been purchased
by the city in 1808 from Peter Hunt, with the proviso that it was
to revert to his estate when no longer used for its original purpose.
The city acquired a clear title to the property in 1843 from William
E. Hunt for $100. It was in front of this building that the whipping
post stood until it surreptitiously disappeared one night in 1839. In 1848, according to Dr. Skelton,
the Trenton public schools were made free to all without fee.
THE
FIRST FREE PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILT ON CENTRE STREET We turn back now to that portion of Nottingham Township
which as South Trenton was annexed to Trenton in 1851, to quote from
Dr. Skelton who had been since 1842 a member of the school committee
of that township, and school superintendent 12 in 1847. 12 The early meaning of this term
is explained on p. 737. The school built on Centre
Street was, in Dr. Skelton's opinion, excepting the "pauper"
schools, "the first free public school established in our city,
and I believe, the first really free public school in our State."
He tells its story as follows: In the spring of 1843, the school
committee of the township [of Nottingham] recommended to the voters
to raise, by tax, eleven hundred dollars; six hundred to build a house,
and five hundred to support the school, which sums were voted almost
unanimously. The people said they were willing to raise any amount
necessary to support public schools, but not a dollar for pauper schools.
The opponents of public schools here raised legal questions and set
aside the proceedings of the town meeting as illegal. The school committee and the
citizens, then applied to the Legislature, to be allowed to raise,
by tax, one thousand dollars for the support of public schools, and
after much contention, succeeded in getting the privilege to raise
six hundred dollars for that purpose, and five hundred to build a
house. At the annual town meeting of 1844, the school committee recommended
to raise, by tax, the full sum allowed by the special township act,
and to appropriate the interest on the surplus fund of the general
government, and the tax on dogs, to the support of public schools,
which recommendations were carried by a large vote; the committee
had saved the two years' appropriation from the State fund, amounting
to about three hundred dollars. Thus the committee found themselves
in possession of less than two thousand dollars for the purpose of
building a house and supporting a public free school; and resolved
to proceed, immediately, to erect a suitable house. Here was the first
triumph of the friends of public education, and this too, after a
desperate struggle of two
years; and although the
sum raised was exceedingly small for the purpose of building a
house and supporting a school for over six hundred children, yet it
was a victory . . . . The committee then purchased
a lot, one hundred feet square, on Centre Street, near the First Baptist
Church, for the sum of one hundred and sixty dollars. They made a
contract with Mr. William Johnson to build a brick house, thirty by
fifty feet, two stories high, to contain four rooms, with seats in
each room for seventy‑five children. The cost of the building
furnished, and lot, was about twenty‑four hundred dollars.
When the building was finished, the committee found themselves in
debt about fifteen hundred dollars. Thus far they had proceeded without
taking legal advice, and now, they were informed, by a celebrated
lawyer, that their proceedings were illegal, and that they had no
right to borrow money and mortgage the house for the payment of the
money. A town meeting was called, and the people, by a vote directed
the town committee to mortgage the house and pledge the faith of the
township for its redemption; accordingly the money was raised, and
the difficulty settled. About the first of September, 1844, 13 four teachers were employed,
to take charge of the schools - Mr. Joseph Roney, as principal, and
the following named ladies as assistants: Miss Susan S. Albertson,
Miss Hannah Carlin and Miss Sarah Joycelin. The first at an annual
salary of four hundred dollars, and the others at one hundred and fifty dollars each. The
first day the schools were opened, over four hundred children presented
themselves for admission, about half of whom had never attended school
of any kind. Here was serious practical difficulty‑how shall
this surplus of applicants be disposed of; shall they be crowded into
the rooms, one hundred in each room, or shall they be sent home, and
thus deprived of the blessings of education? The committee concluded
to meet this difficulty by a general rule. The State law admitted
all over five years of age; the committee made a rule to exclude all
under seven years of age, and thus give the oldest the first privilege,
and let the younger come in as they advanced in years. This rule worked
well, and left in attendance about three hundred children. After three
days of incessant labor, order was brought out of confusion, and the
gratifying spectacle was presented of three hundred children seated
at their desks pursuing their studies with cheerfulness and good order.
This result was highly gratifying to the friends of education; and
now, after the lapse of thirty‑one years, the recollection returns
with vivid pleasure. Nottingham township at that time contained over
six hundred children, capable of attending school; not over one hundred
of whom had been attending any school. Hundreds of children were educated
in this institution who would otherwise have grown up in ignorance,
and many in vicious habits; many of these, then children, are now
heads of families, prosperous and happy. Much clamor was raised against
building a house so large and fine; a brick building two stories high,
containing four rooms, was evidence of a spirit of extravagance that
was sure to ruin the country. On looking back, we, at this time [1876],
think it very strange, that such objections should have been urged
against such a building. Mr. Joseph Roney, the principal, introduced
music at the organization of this school; he led on the violin and
sang appropriate school songs. Music had great influence here, in
harmonizing discordant and unruly feelings, at the same time it enlivened
the feelings of the children and enabled them to make more rapid progress
in their studies. 13 This date should read 1845.
An article in the State Gazette
April 25, 1845, tells of this building as about to be built. This
is confirmed also by Dr. Skelton's reference below "and now,
[1876] after the lapse of thirty‑one years."
This school was first known
as the Centre Street School. Two additional rooms were built in 1856.
When in the early '7o's further addition was contemplated, it was
decided to erect an entirely new building which was completed in 1876.
This building is still in service. In r89i it was fittingly renamed
the Charles Skelton School.
THE
ACADEMY STREET SCHOOL We must return
again to Dr. Skelton to whose persistent efforts so much of the early
public school progress was due. In 1847 he moved into Trenton proper
and for the next three years was elected superintendent of schools
in Trenton. His story of the first school building in Trenton, erected
on the site of the old town hall and jail building, follows: This school in the old jail
[on Academy Street] had for some years been under the control of the
Common Council, and was not free, except to the destitute; but each
pupil was required to pay a tuition fee. The fee policy was changed
in 1848, and all the children were admitted without charge. The free
system, and a change in the organization of the schools, largely increased
the number of applicants for admission, and created a necessity for
more rooms and more teachers. In the spring of 1849, the trustees
and superintendent recommended to the citizens to vote for making
a loan of six thousand dollars, to pay for the erection of a new school
house. The vote was accordingly taken, and carried by a large majority.
Legal difficulties were raised by the opponents of public schools,
and the Common Council refused to raise the money. The trustees and
superintendent, at the next session of the Legislature, applied for
authority.to make a loan of six thousand dollars to build a school house, and to raise, by tax, any sum not
to exceed two thousand dollars, to support the schools. In the spring
of 1850, the citizens voted to make the proposed loan, and to raise,
by tax, the full amount allowed by law for the support of the schools. The trustees and superintendent
immediately resolved to pull down the old jail, and to build on the
lot where it stood, a house suited to the wants of the city. The lot
adjoining on the east, was purchased at a cost of $737.50. A plan
was drawn by the superintendent and adopted by the trustees, to put
up a building three stories high, with a basement for a lecture room,
and four rooms above, on each floor. This plan the trustees were obliged
to reduce by taking off the basement and third story, in consequence
of the sum of money in their possession being too small to pay for
the building on the original plan. This change was much to be regretted,
as it marred very much the beauty of the building, and deprived the
city of four good school rooms and a large lecture room. A contract
was made with James Hammell, and the building erected at a cost of
$4,723. The building was opened for the reception of pupils on the
first day of October, 1850, and immediately filled. Six hundred children
were seated under the tuition of the following named teachers: G[eorge]
G. Roney, as principal, and Miss P. S. Vancleef, Miss L. H. Tucker,
Miss S[usan] S. Albertson, Miss Sarah] P. Yard, Miss Mary Johnson,
Miss M. J. Mitchell and Miss M[aria] W. Thomson, as assistants. The Academy Street School has
continued to serve the purposes of public education from that day
until this. The third story was added in 1876. For a short period
it was called the Charles Skelton School, but in t89i was renamed
in honor of Joseph Wood who was the mayor of Trenton from 1856‑59.
The principal of this school from 1874 until his retirement in 1913
was Lewis C. Wooley. A special Act of the Legislature
in 1850 made the city of Trenton one school district and enabled the
trustees to take title to land, erect buildings and accept trusts,
and another special Act in 1856 enlarged the powers of the trustees;
making them more independent of Common Council. A brief chronicle must suffice
for the years from 1850 to 1888. During these years the public schools
grew steadily in strength and numbers but the growth was slow and
painful. There were always pupils on the waiting list for admission
and many makeshifts were adopted. Nearly every year rooms and annexes
were rented for school purposes here and there about the city. The
school system was crudely organized and weak both in business methods
and in pedagogy. The superintendents and trustees, without remuneration,
gave what time they could take from their business and private affairs. The outstanding superintendents
were Abram R. Harris 1851‑57 and 1859‑63, who succeeded
Dr. Skelton; William S. Yard 1857‑59; Thomas J. Corson 1863‑68;
Dr. Cornelius Shepherd 1868‑76 and 1881‑84; and Edward
S. Ellis 1884‑85. Among active supporters of
public schools during this period was David Naar, 14 editor and proprietor of the
True American. He was a member of the board of trustees 1854‑55
and 1860‑68. Through the columns of his paper and in public
addresses he ably championed the cause of public education both at
home and elsewhere in the State. His printed address of 1862 to the
trustees and teachers shows that public schools were still much on
the defensive, particularly on the subject of tax support. 14 For further
reference in this chapter to David Naar, see p. 746. He was the father
of Joseph L. Naar.
THE
NEXT SCHOOL BUILDINGS The next new school building was erected in 1857 on
Bellevue Avenue, then Higbee Street, for the accommodation of colored
children. 15 The colored children were later
transferred to a rented building on Belvidere Street and in 1872 to
a new school building on Ringold Street, which was sold in 1883, on
the completion of the Lincoln School on Bellevue Avenue. The Higbee
Street School was in 1896 named the Nixon School in honor of Judge
John T. Nixon. The building is now used as a carpenter shop, it having
been discarded for school use a few years ago.
15 Mention of a public school
for colored children on Hanover Street has been made previously. As
far as is known this was the first school for colored children. The
building had been a meeting house for colored people for many years
before. Because of complaints about its dilapidated condition, this
building, then popularly called "Nightmare Hall," was sold
by the city in 1855 for $21 and removed. The Young Women's Christian
Association now occupies the site. The next new building was the
Market Street School on the corner of Market and Cooper Streets. It
was opened in 1859 with Charles Britton as principal. In 1896 it was
renamed the Cooper School in honor of Peter Cooper. The Union Street School was
dedicated in 1869, and in 1896 named the Parker .School in honor of
Clara Parker, an early school teacher in that vicinity. The Rose Street School was opened
in 1870. Marcia M. Wright served as principal from 1870 to her retirement
in 1902 In 1896 this school
was named the Livingston School in honor of New Jersey's first governor
after independence was declared. In 1872 a new school was opened
on Grant Avenue. It was later named the U. S. Grant School. Kate Weeks
was principal from the opening until her retirement in 1895.
THE
SCHEDULE OF EARLY SALARIES A glance at the early salaries
of teachers is of interest. In 1860 the list was as follows
Joseph Roney, principal Academy
.Street School $800 Charles Britton, principal Market
Street School 700 Charles Sutterley, principal
Centre Street School 660 William H. Brace, teacher 475 19 "lady" teachers,
each 250
In 1871 the following schedule
was adopted:
First, Second and Third grades
$450 Fourth grade $1,100 male, $500 female Fifth grade (presumably male)
$1,200
In 1861 two supervising principals
were appointed, and a northern and southern division designated with
the Assunpink Creek as the boundary. Joseph Roney was appointed for
the northern and Charles Britton for the southern district. Each,
of course, continued his previous duties as a school principal and
teacher. In 1864 Joseph Roney was elected supervising principal of
all schools at a salary of $1,000 but after a year he resigned to
take a similar position in Scranton. Night schools were first opened
in 1864 in the Academy Street and Market Street Schools, with a total
average attendance of 150. The Young Men's Christian Association
pledged $50 to furnish books and stationery. Night or evening schools
have been conducted at intervals ever since, but their early years
were marred by the invasion of hoodlums and rowdies and there was
no definite program of instruction.
THE
FIRST HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING The year 1874 was memorable
in Trenton's annals in that it saw the completion of the first high
school, an event which superintendents, trustees and intelligent citizens
had been advocating ever since it was first urged in 1858 by William
S. Yard, then superintendent. After several refusals, Common Council
in 1873 granted an appropriation of $7,000 for the purchase of a lot
of one hundred feet frontage on Mercer Street. The new school, costing
in all about $30,000, was opened
in October. It had seats for 304 pupils and there were 296 pupils
the first year. William H. Brace, then principal of the Academy Street
School, was appointed the first principal, in which office he continued
to serve until the next high school was opened in 1902. A list of
the first teachers and their subjects follows:
William H. Brace, Principal,
and Teacher of Classical Literature.
SENIOR DEPARTMENT Joseph R. Encke, Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
JUNIOR DEPARTMENT Harriet Dickinson, Mathematics and History.
The principal and Mr. Encke
received annual salaries of $1,200 each and the other teachers $500
each.
The board of
education in 1887 first began to provide free text‑books, a
policy which was rapidly extended to include all schools and all grades.
In 1894 an Act of Legislature made this compulsory throughout the
State.
OTHER NEW SCHOOLS Between the opening
of the new high school and the year 1888 a number of school buildings
were erected or otherwise acquired. The Mott School on Centre Street
was built in 1881. At first called the Sixth Ward School, it was in
1896 renamed in honor of General Gershom Mott who once lived about
where the school stands. It was considerably remodelled and enlarged
in 1912. Previous to 1881 there was another
school nearby on Second Street which had been built for Nottingham
township in 1854. The first Lincoln School was
built on Bellevue Avenue in 1883 for colored children. The principal
from that time until his retirement in 1913 was Spencer P. Irwin. The Peabody School, built in
1882, was first called, from its location, the West Hanover Street
School. In 1896 it was named in honor of George L. Peabody. The present Administration Building
was first a private school known as the Institute. It was bought by
the city in 1884 and called the Stockton Street School. In 1896 it
was named in honor of Commodore Richard Stockton. In 1912 this building
was enlarged and devoted entirely to administration purposes. By the annexation of Millham
in 1888 the school on Girard Avenue was acquired. It was named in
1896 in honor of Stephen Girard. It was built in 1884 by district
no. 20, and first called the Millham
Public School. With the annexation of Chambersburg,
Trenton acquired in 1888 the Centennial, Washington and old Franklin
Schools. The old Franklin School is on
the corner of Liberty and William Streets. The first school on this
site was built in 1857 but replaced in 1880. Known then as the Hamilton
School and also as the Academy, it was upon annexation named the
Franklin School. It has now outlived its usefulness. Adjacent to
it is the new Franklin School built in 1913. The Washington School was built
in 1867 by the trustees of district no. 34. Numerous additions and
alterations have been made. Before annexation it was known as the
Chambersburg School and also as the "White" School from
its coating of white rough casting. The Centennial School on Whittaker
Avenue was built in 1876 by the trustees of district no. 34. Additions
were made in 1878 and 1887. The Monument School on Pennington
Avenue was opened in 1889 and enlarged in 1895.
B.
C. GREGORY BECOMES SUPERVISING PRINCIPAL A new epoch in
Trenton school history began in 1888 when the board appointed Benjamin
C. Gregory to the position of supervising principal of the Trenton
schools, a fortuitous choice which we owe to a committee of the school
trustees consisting of Frank O. Briggs, John A. Campbell and George
W. Macpherson. These gentlemen reported that "the necessity for
this officer was very pressing. The members of the Board are all men
engaged in active business and not versed in the science of teaching.
They have neither the time nor the training to decide all the technical
questions arising in the management of our schools. We believe that
the citizens of Trenton wish the schools of this city run on business
principles: that a school system without a practical school man at
its head is in the same condition as any other business without a
proper head." After the first year of the Gregory administration
the committee felt that "as a result, a strong homogeneous, efficient
system is being evolved from the old ones [the High School, the Northern
District, the Southern Districts and the recently annexed Chambersburg
and Millham Schools]‑a system that will be a power in the development
of the city and a source of pride to its inhabitants." Gregory set about at once to
reorganize the school system and to lift it out of its provincialism.
He was gifted with a genius for inspiring leadership and he brought
to his work culture, urbanity and wide experience. He kept not only
abreast but ahead of the times and he was always alert to bring to
Trenton the best methods and practices that experience elsewhere had
developed. He was intensely though sensibly modern and he would have
been considered so even today without much alteration in the point
of view he held over a quarter of a century ago. Gregory rightly felt that his
most important task was to develop better teaching. He found standards
low and that little regard had been given to teaching ability when
teachers were employed. Only a high school education was required
of a beginning teacher and she learned her art generally by unsupervised
practice on her unfortunate pupils. In a short time the requirements
were raised to include a normal or training school education. The
Hewitt Training School was soon instituted where a class of pupil
teachers could both observe the best teaching in actual practice
and take courses in teaching methods, psychology and kindred pedagogic
subjects. Meetings and conferences of both teachers and principals
were introduced and the supervising principal gave a great deal of
his time to helpful visiting of the school rooms. A monthly round
table, a voluntary reading circle and a consulting library of professional
books were established. Teachers were urged to take summer courses.
Every effort was made to encourage continued study and self improvement
on the part of all teachers.
Gregory had the courage to "import" occasionally a teacher
from elsewhere, for he found the teaching force anemic from the lack
of new blood. Attention was given to the salary schedule. Gregory
found teachers' salaries very low and without relation to improvement
or length of service. The average teacher received $45 per month, whether good, bad
or indifferent, whether just appointed or of long experience. In
time new schedules improved salaries and related them to ability and
length of service. Limited space permits mention
of only a few of the progressive undertakings of the Gregory administration.
The high school was strengthened by moving the junior section, the
seventh and eighth grades, from the high school to the grammar schools.
A commercial course was introduced which became at once popular and
successful. Agitation for a new high school was begun which in 1901
culminated in the new high school on the corner of Hamilton and Chestnut
Avenues. The project was approved by popular vote in 1896, 3989 "for"
and 2243 "against," but legal
and financial difficulties stayed progress for several years. Gregory gave immediate attention
to improving the evening schools. He found that "what should
be taught was left to the caprice of the teacher. No plan of work,
no one was responsible for the work, few if any books, no organization
and poor discipline." Systematic courses were provided, successful
and experienced teachers chosen, and order and discipline were required
and maintained. The employment of a special officer helped considerably.
The following report of efficient Officer B. Sholes in 1893
gives
an interesting picture of conditions:
I reach the schools about 6:45
p.m., and generally find many boys around making considerable noise.
As soon as I arrive there is less noise. I remain there until school
opens and see that there is as little confusion as possible; stay
awhile after school commences, and if any are there that do not belong
to the school I drive them away. These are the persons who want to
stay around and call and whistle to their friends inside. When all
is quiet I go to another school, and generally find outside boys around.
I drive them away and remain until school is out, and see that all
are away before I leave . . . . I reach all the different schools
every other night; the oftener they see me, the better the order is.
An evening high school was established for the first
time in 1890, in rented rooms on the third floor of 120 North Broad Street. The supervisor
of evening schools from 1896‑1916 was Eva Ellis. Gregory gave constant attention
to improving the comfort, attractiveness and sanitation of the school
buildings. There was general rejoicing in 1912 when the board contracted for one clean towel for every
class room each day. Slates and slate‑pencils about this time
gave way to paper, lead pencils, pen and ink. Many innovations such as art,
music, physical education, manual training and kindergartens, which
we may be sure conservative citizens decried as fads but which no
self‑respecting public school would be without today, were urged
by Gregory. For some of these he merely prepared the way for their
establishment under his successor. An accomplished musician himself,
Gregory particularly urged and developed the study of this art. Some
attention had been given to music previously. Joseph Roney from September
1855 to April 1856 had been engaged to teach music, and in 1875 Gertrude
Deckrow was appointed for the same purpose. The first supervisor was
Lottie G. Johnston who acted in this capacity from 1891 to 1894. This
luxury was forgone then until 1897 when Lella Parr acted as supervisor
for a year. In 1898, Catherine M. Zisgen, then a teacher in the Washington
School, was appointed supervisor of music, a position which she has creditably held ever since. The first mothers' meeting
in Trenton at the Cadwalader School in 1900 and the organization of
a Parents' Society in the same school in 1901‑02, marked the beginning of these endeavors which have had much to do with
bringing schools and parents into closer cooperation and understanding.
Another step in this direction had been previously adopted by Gregory
in the institution of monthly reports on each pupil to his parents. In 1902 Dr. Gregory resigned
to become school superintendent of Chelsea, Mass. During his administration
the enrolment had increased from 5,631 to 9,119, the number of school
rooms from 124 to 211, the seating capacity from 6,000 to 10,067,
the number of teachers from 124 to 220, and the high school pupils
from 285 to 589. SCHOOL
BUILDINGS ACQUIRED DURING THE GREGORY ADMINISTRATION The John A. Roebling School,
on a plot bounded by Home Avenue, Beatty and Orange Streets, was opened
in 1889. It was destroyed by fire in 1902 and immediately rebuilt. The Columbus School, on the
corner of Brunswick Avenue and Mulberry Street, was opened in 1892.
A considerable addition was built in 1913. The Hewitt School, bounded by
Washington, Roebling and Emory Avenues, was opened in 1891. It was
originally called the Hewitt Training School, and was named for Charles
S. Hewitt. The Cadwalader .School, on the
corner of Murray and Boudinot Streets, was opened in 1893. It had
its origin in a rented room on the corner of Montgomery Place and
West End Avenue (then Philemon Street). Additions were made in 1897
and 1907. The Hamilton School on the corner
of Hamilton Avenue and Anderson Street, was opened in 1897. Through the annexation of Wilbur
in 1898, Trenton acquired the William G. Cook and the James Moses
Schools. The Cook School is on Cuyler Avenue and was first opened
in 1891 and the Moses School on Park Avenue was first used in 1897. The annexation of a part of
Ewing township in 1900 brought in the Hillcrest School and Brookville
School. The latter; named the Dorothy Dix School, was afterward abandoned.
THE
NEW HIGH SCHOOL An outstanding event of the Gregory administration was the achievement of a new high school building on the corner of Hamilton and Chestnut Avenues. It was dedicated April 8, 1901, and its total cost was about $138,500, representing efforts of the trustees and commissioners for a period of ten years.16 The first principal was Dr. William A. Wetzel, who today in the same position is busy with plans for Trenton's next new high school shortly to be begun. The growth and improvement of the high school, its courses and instruction under Dr. Wetzel, are matters well known to thousands of Trentonians who have profited thereby. The city of Trenton has had no more faithful, untiring and efficient public servant than Dr. Wetzel. In 1906 an athletic field was acquired by funds solicited by the pupils, large contributors to which were Ferdinand W. and Washington A. Roebling. In 1911 a pipe organ, the first of its kind in any public high school, was installed at a cost of $5,000, which amount was raised by the school. Unfortunately as early as 1905 the number of pupils began to exceed the seating accommodations and the operation of the high school ever since has been increasingly handicapped by lack of space. Today the old building and a part of the adjacent Carroll Robbins School accommodate together only the eleventh and twelfth grades. The whole tenth grade is crowded tempora |
