Galesburg public schools, their history and work, 1861-1911

Preface

In the autumn of 1909, Mr. Fred R. Jelliff, Chairman of the Program Committee of the Knox County Historical Society, asked the writer to prepare and read a paper on the History of the Pubhc Schools of Galesburg before the Society sometime during the following winter. In gathering the material for this purpose it was found that there was enough to make a paper sufficiently long to be read at one meeting without taking up the history of the schools under their present organization ; so the paper read at that time was on the "History of the Public Schools from 1840 to 1861." The Society, in passing its customary vote of thanks, included in it a request that the writer continue the history down to the present time. This request was seconded by the Board of Education at its meeting the following month, on motion of Director Mrs. G. W. Thompson. Accordingly for two years the writer spent most of his vacations and evenings in preparing this work, and he has made no statement of facts without having the best evidence — which was the original when obtainable — before him ; there may of course be some clerical errors.

The regular meeting of the Board of Education in June, 1911, was the fiftieth anniversary of its organization. At the next meeting, held three days later, Mr. L. T. Stone, who was beginning his thirty-fourth year as a member of the Board, realizing the help that a knowledge of those years gave him in meeting the issues of to-day and believing that a complete history of the schools would be of great service to the mem-

(iii)

iv GALESBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS

bers of the Board in the future, moved the adoption of the following: "Resolved, That the Board iof Education request Mr. W. L. Steele, Superintendent of Schools, to prepare for publication a History of the Public Schools for the past fifty years, with a statement of the work being done to-day, for present and future reference." The motion prevailed by a unanimous vote. It was his opinion that, as the Board had not published a report for four years, it would be justified in expending the amount necessary to print such a work as its Semi-Centennial Report of the Schools.

Thus this work has been prepared in response to a local demand, and the constant endeavor has been not only to preserve the worth-while facts of the past half-century but to present them in such a way that they may be readily serviceable to the coming generations. That part which contains "The Work of the Schools" has been prepared in the same manner regardless of the merits or demerits of the work, though the writer is conscious that it has many of the latter. However, if the schools are to be intelligently and progressively conducted in the future, a knowledge of their condition present and past is necessary. It is hoped, therefore, that this record of the Galesburg Public Schools may find among the citizens many readers, as the best interests of the schools are safe only in the keeping of those who have an intelligent knowledge of their mission and their work.

W. L. STEELE, November, 1911. Superintendent of Schools.

Increase in pdpulatidn, emrdllment

INTHE GRADE5,AND IN THE HIGH 5CHDDL,

BV DECADES.

^m PDPULATIDN GRADES WM HIGH 5GHDDL

Chart showing Increase in Population and School Enrollment. by Decades.

a ^

. be be c w — 5 ti 'a CQ

c _ S o 2

u « -S

CM CM c

CO O m

O „=* O rt

U a; o " n cs c > a> C 5 ^ C

CM CM

Chapter I

1. Organization of the Board 1

Committees ; Oflficers ; Re-election of Board members ; Course

of study and attendance, 3.

2. Terms of Agreement with the Teachers 4

Second Board meeting ; Private schools and teachers, 4 — Tuition schools and tuition, 5.

3. Equipment 6

Buildings ; Janitor service, 6.

4. The School Year, Arrangement of Terms and Sessions 6

Length of school year, 6 — The noon recess, 7.

5. The Teaching Force 7

CHAPTER H.

PERIOD OF COLLEGE CONTROL: 1862-1874.

1. College Influence 8

2. School Buildings and Development of School Property 9

The first schoolhouse; Churchill School; Purchase of site, 10 —

Voted to build; Plans adopted, 11— Bonds for $40,000 voted; Building begun, 12 — More bonds voted ; Building completed ; Description of the building, 13 — Cost of building, 14 — Half-day sessions; Present High School site purchased, 15 — Crisis of 1867, 16 — Improvements made in 1867 ; Fourth Ward school building, 17 — Board's relation to City Council, 18 — Suit against City Council, 19 — Tax levy of 1872; Fifth Ward school building, 20 — A strange mistake, 21 — Third Ward site purchased; Janitors; Tree planting, 22 — Summary of improvements, 23.

3. The Board and Its Responsibilities 23

All matters referred to the Board; Dissatisfied parents, 23 —

Resolution on discipline, 2'4 — Pupils sometimes expelled ; Teachers come to the Board, 25 — Noon recess; Examinations, 26 — Absence of method, 27.

vi GALESBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS

4. Position of the Superintendent; Regulations for Teachers

AND Pupils 28

Powers of the Superintendent, 28 — Salary of Superintendent; Teachers, their duties, etc., 29— Salaries of Teachers, 30— School shortened, 32 — Payment of salaries; Knox County Institute, 33 — Educational journals; Rules for pupils, 34.

Reading; Arithmetic, 35— Geography ; Grammar; Spelling, 36 —

Miscellaneous branches; Oral instruction; Ten grades below the High School, 37.

6. The High School and the Colleges 38

High School ; Effect of High School on college attendance, 38—

Location of the High School; Principals of High School; High School not popular, 39 — Graduating exercises; Course of study; Literary society, 40— The third year, 41.

7. The Question of Color 41

First colored school, 41 — Colored teachers for colored schools ; Simmons street and East Main street colored schools, 42 — Civil suit threatened ; Huntington's resolution, 43 — The Willoughby resolution, 44 — The colored schoolhouses burned, 46.

8. Special Schools 46

German school, 46 — Ungraded school, 47 — Night school, 48.

9. Special Branches 50

Penmanship, 50 — Music, 51 — Mrs. Cooke employed by the Board, 52 — Supplementary reading ; Churchill resolution on supplementary reading, 53 — Gymnastics ; Drawing, bookkeeping, etc., 54.

10. Principals 54

Men for principals, 54.

11. Library 55

12. Limitations 56

School age changed to six years ; Tax limit ; Salary paid clerk and treasurer, 56 — One session a day; Superintendent's report; Number of teachers, 57 — Changes in the members of the Board of Education, 58.

13. Resignation of Superintendent Roberts 58

Letter of resignation, 59.

Tax levies, 61 — Bonds issued, 62.

Chapter III. Period Of Retrenchment: 1874-1885

1. School Buildings in Third, Sixth and Seventh Wards 65

Character of the period, 63 — A new superintendent employed, 64 — School buildings ; Third Ward building, 65 — Origin of second contention, 66 — Seventh Ward building, 67 — Sixth Ward building, 68 — Every section had its new schoolhouse, 69.

CONTENTS vii

2. Losses by Fire 69

Buildings burned, 69 — Fourth Ward schoolhouse burned, 70 —

Heating S3'steni changed ; Addition to Fourth Ward, 71.

3. The Board and Its Activities 72

The function of committees, 72 — Teachers examined, 73 — Teachers again examined, 75 — Superintendent's salary; Salaries increased,

76 — Salaries decreased ; Salaries restored, 77 — School elections ; Vaccination. 78 — Examinations ; Complaints, 79 — Lots sold, 80.

4. Teachers' Meetings and Voluntary Training 80

Teachers' meetings, 80 — Professor Hamill, 82.

5. Courses of Study 82

Course of study of 1878, 82 — Reading, 83 — Arithmetic; Grammar ; Geography ; Spelling, 84 — -Penmanship ; Drawing ; Course of study of 1884, 85 — Penmanship ; Drawing, 86 — Music ; Kindergarten work, 87 — Text-books adopted, 88 — Publications, 90.

6. Special Schools 90

Night school ; Ungraded school, 90.

7. Special Features of Organization 91

Classification, 91 — Two dismissals ; Substitutes ; Attendance, 92 —

Special features, 93.

8. Improvements and Alterations 94

Telephones ; City water ; Fire escape ; Other improvements, 94 —

Beautifying school grounds; The chapel divided; Religious exercises, 95 — Centennial Exposition ; Fiscal year, 96.

9. The High School 96

Growth ; Course of study, 96 — High School preparatory for college, 97 — Third course of study; Graduation exercises, 98 — Prizes

to graduates, 99 — Alumni Association organized, 100.

10. Resignation of Superintendent M. Andrews 101

Board of Education ; Growth, 102 — Tax levies, 103.

Chapter IV. Period Of Continuous Growth: 1885-1911

1. School Buildings 104

Favorable conditions ; Questions involved, 104 — Board decides to build a new High School, 105 — Proposition to divide the $25,- 000, 106 — ^The Board makes its first visit to other cities ; Plan of the building, 107 — Changes in the High School ; Selecting a site for a new schoolhouse, 108 — The Lincoln School ; Naming the schools, 110 — No more bonds to be issued; New policy as to size of viii GALESBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS

buildings adopted, 112 — An addition made to the Hitchcock School; The disadvantage of pupils changing schools in the fourth and fifth grades, 114 — Addition to Weston School, 115 — An addition made to the High School, 116 — Plans for the addition; Hunt property purchased; Addition made to Bateman School, 118 — Addition to Lincoln School, 119 — Heating plant in High School changed to steam ; Addition made to Douglas School, 120 — Building the Central Primary, 121 — The material used ; Other contracts ; The building completed, 122 — The district found prepared to build a High School, 123 — Galesburg High School building a pioneer; One hundred thousand dollars voted for a High School building, 124 — Selling of the bonds ; The method of obtaining the plans, 125 — Cost of the building, 126 — Furnishing the building, 127 — Total cost; A heating plant considered, 128 — How^ the money was raised, 129 — Building of the heating plant, 130 — Opening of the High School building; The Farnham School, 131.

2. Other Permanent Improvements 132

Churchill building dry closets, 132 — Steps brought inside the building; Tower of Churchill School damaged by fire, 133 — Improvements on Cooke School ; A modern system of ventilating installed in Hitchcock School; Manual training addition made to the High School, 134 — A smoke consumer for the heating plant ; Improvements made at Douglas School, 135 — Humidity device installed in Bateman School ; Addition made to Weston School grounds ; Addition made to the Churchill grounds, 136 — Summary of investments in permanent improvements, 137 — Schools in buildings other than the property of the Board, 138.

3. Protection from Fire 138

Fire escapes, 138 — Fire drills ; Fires, 139.

4. Music, Drawing and Physical Training 140

Introduction of music, 140 — Introduction of drawing; Introduction of physical culture, 141.

5. The Training School 142

Teachers' Training School organized, 142 — Plan of the Training

School, 143 — Advantages of the Training School, 144.

6. Methods 145

Reading, 145 — Supplementary reading; Arithmetic, 146 — Language, 148 — Geography and history; Spelling. 149 — Penmanship, 150 — Physiology and hygiene; Nature study, 151.

7. The Teachers and Means for their Improvement 152

Teachers' meetings; Educational books studied at these meetings,

152— -Discussions of the problems of the day reported ; Program furnished by different schools, 153 — Interesting accounts of journeys given; Addresses by prominent educators of the state, 154 — Addresses by the pastors of the city, 155 — Addresses by physicians ; Other speakers who addressed these meetings ; University Exten-

CONTENTS ix

sion Lectures ; Grade meetings, 156 — Teachers' Library ; Central Illinois Teachers' Association, 157 — Military Tract Educational Association, 158.

8. Pupils and their Special Activities 158

Method of promoting pupils ; Exhibition of school work, 158 —

School entertainments, 159— Teaching patriotism, 160 — Remembering the poor on Thanksgiving day; Furnished children's room in hospital, 162 — An act of kindness by the pupils ; Another boy helped ; Benevolences of the High School ; Other collections, 163 — Elxhibition of school w^ork; Work at St. Louis Exposition, 164.

9. Text-books 165

Readers used, 165 — Spelling books ; Histories ; Music books ;

Drawing books ; Physiologies, 166 — Language books ; Arithmetics ; Geographies ; Cop}'^ books ; A rule to govern the change of textbooks ; School apparatus, 167.

10. Administrative Measures 169

Vaccination ; Half-day sessions, 169 — Flags for the schools ;

Parents complain ; Truant officer, 170 — School nurse ; Resolutions of respect and sympathy, 171 — Bond issues, 172 — Land purchased and sold, 173 — Reports printed ; Reading the Bible in the schools ; Beautifying the school grounds, 174 — Drinking fountains; Tuition, 175 — Board of Education rooms, 176 — Moving Public Library, 177 — The Children's Library and Reading Room ; How the Children's Library came to be organized, 178 — Use made of the library, 179.

11. Salaries 179

Salary of the Superintendent of schools, 179 — Salaries of High School teachers ; Salaries of grade teachers ; Petitions for increase of salaries, 180^ — Schedule of salaries for grade teachers, 181 — Reason it is difficult to increase salaries of grade teachers ; Janitors' salaries; Salar>' of the engineer; Janitors make the repairs, 182— A faithful janitor, 183.

12. The High School and Dev'elopment of Its Activities 184

High school changes its function ; English course introduced,

184 — Second revision of the curriculum ; A fourth year added ; Manual training introduced, 185 — Work of the department, 186 — The finished product ; Equipment before the fire, 187 — Equipment after the fire ; Number taking manual training, 188 — Domestic science introduced. 189 — How the department of speaking came to be organized, 191 — Declamatory contests ; Literary societies organized, 192 — Lincoln Debating Club ; Elizabethan Literary Society, 193 — The Budget, 194 — Dramatic Club ; A printing plant purchased, 195 — The printing plant presented to the Board ; Work done in the print shop ; Expenses of the shop, 196 — Value of the printing plant; Gregg Shorthand Club; The first history of the High School, 197 — German Club ; Musical organizations, 198 — Athletic organizations ; Men teachers, 199 — Individual instruction ; The study hall plan, 200 — Causes for the growth of the school, 201 — The significant place of the high school, 202.

X GALESBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS

13. The Elective System 203

All studies made elective ; Reasons for making the studies elective, 203 — Form of diploma used; Opposition to elective studies; Elective system explained, 204 — Effects on attendance; Criticism of the three-year course, 205.

14. The Board and Its Experiences 208

Board members faithful, 208 — Harmony in the Board; Permanency of the Board members, 209 — Women on the Board of Education; How changes in efficient Boards should be made, 210 — Members defeated by the A. P. A. organization, 211.

15. The Semi-Centennial Celebration 211

Events of the field day; Assistance given by the patrons of the

schools, 212 — Organization of Playground Association; The Reflector; Alumni banquet, 213.

Tax levies, 216.

Chapter V

The first schoolhouse, 217 — The first teacher ; Location of schoolhouses, 218 — County records, 219 — Poverty of the districts, 22(>— School laws of 1825, 221 — The school section, 222 — Amount realized from school section, 223 — Income from township funds ; Public indifference to schools, 224 — John F. Eberhart, 225 — Simeon Wright, 226— Attitude of the college; Private schools, 227— The moneyed interests, 228 — Jealousy of the district; Conditions opposed to free schools; Professor Churchill, 229 — Henry Barnard, 230— W. S. Baker; Horace Mann, 231— Silas Willard. 232— Union graded schools adopted, 233 — The school charter; Opposition in the legislature, 235 — Three amendments made; Cause of delay at Springfield, 236 — Two jokers in the charter; Election denied by council ; School directors elected, 237 — Union graded schools organized ; Union graded schools opened, 23&— Mrs. Tryon Preceptress ; Subjects taught, 239 — Closing exercises of the term, 240— The charter adopted, 241 — Last year of union graded schools; Advantages of the charter, 242 — The last battle for free schools, 243.

Chapter VI. The Charter And Organization

Organization, 253 — Rules of order, 254 — General regulations,

255 — Duties of the Superintendent, 256 — Teachers, 257 — Pupils. 260 — Directions for keeping records, 262 — Janitors, 263— Rules of the Board of Health, 264.

3. Mr. Lester T. Stone 265

CONTENTS xi

Chapter VII. Directory

1. Members of the Board of Education 272

Chapter VIII. The Work Of The Schools

1. Representative Tests in Spelling 331

2. Representative Tests in Arithmetic 338

3. Representative Tests in Language 345

4. Representative Tests in Geography 352

5. Representative Tests in History 356

Chapter IX. Course Of Study

2. Arithmetic 359

3. Language 371

4. Geography ■ 384

5. History 388

6. Spelling, Penmanship, Physiology 390

8. Dravi'ing 393

9. Physical Training 397

10. Manual Training 404

12. Supplementary Readers 406

13. Teachers' Library 409

14. Text-books used in the Grades 413

16. Text-books used in the High School 420

17. Value of the Subjects Taught in the High School 422

18. Training School — Course of Study 441

Index 445

ILLUSTRATIONS.

George Churchill Frontispiece

FACING PAGB

Chart Showing Increase in Population and School Enrollment, BY Decades v

R. B. Guild 1

First Board of Education 4

Junius B. Roberts 8

The Representatives of the First Ward 32

The Representatives of the Second Ward 48

Matthev^ Andrews 63

The Representatives of the Third Ward 80

W. L. Steele, in 1885 104

Buildings used by the High School 124

The Representatives of the Fourth Ward 140

The Representatives of the Fifth Ward 160

Public Library 176

The Representatives of the Sixth Ward 184

Principals of High School 200

Board of Education, in 191 1 , 208

W. L. Steele, in 1911 216

The Representatives of the Seventh Ward 236

Farnham School 244

Lester T. Stone , 265

Central School, Churchill School ^^^

Hitchcock School 286

Lincoln School , 328

Weston School 260

Douglas School ^°^

Cooke School ^^

Bateman School ^^'

(xii)

R. B. GUILD Superintendent of Schools

Chapter I

1. Organization of tlie Board. 2. Terms of Agrreement with tiie Teacliers. 3. Equipment. 4. Tlie Scliool Year. Arrangement of Terms and Sessions. 5. The Teaching Force.

1. ORGANIZATION OF THE BOARD.

The Board of Education of Galesburg School District was organized under the present School Charter, June 11, 1861. Thus the present school system has been in operation fifty years. As special interest always attaches to the beginnings of an institution that has become important and permanent, an entire chapter will be given to recording the events of the first year.

There were twenty-four meetings of the Board this year. Here is the verbatim record of the first meeting:

Office of City Council

Galesburg, June 11, 1861.

The following named persons having been duly elected to the office of School Directors of "Galesburg School District," in the City of Galesburg, in the County of Knox, and State of Illinois, on the 3rd day of June, 1861, met at the office of the City Council on the 11th day of June, 1861. Mayor Knowles being President of said "Board of Education" being present. There were also present :

Chauncy S. Colton, director for 1st ward.

Edwin Post, director for 2nd ward.

David Sanborn, director for 3rd ward.

Geo. H. Ward, director for 4th ward.

Clement Leach, Jr., director for 5th ward.

R. P. Sage, director for 6th ward, who severally took the oath of office as prescribed by the Charter and took their seats in the "Board of Education."

On motion it was voted that the members of the Board of Education proceed now to draw for the term of time each shall serve, when Chauncy S. Colton drew for 3 years.

Edwin Post drew for 3 years.

David Sanborn drew for 2 years.

R. P. Sage drew for 2 years.

Clement Leach, Jr. drew for 1 year.

Geo. H. Ward drew for 1 year.

When on motion it was voted that each director shall have the charge and care of the school rooms and school property in his ward during "vacation."

On motion Messrs. Leach and Sanborn were appointed a committee to prepare a code of by-laws for the Regulation of the Board to be submitted. And then on motion the Board adjourned to meet at the call of the President.

W. A. Wood, Clerk

The committee appointed to draft rules and regulations for the government of the Board made its report at the fifth meeting of the Board, July 15th. It was adopted without change or dissent. The principal provisions of this report are as follows :

1st. The members of the Board of Education shall meet and organize each year on the second Monday in June.

2nd. At the first, or some ensuing meeting, soon after the organization of the Board, the following standing committees shall be appointed, to-wit : First, a committee on school buildings, grounds, furniture and supplies, consisting of four members. Second, a committee on textbooks, rules and regulations, consisting of two members. Third, an auditing committee, consisting of two members. Fourth, an examining committee, consisting of two members of the Board, two citizens chosen by the Board and the Principal, three of whom must be present at each examination of teachers and three of whose names must be appended to each certificate of examination.

3rd. The Board shall hold its meetings on the second Monday in each month unless otherwise ordered by a majority of the Board. A special meeting may be called at any time on the request of any two members, left with the Secretary.

4th. The meetings being called to order by the President, or one appointed President pro tern, the order of business shall be:

1. Reading the minutes of the last meeting by the Clerk.

2. Reports of Committees.

3. Petitions and communications.

4. Reports and suggestions by the Principal.

5. Miscellaneous and unfinished business.

With the exception of the provision for the examination of teachers, these rules have remained unchanged to the present day.

The first committee appointed under these rules, July 30th, was the Examining Committee. It consisted commitof Prof. A. Hurd, Prof. Isaac A. Parker, C. Leach, **^- Jr., R. P. Sage, and the Principal of the Schools. At the same meeting Chauncy S. Colton and David Sanborn were, on motion, made a standing Auditing Committee. The other committees were not appointed until October 8th.

The first clerk was W. A. Wood and he was required to take the oath of office. The first treasurer, B. F.

Officers.

Holcomb, was required to give a bond, the amount of which was twelve thousand dollars. At the close of the year the clerk was allowed fifty dollars for his services and the treasurer was allowed ten dollars.

There was but one change in the membership of the Board this year (which has been the average for j^,^i^_ the last 25 years) and that was due to the resigna- b^"^^' tion of Mr. Clement Leach, Jr. The City Council Members. filled the vacancy by electing Dr. I. N. Candee. At the election in June, George H. Ward of the Fourth Ward and Dr. I. N. Candee of the Fifth Ward were unanimously re-elected.

It often happens that in looking up a matter the most important item cannot be found ; so it is in this bourse of case; there is no record of what subjects were it'tend-'*^ taught. It is true that Principal Guild reported *'**'^- to the Board, October 8, 1861, a course of study, which was adopted and placed on file and marked "A," but the entire files of the Board for the first two years are missing. What is stranger still, there are no files preserved of any newspapers published in Galesburg from 1860 to 1870; at least, if there are, they are private property, probably lying in some garret waiting to be destroyed. Neither is there any record of the number of pupils that attended the schools. In September, 1862, there were 777 pupils enrolled in all the schools. Judging from this, one would be justified in saying that there were between 700 and 800 pupils enrolled the first year.

2. TERMS OF AGREEMENT WITH THE TEACHERS.

At the second meeting of the Board the salary of the "Principal of the Graded Schools" was fixed at

Second

Board seven hundred dollars for the year : salaries of the

Meeting. •'

lady teachers ' m the High School at six dollars per week, and of all other teachers at five dollars per week. Mr. R. B. Guild was then elected to the "post of Principal of the Graded Schools for the coming year." The other teachers were chosen in the latter part of July. The teachers appointed were subject to an examination by the Examining Committee and to the direction of the Board as to the positions they should hold in the schools; and the Board reserved the right to terminate the contract at its discretion. This last clause was not merely a form, for the records show that a committee of two directors was appointed to visit the schools and was given the power to dismiss any of the teachers who, in their judgment, might not be needed.

Private schools were still at this time a factor to be con- Private sidcrcd. Mr. A. E. Blunt, who had such a school and**" * in the city, was paid $35 for his school furniture and "given charge of the Grammar Department and the Superintendence of the schools in the Colton Buildings" at a salary of $55 per month.

Mrs. Carney, who had formerly taught in the Boston schools and was the author of that exquisite gem of poetry, "Little Drops of Water," was also conducting a private school at this time. A petition signed by thirty-five citizens was presented to the Board, asking that she be taken into the graded schools; but no action was taken on the petition.

C. S. COTTON

ED'.Viri POST

DAVID SANBORN

GEO. H. WARD i.

CLEMENT LEACH. J^

R. P. SAGE

FIRST HOARD OF EDUCATION Organized, June 11, 1861.

At its fourth and fifth meetings the Board had attempted, without success, to fix a rate of tuition Tuition to be charged all resident pupils ;* but, from the and"* * resolution adopted ten days before the close of the spring term, it would seem that the Board still had a liking for the old subscription school in which they themselves had received their elementary education. The resolution reads as follows : "That Mr. Guild open a tuition school in the Academy on the 21st day of April for one term of ten weeks, and to charge and collect $1.50 in advance from each scholar attending, without distinction of age or study ; and that the Clerk cause an advertisement accordingly to be inserted in the Galesburg Democrat." Principal Guild was the only teacher not employed by the week. He was employed for the year, and consequently had sufficient time to teach another term of ten weeks, which he did. For this he received $67.50 in tuition, which amount was charged to him and applied on his salary. According to the state law

the Board had already conducted free schools a sufficient number of days to enable it to draw the state fund ; so there could be no objection to tuition schools on this account. At this meeting the Board appears to have inaugurated a system of tuition schools for the vacation period. A committee was appointed to "rent such rooms in the Colton Building to Mr. Blount during vacation as they deem right, also to rent the upper rooms in the Academy to such female teachers as they can agree with on terms." The subscription schools for the long vacation, thus begun by the Board, continued for years, but finally becoming an annoyance to the Board it refused to rent rooms for such a purpose or to employ any one as teacher who taught such a school.

The tuition for pupils outside of the district was made the same as that charged by the academic department of Knox college, except for the primary department, and here it was fixed at $2.50 per quarter.

♦See page 243.

3. EQUIPMENT.

At the first meeting it was necessary for the Board to rent some buildings for school purposes. Knox Academy, on the north side of the Public Square, was leased from the Trustees of Knox College, for a term of three years, at the rate of $316.66 per year. The Colton building, on the west side of the Square and north of Main street, was rented for $550 per year from C. S. Colton. These two buildings provided eight schoolrooms — four rooms each. From S. Mitchelson was rented a schoolroom on Seminary street, south of the depot, at $6 per month. The other five rooms — for there were fourteen schoolrooms this year — were the property of the Board, having been built previous to the union of the school districts in 1858. These schoolhouses were all situated south of the center of Main street ; one on East Main street, one on West Simmons, another on Monmouth Boulevard, one on Tompkins street, where the Baptist Church now stands, and the Depot School, on the northwest corner of Chambers and First streets. There was no schoolhouse in the north part of the city. The school desks with which it was necessary to furnish some of these buildings cost $4 each — double the price of to-day.