East Night High School - Rostrum Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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mng 1N the little town of Pleiniield, near the banks of the Quinebaugh I h River, in the State of Connecticut, 0n the 8th day of March, 1768, St eight years before the ringing of old Liberty bell announced the GE WQQ W64, birth of a new nation, a Iittle babe was ushered into this great world. WGJ No blast of trumpets, n0 roar of cannon heralded his biitheand yet, in the solemn stillness of that hour, a prince was born: not by virtue of royal blood or lineage, not by virtue of power and possessions, but a prince by virtue of that nobility of good deeds well done-avhieh, thank God, is Open ln every man. His name was William Woodward. His father, with real love for liberty, espoused the cause of the Colonies against Great Britain, and he fought in their armies during the War of the Revolution, while his mother was descended from one of the best known families of the day. He passed his early childhood and youth in his native town, but with the coming of young manhood, he felt the irresistible callof the new Westand one day in early Autumn, he mounted his horse. and started off on his long journey across the great mountains of the Alleghanies to seek :1 new home in that new land. From the headwaters of the 8

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Faculty LBJ J '9 ; .X LBERT SC I! WARTZ, PRINCIPAL FRANK .X RALSTUN. H. H. SCHRADER, FLICMENT E. THOMAS. CHARLES F. SIEHL, EDWARD F. ALEXANDER, FLORENCE WILSON. W F, SAYRS, FRANCES KOHNKY, CHARLES SAWYER. CHARLOTTE E NICE . JOHN F. ARI'NIH'IL. L. P. STEWART, 0. J. HARRELL. F. E. ELLIOTT, E4 XL BENEDICT, J. W. BEFKER, A. H, STIMDXHN. XL H. JOHNSTON. I. R. GARBUTT, ZELLA JOHNSTON. F. L. REED, ALMA BURKE, JOHN FRUNIN. VERONA SCHRIEFER, C Fax CHAMBERS, FLORENCE I'ALLAHAX, Ax M. WUXNEIJH EDNA HILDWEIN. A, R. WEBSTER, JESSE DIVXN. FELIX RESZKE, JOSEPH ISIYRHK. R. t' HFIILU'HHN, ELLA WILLSON, hi B. RYAN, .Xl'til'HT IIEYX

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Ohio River, near the city of the present City of Pittsburg, the journey was made by flat beat down the river, which the Indians called the ttbeantiful river? lined on either side by rolling hills, covered from their base to summit with the great forests aflaine with the royal colors of the autumn. It was only a short time before his arrival here that the name of the little settlement destined to become his home, had been changed from the artificial title of Losantiville t0 the more heroic name of Cincinnati, although the settlement itself comprised but a few 10g houses, on top of a bluff overlooking the river toward Kentucky. Mr. Woodward used the lumber from the flat boat which brought him down the river for the construction of his first home, and lived in it for several years. The year following his arrival at Cincinnati, he purchased a farm, which in- cluded the land now embracing the territory bounded by Hunt street, Liberty street. Main street and Broadway. It was part of this property which later he gave to the city for the establishment of that great school, which has ever since borne his name, and Which will continue for future ages. as a monument to his thoughtful unselfishness. In 1803, Mr. Woodward married Miss Abigail Cutter; she was several years his junior, being but seventeen at the time of their marriage. Her father, James Cutter. was one of the pioneer settlers in this Vicinity, and was the owner of a large tract of land known as Cuttefs Woods, on part of which the present City Hospital stands, and which extended as far west as Linn street. It was on this farm while at work that Mr. Cutter met his death at the hands 01' the Indians, leaving his daughter Abigail quite wealthy, as wealth was measured in those days. This added to the money which Mr. Woodward had made through successful farming, tanning and trad- ing, was the beginning of the really large fortune which Mr. Woodward amassed before his death. It was in 1816 that the old home, which he had first built, was given up for a commodious brick dwelling house, considered quite remarkable for its time and often spoken of as tiWoudwardis Palace? It was erected at the northeast corner of Main and Webster street, with the front facing Webster, having an ornamental porch across the front with a stone walk coming from the street, bordered with flowers and shrubs. This building is still standing, although its beauty has been sadly impaired by the flight of time, and additions and changes made on its exterior. Mr. and Mrs. Woodward had several children born to them, but unfortunately none lived beyond infancy. Who knows but what this fact may have had considerable weight in influencing their minds to make that great gift toward the cause of education, which has made their names memorable in the history of the city? We must remember too, that matters in educational lines in these days were vastly different from what they now are, and it is hard for us to realize conditions as they stood in those days. With us, public schools now occupy the foremost place in the land; in those days paid education in private schools was considered the thing, and free education was rather looked down on. As early as 1819, Mr. Woodward had plans for founding a school where poor children whose parents were unable to pay for their education, as was the custom in those days, might receive an education without charge, thus itlaking them better citizens and patriots. Mr. Woodward was fortunate in having a legal adviser, who was a man of great wisdom and sound judgment, and under the direction of Mr. Samuel Lewis, Mr. Woodward arranged during his lifetime for the beginning of his great wurk. At that time he was worth in the neighborhood of a quarter of a million dollars. which was a much larger sum in proportion then than it is now. In 1826. on the 21st day of November. Mr. Woodward conveyed seven acres of land on the east side of Sycamore street, north of what is now Hunt street to 9