Marion High School - Cactus Yearbook (Marion, IN)

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5 K y scHooL HISTORY X, HE educational work of Marion began with private schools. lt was largely due to their excellence that the public school idea did not take root earlier and bear 5, , .., ,: af, - f . . . . . , . . - 1 f ,J Q .- iz,- ,: fruit. This seems to be especially true of the more advanced grades. Quite early in this citys life an academy which gave a high grade of instruction was . Z 1 l Q f established. This school was made possible through the efforts of Mr. Samuel McClure, one of the pioneers of Marion. Out of the success of this effort a C 1 ig, ' second school of similar grade was opened some years later by Rev. Samuel Sawyer. The rivalry between these two schools kept the standard of work 'Qi T very high and Marion was noted for its academic instruction. The schools continued open and did splendid work until the beginning of the civil war. Then, like W1 i f .C9 many other institutions both closed their doors, for their students had gone to battle in response to their country's call. Another reason for the public schools getting a late start was that town sentiment divided as to the kind of school policy to pursue. Some wanted a large building where all the children could be accommodated and others wanted ward buildings and fewer children in the building. As nearly as can be ascertained it is about forty years since the public schools were opened in Marion. The school building was a frame and located on Boots street. A few years later more room was needed. The old brick Seminary, located upon the site of the Third Ward School, being vacant, M. L. Marsh, the town school trustee, bought it for public school purposes. The frame school house on Boots street was then moved to the north side of the brick and formed a wing. This made quite a school plant for the thrifty town. A little later the old frame Presbyterian church building was bought and moved to the south side of the old Seminary and formed a corresponding wing to that on the north. In this somewhat singular collection of buildings the children of Marion gathered to be taught by six or seven teachers and a principal. These buildings were soon filled, then crowded and sometimes almost packed. The grading was not very exact nor elaborate but with all of these drawbacks there was much good work done. Finally under Dr. Lewis Williams and D. P. Cubberly, as trustees, a good frame building was erected in North Marion to accommodate the children on that side of the river. Sixty pupils were schooled here and two additional teachers were added to the corps. About this time there was a feeling in the town that the best school interests demanded more and better school houses. The history of the first two brick school houses in Marion is a very spirited one. After much talk and considerable time the records show that the town council bought a location in North Marion Cwhere No. 2 school now standsl and one in South Marion fthe site of the present No. 4 school.l With the purchase of these two sites the town council gave the board of school trustees, Messrs. T. D. Tharp, J. H. Wigger, I. W. Miles, 512,000 to build ward school buildings upon said locations. From the best information to be had it appears that the schools first began to be graded some time in the sixties under the direction of A. lil. Harritt as principal and T. D. Tharp as assistant. They worked about three years, and were followed by Mr. William Russell and wife, who had charge of school affairs forifour or five years. Then Mr. W. C. McCord became principal, with Miss Frone A. Case as his assistant. The next principal and helper were Mr. Wood and Miss Nannie Mooney. They taught but a short time, and were succeeded by I. W. Legg as principal and Will Mclntire as his assistant. This list of school workers, in the order given, brings the history down to the spring of 1877. The first official record to be found of the election of a principal or superintendent was in June, 1877, when I. W. Legg was elected principal and George Osborn as his assistant. 4 -' 'e ' 'e ' N

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lc 7009910 an THE TWO GRINDERS GH l. Q's,' N far off India's coral strand if H Ajuggernaut, 'tis said, Is built of gold and ivory, LJ And carved in dragon's drea SX Q And offered to the gods. Thus once a year, in awful state, Slow through the streets 'tis rolled- This car of gems and ivory, Of ebony and gold. And underneath its awful wheels They throw themselves, those heathen, And think they do a thing that's right, So clouded is their reason. - i And in the Marion gas belt A juggernaut, 'tis said, Is built of history and verse, Of grinds and iokelets dread, And offered to its friends. The first, this year we bring to you Our Annual grave and witty, ' To students in the High School, And patrons in the city. 'Twixt either cover you will find The fruit of this year's reapingg We crushed the grapesg we give the Old memories green we're keeping. wine an I , 1' ff I 'Q u 1 QR seqfiim 3 fxkltwg. if ' fl :ff J K x 1 -o , .iw K, Q 3 ,rw .. lol . v n e M ffadfffs .v +1 -gug 'i Ab , gg P W if lx

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Both of these gentlemen were re-elected the following year to the same positions. In 1879 they were succeeded by Irving W. Barnhart as superintendent and Frank R. Osborn as assistant to the principal, Mr. George Osborn having been elected to the county superintendency. It was during the administration of these gentlemen that the schools became so overcrowded that to relieve the conditions the Presbyterian Church was rented for High School purposes. October 10, 1879, the school was moved into the church and remained there until March 27, 1882. While in the church the principal and assistant were again changed. It was at this time that A. H. Hastings was elected superintendent, Phariba White principal of the High School and Mary Lomax as her assistant. In the spring of 1882 the new brick buildings in North and South Marion were completed. The schools were reclassified and readjusted. Bythis change the High School was enabled to return to the old Seminary building, which it did April 3 of this year. While there had been some progress made in grading, with the new and additional accommodations, Superintendent Hastings and his assistants did much to bring the schools up to a better standard of work. Mention is made in the school records that in August, 1882, Superintendent Hastings presented a Course of Study and Rules and Regulations, which were adopted by the Board of School Trustees. All of this paved the Way for the coming of Hamilton S. McCrae, his wife, Emma Mont McCrae, and Alva Graves, who became Superin- tendent of Schools, principal and assistant principal of the High School, respectively, in the fall of 1883. The High School remained in the old Seminary building, with Mrs. Mc- Crae as principal, Mr. Graves as assistant principal, and Superintendent McCrae teaching part of the time until the beginning of the school year of 1887-88. Again needing more school room, the third story of the Tharp block, corner of Fourth and Branson streets, was rented for High School and eighth grade use, the High School to use the assembly and recitation rooms and the grade to use the room at the west of the assembly hall. The latter part of the winter of 1887 Superintendent 1VIcCrae was taken seriously sick, and John K. Waltz was appointed to finish his work for that school year. The sick- ness of Superintendent McCrae proved to be fatal, and Mr. Waltz was continued as superintendent until his death, which occurred in March, 1890. During the summer of 1887 Mrs 1VIcCrae resigned as principal of the High School to accept a position in the faculty of Purdue University. Mr. Graves was advanced from the assistant's place to that of principal, and Miss Lucy M Parker became his assistant. The work in the Tharp block was done under many disadvantages, but the workers did the best they could under the circumstances, and hoped for a better condition of affairs. While located here the new growth in the school incident to the discovery of natural gas was very distinctly felt, and the crowded conditions demanded another move. This time the school went into two suites of rooms in the Charles block. The change to this building was made late in the fall of 1889 The school cont1nu-d to grow in numbers so that each succeeding year the great need of a large building for High School use was being felt more and more. While in the Charles block Mrs E. C Gear and Mr. A. W. Moore were principal for one year each. While here, also, an additional teacher CMiss Minnie Tresslarj was added to the force The increase in numbers increased the work in the different branches, so that distinct departments were now outlined. Here the school worked and waited for the completion of the High School budding This was ready for use in September, 1891. The building was formally dedicated by an address given by President john M. Coulter of the Indiana State University and a reception given to the citizens and teachers by the Board of School Trustees. In a few days the work opened for the year with Mr. Russell Bedgood as principal and teaching Latin, having for his assistants Mr. Alva Graves, Mathematicsg Misses Minnie Tresslar, English: Herriott C. Palmer, History, and Frances Anderson, Science, making five teachers doing high school work. This number has since been increased to seven, and the school year of 1897-98 will need nine teachers, requiring ten rooms in which to do the work The corps of teachers and assignments for the current year are as follows: Mr. Virgil McKnight, principal and teacher of History, Civics, Ethics and Botany, Physical Geography and lgebra Miss Cora Bennett, Lating Miss Edith Beck, English and History. Mr. Bedgood was principal for nearly three years, W. J. Williams working three months of the last year in his place. September, 1894, Mr. F. M. Ingler became principal and continued as such for two years, when Mr. McKnight, the present incumbent, was elected With the mention of the election of Welford D. Weaver in 1890 to succeed Superintendent Iohn K. Waltz, all of the persons related to the schools as superintendent or principal of, assistant, or teacher in the High School, have been noted. Should there be an omission or error, it has been due to imperfect information. In 1889 the course of study was changed from three years of work to that requiring four years for completion. The enriching and lengthening of the work brought new con- Y 553 il?-A I it fs . xuf - I G..g..jjIffr ...N W , . f 13, fxdence in our results among school people. Every year the departments are being better defined and better work is being done. Gradually the material equipment is added, ff ' in 5 me , ri S 'k 3, bs.:- Psychologyz Mr. Alva Graves, Mathematics: Mr. Gilbert A. Morris, Physics, Chemistry and Constitutional History: Miss Minnie Tresslar, Englishz Miss Carrie A. Reynolds, 4 2