Annie Wright School - Shield Yearbook (Tacoma, WA)

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HISTORY OF THE SEMINARY fN 1881 when the Right Reverend John Adams Paddock of St. Peter ' s Church. Brooklyn. New York, accepted the call to become Bishop of Washington Ter- ritory, he was aware of the great need of educational facihties in this area. Each of the four largest cities in the Territory tried to persuade him to select it as the center of his activities. His choice of Tacoma was determined as a result of an offer from Mr. Charles B. Wright of Philadelphia and President of the Tacoma Land Company. Knowing Bishop Paddock ' s interest in Christian education and himself sharing it. he offered to give fifty thousand dollars toward a school if the Bishop would raise twenty-five thousand. The sum was raised among friends in the East — not without reverses that were surmounted only by Bishop Paddock s faith and effort — and a choice of three building sites was offered by the Land Company. The one selected was on Tacoma Avenue at Division, in those days on the outskirts of the city of fifteen hundred people. In the summer of 1884 when the Rev. Lemuel H. Wells (later Bishop of the Missionary District of Spokane) arrived to take charge of St. Luke ' s church and his wife to be the first principal of the new school, the building was almost completed. By fall it was ready to open to a student body of ninety-four girls from the Territory of Washington, the state of Oregon, and Victoria. B. C. Bishop Paddock ' s dream had become a reality. The new school was named by Bishop Paddock in honor of the daughter of Mr. Wright. At the laying of the cornerstone of the Annie Wright Seminary, both Mr. Wright and his daughter were present and participated in the ceremony. Miss Annie Wright placing the box in the cornerstone. The completed building was of American Gothic architecture, standing high and overlooking Commence- ment Bay. with a view of Mt. Tacoma. ' Tall, gaunt, and red were the adjectives used by Rudyard Kipling in describing the school when he saw it on a visit to Tacoma in the eighties. The Tacoma Avenue horse-car was the conveyance from which many of the Seminary ' s early students had their first glimpse of the build- ing that was to be their home for one or more years. A glance at the first Seminary catalogue reveals the aim and object of the school: Not only the intellect but the character, manners, and morals of the pupil are subjects of earnest care and solicitude. The educational advantages comprise the best instruction in English. German. French. Music. Drawing, and Painting. The Musical Department gives every facility for the cultivation of this beautiful and refining art. while the Painting Department affords a rare opportunity to persons wishing to study . . . decorations on china, plush, velvet, etc. This early catalogue also reveals that the charge for a boarding pupil was three hundred dol- lars a year, including English branches and Latin and Laundry Services. ' Mod- ern language study was thirty dollars a year extra. By 1890-91 the boarding fee had become three hundred and twenty dollars. In subsequent catalogues changes in curricula and in fee continue. But the aim and object of the s( Imol remains 6

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HISTORY AND TRADITIONS

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constant. As phrased by the Right Reverend Frederic W. Keator. Bishop of the Diocese from 1902-1024, the desire of those in charge of the girls was to give them a real home where they would make lasting friendships and learn truths that would help them to build characters of real worth. ' And so in this first Annie Wright Seminary, inspired by strong leaders like Bishop Paddock and Bishop Keator and guided by cultured Christian principals and teachers, the students began to mould the tradition and ideals that are still an integral part of the Annie Wri fht Seminary in the sixtv first vp;ir ime its founding. But as the years passed, there came the realization that n [iiv school were to continue to fulfill the aims of its founder and its benefactor, it must have a new home equipped to provide facilities for the increased enrollment and the extended curriculum. Under the presidency of Bi shop Keator. the Board of Trustees pub- lished a booklet entitled The Annie Wright Seminary. 1884-1924. in which archi- tects drawings for a new building were presented, together with an explanation of the need for a larger school and more extensive grounds. With few changes the drawings represent the Seminary as it appears today. The site of the new school was not many blocks from that of the old, and again there was a wonderful view of water and mountains. But its ten acres of grounds provided space capable of caring for a roomy modern building as well as for tennis courts, playing fields, and extensive lawns. The plans were adopted and put into execution at once. So zealously was the work carried on under the inspi- ration of Bishop Keator and of Miss Adelaide B. Preston, principal at this time, that the building was ready for use in the fall of 1924. Tudor red brick had re- placed Victorian turrets — though we need not imagine that the school had the gracious appearance on that opening day in 1924 that it has now. Lawns had yet to be planted, as well as trees and shrubbery, and its walls were not as yet ivy-covered. iMuch of the beauty of the grounds today is due to the lovely custom of tree-planting by each graduating class. Several trees have been planted by members of classes graduating prior to 1924. who felt they wished their classes represented on the grounds of the new school. Many of the names of those connected with the founding and growth of the Seminary received perpetuation in the new building through the naming of cer- tain of its parts in their honor. The dining-room is known as Paddock Hall; the cloister, as Wells Cloister. The chapel was given by the alumnae of the time through the Raynor Chapel fund, which was started by Nellie Bridgman Plummer with the ten dollars she had just received as a prize for writing the winning school song, still our Alma Mater song. It was dedicated to the beloved Amanda Whit- tlesley Raynor who had been vice-principal from 1884 until her death in 1907. Through the inspiration of the Class of 1021 a fund was raised for a tt mnasiiim. 7