Atlantic Union College - Minuteman Yearbook (South Lancaster, MA)

Page 21 text:

.Q 1 Q Q.. . ., gt Vllilliifo Stboirjy off fbLfll.aunitf:iiio Uiiiiicoin fiollllego lt was at a meeting of the New England Tract and Nlissionary Society early in the year l88Z, that the idea of a missionary training school in the East was conceived. Our denomination then had only two colleges, Battle Creek College in Michigan and one at Healdsburg, California. These godly men who bore a burden. for the progress of the gospel, saw that they were too far away for most of the young people of New England to enter, and by faith they started a preparatory school. Elder S. N. Haskell, D, A. Robinson, and Miss Maria Huntley comprised the Hrst board. The first term began April l9, l882, with eighteen students present, and by the end of the term twenty-four were enrolled. Professor Good- loe Harper Bell came from Battle Creek College to teach the higher grades and Miss Edith Sprague to teach the lower. The school was held in what had been a carriage shop owned by Elder S. N. Haskell and later used as the village church. Becoming too small for that, it was then moved to Main Street and used as the Tract Society Office. A room upstairs served as the school room. Students attended from New Hamp- shire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Massachusetts. Some of these were Elder 0. O. Earnsworth and his wife, who was then Miss Carrie Mace, Joseph Mace, H. B. Tucker, William Wieston, Otis Thayer and Miss Ella Graham, who is now the wife of Elder E. C. Gilbert. Carrie Mace was the first foreign mis- sionary to be sent from this school. At the close of the first day of school a meeting was called by the students, O. Q. Earnsworth acting as chairman. At this meeting they adopted some resolutions beginning: Vsfhereas, a school has been opened in South Lancaster among Seventh-day Adventists, and whereas, it has required sacrifice on the part of its founders to start the enterprise, and will require still more to carry it on successfully, therefore-. The students went on to ask for one acre of land, which the boys agreed to work free of charge and donate the proceeds to the school. The girls resolved to do their part by laundering and mending free of charge the clothes of all the boys who worked the acre of land. At the close of the first term SlO82.3l had been spent and only 3241.04 received from students. But the faith of Elder Haskell and the school board did not waver. They made a success of a small beginning. Eor the second term the Tract Society oflice was moved and attached to a dwelling house. The house was used as a girls' home and the old oflice served as a dining room. The boys boarded in another house. During that term Miss Eannie Dickerson, later editor of the Yot1I'h's Instructor, entered as a pupil. The classes were conducted in the new church, for they had outgrown that little upper room. lt was interesting to note that that carriage house be- came a church, tract society office, session room of school. dining room, and l7 A

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4? . fl 5 'I' Ax H -efi x - ' d. lt is now the pressroom ' ' h the True Educator was printe ' ' . IC3If1rll2?gSDilBfCEVli3f110ilSf6I' Printing Company and the original doorway, their 1 CC. Sawiflghitfbiinilieisablf the new school strongly believed that manual labor was ential to the forming of a perfect character. Cordwood was purchased'for ilise bovs to saw while the girls prepared the meals and did the laundering. Later harness-making, printing, tent-making, broom-making,-and cobbling were taught. Atlantic Union College still stands for these principles. The new dormitory and administration building were dedicated in the fall of l884. At this time the enrollment was nearly one hundred. Despite this new building some girls had to live in a nearby house. Twenty-two acres of land were also purchased to provide more employment. Elder D. A. Robin- son became principal in l88-4, but he served only one year. Prof. C. C. Ramsay from California was the next principal. Strong constructive work upon the curriculum was done during his three years' stay. The classical, scientnc, Biblical, and normal departments were added, and credits were now given. . l888 is marked by the first graduating class of South Lancaster Academy. The principal this year was Prof. C. C. Ramsay. During the administration of Prof. C. C. Caviness a marked growth in attendance was visible, so much so that South Hall, the Botsford House, and a large house below South Hall were occupied by the young men. lt was planned to build a new girl's dormitory, to enlarge the chapel, and to add four new recitation rooms. The plan for a new girls' dormitory was not carried out until 1894, the year Professor J. H. Haughey became principal. lt was built on the site where the Bird Museum now stands. The building seemed to be too large to be profitable, and in l899 it was sold to be used as a sanitarium. It was torn down and the materials were used in erecting a new building at the Melrose Sanitarium. The old dormitory was now enlarged and the girls returned to it. Professor Frederick Griggs served the Academy as principal for eight years. The commercial department was started and the change was made from forenoon and afternoon session to solid session in l902. Marches were held in the forenoon to break the monotony of the solid session. ln 1903 the Book Bindery started its work, and it has been of great service to our school ever since, by providing work for a large per cent of the students. Without the excellent co-operation of Elder E. E. Miles, its owner, many worthy young people would have been denied an education. 1904 brought Miss Edna S. Farnsworth to head the Music Department. She has served the school in that capacity ever since. Miss Rowena Purdon, from the Hrst graduating. classiof the Academy, came back as Normal teacher in 1906. She is now doing faithful service as English teacher in the Academy. I l90 n 7 the Academy suffered its only disastrous fire At four o'clock in the morning one of the boys went to the broom factor t b ' k. . U . y o egin wor He ,found that a firelhad broken out in the side of the boiler. It was creeping up into the comme l ' d b Y f h rcia room. The alarm was given, and the men of the town an oys o t e school fought bravely for two hours before they could put it out. 18