Cheshire Academy - Rolling Stone Yearbook (Cheshire, CT)

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HISTORY UF In 1792 a convocation of the clergy held in East Haddam under the insti- gation of Bishop Samuel Seabury, first Episcopal bishop of our country, voted to establish an Episcopal Acad- emy. In 1795 Cheshire was decided upon as the most logical site. Tillotson Bronson, the uncle of Bronson Alcott, opened the school, with the Reverend John Bowden of Stratford as Headmaster. Meanwhile the people of Cheshire began the erec- tion of a school building. ‘This build- ing known as Bowden Hall is the present school auditorium. Though hampered by lack of funds the school was successful from the start. The legislature forbade the eranting of collegiate degrees, but did permit the establishment of a lottery which netted the school about twelve thousand dollars. The first noticeable change in policy was made in 1862 when Dr. Sanford Horton turned the academy into a military school. It was Civil War time and three of the academy's graduates, Admiral Foote, General Wheeler, and Secretary Welles were in the national limelight. ‘The thoughts of students gravitated to- wards army life, just as they did dur- ing the past few years during which the present academy included a Jun- ior R.O.T.C., Military science, and Aviation science among the courses offered.

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RULLING STONE oTAFF Editor-in-chief... .. Pee eee. 2. benjaroin, f. Wechsler Managing Editor..... ee ae eas ss .Maurice R. Lehman SUartis RCiLoree, .. NG 0) ee eee eee ees Gbcrtn wGatzert Business Manager..... ieee. Rodman J, Bendett Photography Editor... 7........ Pere ivarvin lL. Rosenteld PREVENT ISITE CILOL 2 25) ov oss Har .....Richard M. Rittenband 7

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CHESHIRE Doctor Horton must have been a remarkable man. He was deeply in- volved in town affairs and yet found time to run his school efficiently. He was especially fortunate in the choice of his successor, Eri Woodbury, who, after Dr. Horton retired in 1892, served as principal for seven years. The older alumni speak of these two men with the greatest of respect, and truly they must have been among the ereal. The Episcopal Academy ended as such in 1903. At that time the trustees leased the school for ninety-nine years to the Trustees of the Cheshire School Inc., who dropped the military fea- ture and turned the old institution into a modern boarding school. In 1917 it was combined with the Rox- bury school under the headmastership of Mr. Walter Ferris, one of whose sons, Stuart, is now a member of the Boardeor Lrusteess-of othe present school. For many years the present Head- master, Mr. Arthur N. Sheriff at- tempted to combine the better fea- tures of the past with the present. These efforts culminated in 1937 with the granting of a charter by special act of the Connecticut State Legisla- ture, permitting the school to become the Cheshire Academy.