Dean Academy - Blue Spruce Yearbook (Franklin, MA)

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THE AWPIE A History of Dean Academy l865-I93I DR. OLIVER DEAN, the founder of the academy which now bears his name, was born in Franklin in 1785. After receiving his medical degree he prac- ticed a few years in Boston. In 1812 he removed to Medway, in which town he practiced only five years on account of his poor health. After a brief respite from his former profession he became interested in the cotton industry, whereby he became superintendent of the Medway cotton mill, and nine years later he was chosen superintendent of the young Amoskeag Manufacturing Company at Manchester, New Hampshire. He secured an interest in this corporation, and in a few years accumulated a large fortune. Retiring, for ten years he resided in Framingham. In 1851 he returned to his native town to spend his remain- ing days. Soon after, at the annual session of the Massachusetts Universalist Conven- tion, the subject of a State denominational school, to be of the highest grade below that of colleges, was brought before the Council by Dr. A. A. Miner, president of Tufts College. A committee was appointed with full discretionary powers. Dr. Dean offered a tract of eight of nine acres which he had bought of the estate of Dr. Emmons, and 810,000 towards a building, besides 850,000 as a permanent fund. Accepting his offer, the trustees secured plans, and broke ground in August, 1866. As the work of the building went on, Dr. Dean in- creased his donations to nearly 375,000 The edifice, French Lombardic in style, was dedicated the following May. Pending the erection of the building, it was deemed advisable'-to begin the work of instruction. The necessary teachers were procured, and on the first day of October, 1866, the school was opened in the vestry of the Universalist church with forty-four pupils. The summer term of 1868 was opened in the new edifice. Four years later, during the night of july 31, the building, with nearly all its contents, was destroyed by fire. The young school became suddenly home- less. The Franklin House was bought and the school resumed in it. After two years of labor and great anxiety, a second and the present edifice was completed and dedicated. It occupies substantially the same foundations and differs but little from the previous one, except being in Gothic style. CPt1gu fan