English High School - Blue and Blue / Record Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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tamed four stories. The bottom floor was divided into two sections, the westerly section containing Hero Engine No. 6 and the easterly serving as the quarters for the town watch. The remaining three floors contained classrooms fitted with pine benches and desks for the pupils. The only heating system was an open fireplace directly in front of which stood the teacher ' s desk and chair. Behind the school was a yard which was used for recreation. Solomon P. Miles took over the duties as head master when Mr. Sherman retired on May 19, 1823. Shortly after, on November 2, 1824, the school moved to Pinckney Street where it remained for twenty years. Upon the retire¬ ment of Mr. Miles in 1837 Thomas Sherwin be¬ came the new head master. Previously he had served for nine years as sub-master and re¬ mained at his new post for forty-one years until his death in July 1869. Few men have so dearly left their imprint upon a school as did Mr. Sherwin. He was an earnest advocate of the superior claims of scientific study, on the grounds of utility, of mental discipline, and of moral influence. SECOND SCHOOL-HOUSE 1824 English High, under his sage direction, be¬ came widely known for its preparatory course in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Per¬ haps his greatest contribution was his con¬ tinued emphasis toward the making of men. ' ' It was his ambition that English High School should send out into the active pursuits of li fe young men with the intellectual and moral equipment, the force of character and purpose which he deemed essential both to good citi¬ zenship and to business or professional success. His earnest and able advocacy of all measures to enlarge its usefulness will, for all time, asso¬ ciate his name honorably with the history of the school. In 1844 the school was moved from Pinckney St. to a new building on Bedford St., which was to accommodate both the English High School and the Latin School. During the thirty- seven years it remcrined there, the enrollment tripled and it was necessary to hoild some classes in the school houses on Harrison Ave., Mason and South Streets. It is interesting to note that when the school moved into its new building on Bedford Street, the Public Garden was a barren waste. The tide flowed over the Back Bay, and the site of the school later on Montgomery Street and Warren Avenue was an unreclaimed marsh. Military drill was established as part of the school curriculum in 1864. The boys had pre¬ viously drilled without arms under the instruc¬ tion of the teachers. General Hobart Moore was appointed instructor for both schools. Mr. Charles M. Cumston, in whose honor the undergraduate scholarship is named, suc¬ ceeded Mr. Sherwin in September of 1869 and remained until 1874 when he resigned after a distinguished career. Following Mr. Cumston ' s resignation, Mr. Edwin P. Seavers, an assistant professor of mathematics at Harvard, was ap¬ pointed Head Master. In the following years between 1875 and 1880, because of the establishment of the East Boston High School and new district rules, the

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®lj£ English iBiglt §riuml ♦ Instmt In 1821, the year before the old town of Boston, consisting of some fifty thousand in¬ habitants, became a city, The English High School was founded. At that time, in addition to the Latin School, there existed only English grammar schools which were believed to be inefficient for pre¬ paring the boy for a successful future. A sub¬ committee, consisting o ! f Samuel A. Wells, a well known merchant; Reverend John Pierpont and Rev. Nathaniel Langdon Frot ' hingham, prominent members of the clerical profession; Lemuel Shaw, who later became the Chief Jus¬ tice of the Commonwealth; and Benjamin Russell, editor of the Columbian Cen ' fcinel, was appointed by the School Committee to consider the subject of providing an advanced school for the youth of the town. This committee, on the 26th of October, pre¬ sented its report recommending that a school be established to be called the English Classical School and to be supported as part of the pub¬ lic school system. The report states that the school should be for the education of boys only who could pass a suitable examination. Over a period of three years a course in English branches, mathematics, and Natural Philosophy would be divided which would be taught by teachers who had graduated from a University. The report closes with the following words;— Its establishment, they think, would raise the literary and scientific character of ' the town, would incite our youth to a laudable ambition of distinguishing themselves in the pursuit and acquisition of knowledge, and would give strength and stability to the civil and municipal institutions of our country. in Faneuil Halil on January 15, 1821 at which they voted to establish the English Classical School. This name remained with the school until 1824 when it became known as the English High School. On March 13, 1832 the old name was restored and remained until February, 1833, at which time by a vote of the School Committee it came to be called the English High School. By this name it is still known today. The school opened in May of 1821 in a build¬ ing on Derne Street with Mr. George Barrell Emerson as principal master. The building was made of brick with stone trimmings and con- FIRST SCHOOL-HOUSE 1817 A meeting of the citizens of Boston was held

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THIRD SCHOOL-HOUSE 1844 enrollment of our school went down. Mr. Seavers, then principal was in 1880 relieved of his duties as head-master, in order that he might accept the position of Superintendent of Schools. Mr. Seavers was succeeded by Francis A. Waterhouse, a graduate of Bowdoin College who at the time was principal of Newton High School. It was during Mr. Waterhouse ' s ad¬ ministration that we received our fourth build¬ ing, located on Montgomery St. in Boston. This building which we received in 1881 was stated to be the most modern and elaborate building in the whole public school system at that time. During the administration of Mr. Waterhouse, our school enrollment doubled in numbers. Upon the unexpected death of Mr. Water- house, Mr. Bccbson, a Harvard graduate, was dhosen to become principal of the most out¬ standing school in the country. It was during Mr. Babson ' s administration that the system of heads of departments was introduced. Mr. Babson, because of ill health, resigned in 1908 to be succeeded by Mr. John F. Casey, also a Harvard graduate. Under Mr. Casey ' s administration, the numbers rose so high, that in 1909, it was necessary to establish an annex, whidh was located at the Patrick A. Collins Building. Mr. Casey remained principal until 1915, when, because of age limit, he retired. Mr. Snow, a graduate of Boston University, then took over the post as head-master of Eng¬ lish High School. Mr. Snow, although prepar¬ ing himself in college for teaching mathematics, won fame and recognition as a French scholar. He became the first head of the French depart¬ ment when it was introduced along with the other departments during Mr. Babson ' s admin¬ istration. FOURTH SCHOOL-HOUSE 1881