Fairport High School - Hourglass Yearbook (Fairport, NY)

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THE STAFF

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THE HOUR GLASS 9 THE SCHOOL HISTORY IN BRIEF VVhat would our forefathers have thought 98 years ago if they could have visualized our modern buildfing when they organized the first school and laid! this vicinity out as District No. 9, Town of Perinton? Just a few years previous there stood' on the site of the village but seven log houses, one block and one frame builidinig. At that time Egypt was a thrivinig village located on the main route of travel, but the opening of the Erie Canal in 1822 diverted the trade and population from Egypt. to Fairport, and rapid growth was made in this vicinity. Thus, in 1826, our early townsmen purchased a site on East Church street and erected a small stone school building on what was later known as the Hicks property, now owned by VVillialm Rightmfire. Several years later a frame building was erected ad- joining this plot which a number of older residents will still remember. Unfortunately, there are no record-s in the possession of our school previous to 1855, but we know the district continued- to grow as this point became the buying and selling center of a large bodly of producers. In that year Trustees James VanBuren, J. T. Brown, and' Wlilliam Storms had a 'building program on their hands for eight hundred and twenty-two dollars was spent on what is known as the Hicks house and' forty-two new desks and two stoves were purchased.. The budlgnet for the maintenance of the school that year was six hundred and twenty-seven dollars, of which sum one-third was furnished by public money and tuition, one-third by the rate bill whereby each pupil was assessed a certain sum for the privilege of