Hamilton High School - Hamiltonian Yearbook (South Hamilton, MA)

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14 The Hamiltonian meantime the Hamlet had separated from its mother town and become incorporated as the town of Hamilton 1793, and of course assumed the responsibility of its schools. As the years passed, Hamilton grew in population and this was the cause of radical changes beginning in the last decade of the nineteenth century. On April 8th, 1890, Hamilton voted to appropriate $1800 for the purpose of build- ing a schoolhouse in the vicinity of the “Wenham and Hamilton Station.” Pre- vious to this, the children in that district had been attending grammar school in 3Venham and their tuition was enough to warrant the cost of building a schoolhouse in South Hamilton. d ' he first schoolhouse was a one story building situated on Railroad Avenue. It was filled to capacity within three years. Immediately there was talk of enlarging the building where it stood, of adding a second story, or of building a new school which would include a high school. The people argued that the town might as well provide a high school for its students as pay tuition to send them to other towns, Salem, Beverh’ or Ipswich, as it was then obliged to do. Nothing had been done about a high school by 1896 so the school committee voted that the pupils should go to Beverly unless they presented sufficient reasons for going elsewhere. At this time the committee realized the necessity of having graded schools, especially since graduates of the ninth grade found it difficult to enter Bev- erlv High School. Two years later, 1898, a new grammar schoolhouse w as dedicated. his building was larger than the first in order to ac- commodate the increasing attendance. The high school question remained un- solved until the town meeting in March 1906 when it was voted to establish a high school. P ' our rooms were added to the South School during the ensuing year for that purpose. June 1911 marked the first graduating class of Hamilton High School which consisted of two girls, Florence Schaller and Pearl McCilauflin. Fhat summer an annex was built to ac- commodate the classes inconvenienced by the high school. During these tears, the attendance at the district schools had become irregular, there- fore they were kept intermittently until finally in 1924 the last was closed. It was voted the next year to sell these buildings. Having done away with the district schools, the town was obliged to provide transportation to the two remaining schools — one in South Hamilton which included the High School, and a very fine, two room, up-to-date stucco building in East Hamil- ton which was erected in 1921. Phis school- house has since been dedicated to Adelade Dodge Walsh who did much for education in Hamilton during her years of service on the school committee. From the very beginning of agitation the town has always desired to have a separate high school building. For many years, due to lack of funds, this was impossible. After long controversies and much agitation on the part of the townspeople, it vv-as voted M arch 1931 to build a separate high school upon the Dorothy Winthrop lot which had already been given to the town for school purposes by Fredrick Winthrop as a memo- rial to his wife. It was also voted to use the M axwell Norman Fund (a gift to the town of $10,000) for the purpose of adding the auditorium. Thus have the ideals of Hamilton citi- zens been realized and Hamilton High School inherits the rich legact’ of three cen- turies of growth and development in edu- cation. And we, who go forth from here to- night, will carry with us the benefits which love, devotion, and sacrifice have passed on to us. We will try to carry on our prede- cessors ideals and give to future graduates proportionally the same advantages which have been open to us. — Edna Sprague.

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The Hamiltonian 13 known as Feoffees. 1 hes leoffees are uni(]ue to the Ipswich sxstein of school }iov- ernment. I hey liave played an important part in the history, hut as they appoint their own successors very little is heard of them. ' Fhis body exists today and has charge of the trusts as formerly. 1 he in- come from these two funds pays the princi- pal of the Manning High School. I ' he first Grammar Schoolhouse was erected somewhere in the vicinity of the South Green probably where the South Side Grocery Store now stands. Ezekiel Cheever was its first master. Let me tell you something about this schoolmaster, f zekiel Cheever was one of the most eminent of New England teachers. He was born in London and had taken his degree at Emmanuel. He is the author of a Latin Grammar called The A ccidence” which was the standard Latin text for over a hundred years. L pon leaving Ipswich, he went to Charlestown where he founded the Boston Latin School. “When Scholars had so far profited at the Grammar School that they could read any Classical author into English and readi- ly make and speak true Latin and Write it in Verse as well as Prose and perfecth’ de- cline the Parodigms of Nouns and Verbs in the Greek tongue, they were judged cap- able of Admission into Harvard College.” This, plus the elementary studies in read- ing, writing, and arithmetic, was the sub- stance of the course of studies in the Gram- mar School. On account of the high stand- ing of its masters, boys from surrounding towns came to Ipswich for preparation for college. In 1705 the school began to be taught in a room in the townhouse which stood on Meeting House Hill and continued there until 1794 at which time a nevv Grammar schoolhouse was erected nearly on the site of the original one. ' Ehere are two other phases connected with the beginning of learning here in Ipswich — the Dame Schools taught by women for small children and girls of all ages, and the Female Seminary which was estab- lished in 1827 as one of the very first insti- tutions for women in America. The first teachers were Miss Zilpah Grant and Miss M ary Lyon, the founder of Mt. Holyoke College. Girls from miles around came here for an education paying for tuition onl S’ 10 a term, and for board only $1.75 which also included fuel, washing, and lights. In the spring of 1714 the Feoffees agreed with the town committee that if the latter would add 25 lbs. to the income of the Grammar School, it should be a free school where scholars might be taught in English studies as well as prepared for college. 4 ' he free schools became very popular for they educated all boys in reading, writ- ing, and arithmetic. The first one in Ips- wich, as before mentioned, was established in 1642 and was probably taught by Lionel Chute. Before 1700 the town parishes, of which there were three, namely: the West, First, and Second, had erected schoolhouses. In 1702, upon petition of its members, the outlying parish of Chebacco w’as allowed to set up a .schoolhouse on its common. Not to be outdone, the Hamlet (now Hamilton) petitioned for a school. This was granted in 17.10 just 16 ears after it was set aside as a parish. Joseph Secomb was the school- master. But the Hamlet could not always have had a schoolmaster of its own for I found this extract which states that: “A reading and writing schoolmaster was emplot’ed by the Fown, keeping his school in the Che- bacco parish three months and a fortnight; in the Hamlet the same period ; in the West parish, now known as Liinebrook, two months; and the other three months in the two town parishes.” Another interesting paragraph which I came across states that: “In 1757 the Ham- let voted that the scholars provide the fuel and the master’s board. This gradually be- came a custom throughout New England.” By 1745, the Hamlet parish had in- creased in size enough to warrant the building of a schoolhouse in the North district and nine years later one in the West district. Another one was erected in East Hamilton which burned down. The build- ing which took its place was built in 1848 and was used until the East School was taken out of the so-called “district system” and made a graded school. During th is century and a quarter, the schools continued to do their good work sending forth well educated scholars. In the

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(Srabmtttmt iaxerriscs of tl]P amiltim i l] cl|nnl HJune 21, 1934 ! iliaxhiell Norman JlHemorial I j i u itovium f I