Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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No history of high school educa- tion or its equivalent in Ipswich would be complete without mention- ing the Ipswich h ' emale Academy, later known as the Seminary Build- ing. It is impossible to give in the brief time at my disposal, anything but a mere outline of the history of this institution. Up to 1825 but litle attention had been paid to higher education for girls. There were some in Ipswich who keenly felt that this was a mistake. A representative group mot in November 1825 to organize a body to establish an academy of higher education for young women. Sufficient funds were subscribed, and a building was erected on the spot where the church of the Chris- tian Science Society of Ipswich now stands. In April, 1828, Miss Zilpah P. Grant, assisted by Miss Mary Lyon, took charge of the academy and we find from Felt’s History of Ipswnch that as early as 1833, the average number of scholars was 142. Some terms there had been nearly 200. There were eight as- sistant teachers. The board for each pupil, including washing, fuel, and lights, was $1.75 a w eek, ana the tuition was $10.00 for the term of sixteen weeks. At one time, the house now occupied by Dr. Tucker, was a boarding house for both pu- pils and teachers, and at times there were more than forty living there. The fame of the academy soon spread and pupils from all over the country, as well as from New England, came to Ipswich to receive their higher education. So successful was this school that Miss Lyon had an inspiration to erect a large college here in Ipswich and steps were taken to raise money. Ilow ever, the project failed here, and what is now Mount Holyoke College was founded at South Had- ley, instead. The academy was con- tinued in Ipswich with varying success under different educators. As late as 1854 there was an enroll- ment of 214 girls with only 38 of them from Ipswich homes. In 1844 Reverend John P. Cowles and his wife, formerly Eunice Caldwell, took charge of the academy and re- mained in charge until June 1876, when the school closed for good, just fifty years from the time it had started. In conclusion, it should be said that, from the settlement of the town, the people of Ipswich, both by generous appropriations from taxe s and from contributions from many of its citizens, have provided for the education of its children. We, who are graduating tonight, acknowledge and appreciate the educational privileges which have been ours. We trust and believe that the citizens of today and of the future will not only keep up the standard of the past, but will make it even higher for those who are to succeed us. 22

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At this time, covering a period of years, Mr. Cheever had continued as the master of the school. The standard to be attained by the grad- uates was to read and speak Eng- lish, to make and speak true Latin, to write it in verse and prose, and by an extended course in Greek to acquire proficiency in that lan- guage. If a scholar fulfilled the course on those studies, he was judged ready for entrance into Har- vard College, and for many years Ipswich furnished boys, many of whom became famous, who were fitted by Mr. Cheever for their Har- vard College course. Mr. Cheever retired as master of the school in 1660 and Thomas An- drews was chosen in his place and taught for twenty-three years until he died in 1683, at which time No- diah Russell came and taught the school until 1687. In 1700 the selectmen reported that a new building was badly need- ed, and in 1704 it was voted to build a new town hall, which was located near where the Methodist Church now stands. The upper floor was used for a Court Room and town hall, while the Latin Gram- mar School occupied the lower part of the building. It continued to be used until 1794 under a joint con- trol of the feoffees and the town. In 1 94, however, largely by help of public subscription, a nev school building was built at the corner of Argilla Road and County Road on the original location of the old 1653 building. At this time a large tract of land was owned by the feoffees. It embraced the land now owned by the Lathrop Brothers, the land own- ed by William P. Reilly, and the land owned by the late Emory Brag- don, and others. In 1835, the school was moved away from Coun- ty Road to the present location of the Lathrop Stables. From 1687 to 1856, during the time of all the changes in the loca- tion of the school, history records a long line of teachers, who with more or less success, continued to teach the Latin Grammar School. Time does not permit my giving the dates and names of those teachers. Very few of them stayed in t he posi- tion for more than two or three years and many of them for only one year. In 1856, however, there came a teacher to take charge of the school from the neighboring city of Beverly, named Issachar Le- Favour. The memory of those who knew him is that he was not only a fine teacher, but a man of high character and greatly beloved by his pupils. He worked night and day for many years trying to arouse the public spirit for a better high school building. However, when in 1874, a building was made possible by the generous donation of Dr. Thomas Manning of New York, a descendant of an old Ispwich fam- ily, those in charge sav fit to drop Mr. LeFavour, and Professor Mat- thew Fiske was placed in charge of the new Manning High School. He taught for seven years, George Cross taught for one year, A. M. Osgood taught for one year, George Smith taught for three years, Charles Strout for one year, George Rug for one year, and Shar- rington H. Baker for three years. John P. Marston succeeded Mr. Baker in 1895. 21

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Progress in Manning High School Since 1895 By Charles Sayward I N glancing back over the last forty years, one can observe the many changes which have taken place in Manning, not only in the size of the student body and in ath- letic interest but also in the type of subjects taught. In 1895, John P. Marston suc- ceeded Sharrington H. Baker as principal of Manning High School. It was in this year that a four year course was first introduced into the school. Formerly, it had been nec- essary for a student, desiring to enter college, to spend at least one year at a preparatory school after graduating. At the time of Mr. Marston’s appointment there were only fifteen pupils in the graduat- ing class. Indeed, there was so much feeling against a higher edu- cation, that the two rooms on the second floor provided ample space for the high school student body, the rest of the building being given over to the grammar school. There were two teachers besides Principal Marston who taught such subjects as Greek, Latin, botany, geology, astronomy, etc. Such subjects as economics, shorthand, bookkeeping, and mathematics were either disre- garded entirely or taken up for one year only. However, about the years 1915 a gradual change began to make itself felt throughout the schools of the nation, and. Manning, along with many others, cast away such subjects as astronomy, botany, and geology in favor of more practical subjects, such as economics, short- hand, and mathematics, which are considered to be of more direct value to the youth of today. Many people considered this as a symbol of the degeneration of the high schools from institutions of learning to commercial or industrial institu- tions. However, I feel that this way of looking at the change is not a true one, because I think that these people have disregarded the great change v hich has come over our economic world. The security of every person is threatened unless he has a background which enables him to cope with the severe com- petition which he encounters at every turn. This change in the policy of the schools called for an increase in the importance of athletics, so that when Robert Conary, a young grad- uate from Colby, came here in 1921 to teach chemisiry and science and offered to coach athletics also, his offer was gladly accepted. Since then with the aid of Mr. Burke, he has kept athletics up to a high standard in spite of many draw- backs which a lack of funds and lack of interest on the part of many of the townsfolk have created. When Mr. Whipple succeeded Mr. Marston in 1920 the student body had increased to 152 with eight full time teachers and three part time teachers. During Mr. Marston’s time the student body had increased rapidly. About the year 1916, a law was passed which decreed that 23