Middletown High School - Cauldron Yearbook (Middletown, CT)

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There was no graduation in 1869. There was a class of tl1ree, who were graduated with the next class. In 1870 tell of tl1at year's class were graduated. I11 1871 there was a registration of 206 i11 the High School. A class of 16 was graduated, and tl1e exercises were held in the l1all ill tl1e Central School building i11 tl1e eve11ing. In the following years tl1e graduating classes were: 1872 ,... IO 1875, . . 23 1873, . 16 1876, . 25 1874, . I2 1877, . . 18 1878 ,... 30 In 1877 a change was made, a11d graduation a11d promotions took place at the close of the winter term. This CllSt0ll1 continued until 1889, fro111 wl1icl1 ti111e tl1e graduation has been held in June. November 29, 1878, a fire broke Ollt about llllle o'clock in tl1e evening in the chemical laboratory on the upper floor of the Ce11tra1 building. Before it was subdued tl1e entire upper story was destroyed and tl1e rest of the building 1nuch damaged by water. Temporary quar- ters for the High School were provided in the Town Hall and the Common Council cl1a111ber, ill the same building, wl1ere the school was kept until tl1e Central building was restored, May 2, 1879. In the years following classes were graduated as follows : 1879, . 1887 1880, . 1888 1881 1889 1882 . 1890 1883 . 1891 1884, . 1892 1885, 1893 1886 . 1894 1895, . . 26 The last graduation exercises were held i11 the Central School hall i11 1890. Ill 1891 and 1892 they were held in the Russell Library hall, and in 1893, and si11ce, tl1ey have been held in the Middlesex. july IO, 1893, the District, at a special meeting, by unanimous vote authorized the Board of Education to procure a site and to erect a High School, and appropriated 350,000 for that purpose. The object of this

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at which, by vote, the School Society b6C21ll1C the City School District, and a Board of Education of six persons was elected. The iirst election of teachers by the IIEXV hoard was held October 26, ISS7, NVllCll Mr. Samuel Coburn was elected principal, Mr. J. XV. Ellis first assista11t, and Miss E. R. Blair second assistant. There were three teachers i11 tl1e junior department. Mr. Coburn continued until 1860, when l1e was succeeded by Henry A. Balcam, of Stamford. Mr. Balcam was succeeded in 1865 by Henry E. Sawyer, from Concord, N. H. In 1878 I. C. Libby b6C2llll6 the principal, alld was succeeded in 1880 by Ii. H. Wilson. I11 1884 Willia111 E. Hulbert was elected, and continued 1111til 1887, Wllell Walter B. Ferguson, the present incumbent, was elected. In 1863, the first' available record, it appears that while i11 tl1e High School building 011 College Street there were tive teachers, included i11 two departments, tl1e senior and junior, the latter seems to have been practically a gra111111ar grade, tl1e senior grade being all there was of tl1e Higl1 School. The original separation of the boys a11d girls had been abolished. In this senior grade the registration was about 100, and there were but two teachers, I11 1868 the inadequate condition of the school buildings necessi- tated inore room, and it was decided to re111odel and rebuild tl1e High School building on College Street. This was done by adding two wings, on tl1e east and west sides, and putting a mansard roof 1113011 the whole. The building was re-named the Central School. The cost of this work was x1,9,484.06, exclusive of land. The work was completed i11 January, 1870, and on VVednesday evening, the 19th of that month, the building was dedicated with public exercises i11 tl1e assembly roo1n. In this build- ing upon the upper floor was a large assembly room where graduatio11 exercises were held. I11 all the certiiicates thereafter granted, until 1896, the recipient was graduated fro111 the Central School. Vet i11 tl1e same building were housed tl1e High School-still called the Senior Department-with six teachers and 127 registered pupils, part of the grammar and part of the primary grades. The committee who had charge of this work were Benja111i11 Douglas, Robert G. Pike, and Dr. George W. Burke. The first record of graduation appears i11 1868. A class of four then graduated, a11d the exercises were held in tl1e Y. M. C. A. Hall, now tl1e Grand Afllly Hall, in the Middlesex Mutual Assurance Con1pany's building.

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action was twofold-to provide more room for the increased attendance in the grades, and to place the High School in a building by itself. The Board proceeded at once, bought the site on the corner of Court and Pearl Streets, then occupied by St. Lukels Home, and put up the building which is now occupied by the School. The entire cost of build- ing and furnishing was f5Q,27S.29. It was dedicated on the afternoon of March 26, 1896, by public exercises in the assembly room, and the school went i11to it for the spring term. The building committee were William T. l-ihner, W. U. Pearne, and Dr. Leonard Bailey. 1 Since the occupancy of the new building classes have been graduated as follows : 1396, . 28 1900, 39 ISQ7, . 39 1901, 48 1898, . 33 1902, 33, 1899 ,... 36 IQO17, ,... 42 Such is the brief history of the first sixty-four years of this High School. It had its inception in the desire to provide for tl1e young a fuller and more complete education than was pomzible under the old and long established system of free public schools. To Dr. Charles Woodward much credit is due for his far-sightedness and activity in behalf of the IICNV order of things. The people of the City School District have been liberal in the sup- port of their schools. The first two years a tax of one and one-half cents on the dollar was laid for each year, tl1e next year three cents, and the next four cents on the dollar, while for the next seven years the tax was five cents on the dollar for each year. At the present time there are nine regular teachers and one special teacher, in addition to the Principal, with a registered attendance of 116 in the first year's class, 83 in the second, 43 in the third, and 53 in the fourth year's class--a total of 295. The number of persons in the dis- trict between four and sixteen years of age in October, 1903, was 2,206. This school participated in the Connecticut Educational Exhibit at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, receiving a medal and diploma, and has just completed a similar exhibit for the Louisiana Purchase Ex- position at St. Louis. It is one of the largest schools in proportion to the population in the country, and the equal of any in its standard of scholarship. The certi- ficate of its Principal is received by most of the New England colleges