Monson Academy - Academy Bell Yearbook (Monson, MA)

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gg E021 GQ 7 Q SCHOOL HISTORY-Continued Q53 Q its stead came Hammond Place, the present attractive home of the headmaster, In 6.5 1911 the Trustees received the gift of Cushman Field and in 1927 the gift of the an Morris House, so that comparing the equipment of today with the modest building it QQ of 1804 the Academy has come a long way. A replacement valuation on the Academy property of today would be fifty times the value of that original building. Butthere Q5 is still need of other friends to add further equipment to meet the hopes and plans for E9 :QQ the futuEeihThq catalogui of 1?lZE malcfls rgaention of an infrelsgiqg little? building thzit .z many o e a umm wi reca ut w ic gave way to t e o mes mnasium. t 5:5 says, The trustees have at a considerable expense procured from Londbn a philosof VX, Q phical apparatus and fitted a convenient room for experiments. They have also erected Q! a suitable building for a laboratory in which a course of lectures with experiments in Q 53 1 chergiilspy wig be diiveretgf' In thisuconnection it may be stated that this laboratory f' pro a y anti ates t ose o many co eges. Q Quoting once more from Dr. Hammond I-'MII is believed that no institution Q in theIStage has Ever accomplished? mor? with lsuclalimited meal?-s than Monson Acad- emy. ts est en owments ave een t e zea an sympathy o devoted trustees and EE, li-ri teachers and the patronage of its alumni. Aside from these valuable endowments Qi the Academy has added to its original endowment fund in the one hundred and twenty- Q f Eve years by gifts and legacies, and other distinct funds have been set up so that today QQ the market value of the securities in the several funds will very nearly equal the re- Q Qi placement value of the physical property ofthe Academy. QQ For a number of years the Academy served the Town as a high school, the Town A paying the regular tuition but having no voice in the management of the school. This EE! arrangement was terminated in 1923 by an amendment to the State Constitution denying State aid to institutions like Monson Academy, and so for a second time the Q ' doors of the Academy were closed temporarily while the Trustees developed plans QQ for the refopening as a college preparatory school for boys. The Town of Monson has EST Q its high school and Monson Academy still lives. Q Q fi A Q E Q Q 3 Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q E ,W,- Q QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

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FQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ 503-B Y Q SCHOOL HISTORY-Continued l one can object to our pausing long enough to pay tribute to Dr. Charles Hammond, 7' Qi first a student and later principal for three different terms of service. He was a leading B13 educator of his day. During his service as principal there came to Monson Academy Q in 1847 three from the first group of Chinese boys sent to America to be educated. Dr. Qi Q Yung Wing was one of these. Q What a long procession it would be if the thousands of teachers and students of 1 .l Q the one hundred and twenty-five yeari could paislin revieiwlbefore us! Tchere would be 1 these strangers from across the seas, t ere wou e note c erg men an missionaries, Qi there would be distinguished lawyers and judges, there would, be successful business EQ Q men and college professors and there would be college builders like Dr. Charles Sumner, Q, f largely responsible for Pomona College in California, and Rev. Cushing Eels Ca co- C QQ laborer with Marcus Whitmanj active in establishing Whitman College in Oregon. E3 And there would be the large number from humble homes and households whose Q lives were enlarged and sweetened by the student years in Monson Academy. Qs f . . . . Y i I In Dr. Hammond's semifcentennial address he speaks of the condition and ap- 105 Q pearance of Monson as seen by the earliest graduates. The entire village was con- 3, Q stituted by the church, the Academy, a tavern, a stolrle, anddhalf a dlozenhdwelgngsf' Qi 1 lt seems strange to think of only one house between t e Aca emy an Cus man treet. Qi That house is now in the rear of the Bank building but formerlyhstood on the street ED Q5 line. The manufacturing business had not been developed and the inhabitants of one QF Q5 hundred and twentyfhve years ago lived nott in thel villages in the vale but dwelt E 1 apart from each other on the hills, as tillers o the soi . Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q53 Q Q? Q Q? Q Q Q Q It is interesting to note that in the early days no Central Vermont Railroad dis- turbed the tranquility of the village. An early catalogue says, The stage goes from Springfield to Providence on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and returning the following days passes through Southbridge soon after the stage from Boston. The catalogue of today says, Excellent automobile roads converge near Palmer so that Monson may be reached in a day's travel from many points three hundred miles away. When the 150th anniversary comes around the catalogue may say, Ample facilities for landing are provided at the aviation field! Dr. Hammond thus concludes his address in 1854: The young in great numbers, from all parts of the land, will in all the future continue to carry from this institution, as we have carried, the pleasant remembrances of this pleasant vale, which will doubt- less be to many of them, as it may have been to some of us, like the happy valley of Rasselas, from whence he went forth, the young and ardent aspirant for the wisdom and honors of the world, to find, in his wanderings, no place on earth to him so lovely as the vale he had left. It is seventy-five years since Dr. Hammond wrote thus but again and again have returning alumni testified to their love for Dear old Monson. The original Academy building was built by general subscriptions. It was a square wooden building standing on the site of the present building and costing about S4000.00. In 1863, after the Academy had been closed temporarily because of the war, Dr. Hammond was induced to return for his third term as principal and the building was enlarged by the addition of two wings. In 1886 this original building was burned and the future looked uncertain but funds were raised and from the ruins arose the building of today. In 1888 Dr. Hammond's old home was purchased to provide a residence for the headmaster and accommodations for other teachers and students. While the property was thus used it was designated as Hammond Hall. Then in 1900 came the gift of the Holmes Gymnasium, followed in 1903 by the erection of Cushman Hall. When this building was ready for occupancy Hammond Hall passed out of existence and in PAGE NINE Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q2 Q QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

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