Montrose High School - Acta Yearbook (Montrose, PA)

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t Montrose attend a select school or the Academy, he went to the public one room school house . ln 1834 William Jessup urged the community to agree to a S500 tax to be levied for school purposes. The community agreed and a room in the Academy building was rented and a teacher was employed. Earning twenty-two dollars a month, William J. Turrel taught the public classroom in the Academy. In 1837 a new school building was erected between the Academy and the Court House. The measur- ements were 22 ft. by 34 ft. and the cost was 3480. ln 1849 the students were moved to a new location above the Universalist Church. It served as a school until the Academy was Left top: Wilson School taken over for public use in 1863. ln 1832 the Academy was repaired. The state helped as much as 52,000 during the 1830's. In 1850 a new building was completed for S4,200. The Academy became the Susquehanna Classical and Normal School under direction of Professor John F. Stoddard in 1850. This school continued until 1863 when it became the Montrose Public Grad- ed School under Professor F. D. Hunt. Professor A. H. Berlin organ- ized public high school in 1872. Before this date, public schools in Montrose only taught around the level of junior high. ln 1873 the first graduation from Montrose High School took Left bottom: Lake Avenue Right top: Lake Avenue 1891-92 Right bottom: 1940 Buses at Lake Avenue place. There has been 105 years of public high school education in Montrose, but only one hundred graduating classes. There were no graduating students from 1882 through 1886. So the class of 1978 is the one hundredth graduating class from Montrose. In 1888 severe weather and blizzards proved the inadequacy of the old Academy building. Mr. Berlin aroused public sentiment, and on September 6, 1892 a new building of brick was dedicated. This new building is the oldest part of the present Lake Avenue School. In 1925 a much needed addition was built including an auditoriumfgym- nasium. Montrose Borough and Brid-

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Histor Education The first settlers came to Montrose in 1799. In 1802 the first school instructions were taught by J. W. Raynford during the winter. The first school house was erected in 1805 near the Stephen Wilson homeg later to be referred to as the Wilson School. Education expanded as Mon- trose did. Semi-private institutions, sometimes called boarding schools began, and taught what would equal a few years of a high school education. Miss Stephens started classes in an avenue building in 1817, and in 1818 Mary T. Chapman had a privateselect school. The first piano lessons were started in 1819. Mrs. B. Streeter taught French and English, and also had a gentleman teach German flute lessons. The Susquehanna Academy contained the nucleus of education in Montrose. The charter for the Academy was granted on March 19, 1816. The Pennsylvania legislature granted 32,000 towards the erection of the Academy. The building was finished in 1818. The first principal was William Jessup. The Academy not only served the students but the community as well. A worship service was held every Sunday on the second floor. In 1825 it was used for a production put on by Arch- bolds Theatre. ln 1828 the Academy was moved from the brow of the hill above the jail to the bottom of the hill. Citizens of Montrose and nearby communities were taxed for public education. If a child did not Right top: 1926 Math Class Right bottom: Class of 1900 Left top: Class of 1890 Left bottom: 1939 Home Economics

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gewater Township formed a jointure for high school education in 1947. Four years later, the jointure enlarged to include all elementary students. Franklin Township joined the jointure in 1951, Forest Lake in 1953, Silver Lake in 1954, and Jessup Township in 1955. The Montrose Area School District was re-organized in July, 1966. The District includes the above and Apolacon and Choconut Townships, and Friendsville and Little Meadows Boroughs. There are five school buildings serving the district. The Lathrop Street Building, first used in 1951, contains grades K-3, the Lake Avenue building holds grades 4-63 the Junior-Senior High School building opened in 1960, and holds grades 8-12, the Choconut School opened in 1971, and contains grades K-6, and the Silver Lake building has been used for seventh grade since 1973. The total enroll- ment of the district is approximately 2,500 students. The Montrose School District is comprised of eleven townships and boroughs. Each had small schools that the students attended before coming to Montrose. The following lists the schools and the time of the closing. APOLACON TOWNSHIP Turnpike IGriffinl 1920, Neville 1915, Bow Bridge 1912, Kiley 1922, Houghton 1923, Graves 1952, Lake IBear Swampl 1908. BRIDGEWATER TOWNSHIP Sprout 1918, Tewksbury 1925, Searle IMotti 1950, East Brid- gewater 1951, Tyler 1951, Gardner IHeart Lakei 1951, O'Brion 1928, Babcock 1934, Watrous Corners 1945, Williams Pond QCalphI 1950, Hunter ISouth Montrosel 1951, Vaughn INorthi 1951, Austin, Wells, and Baldwin not known. FOREST LAKE TOWNSHIP Forest Lake Center 1912, Taylor Hollow 1931, Hamlin 1937, Warner 1938, Kane 1943, Forest Lake 1953, Turrell 1953, Birchard- ville 1953, Stone Street and Griffis not known. FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP Hillside 1908, East Franklin 1919, Davis 1938, Salt Springs 1942, Franklin Hill IUpsonvillel 1945, Baker 1951, South of Upsonville not known, Franklin Forks 1951. FRIENDSVILLE BOROUGH 1949 JESSUP TOWNSHIP Dewitt 1926, McKeeby 1928, Prospect Hill IRobertsl 1930, Stone not known, Bolles 1930, Griffis Hill 1930, Fairdale 1930, A Jessup Township school building was erected at Fairdale and served until 1955. LIBERTY TOWNSHIP Tripp Lake 1912, Turrell 1931, Hillside 1932, Mt. Valley ISteam Valleyi 1932, Stanfordville 1944, Fish lChaIkerI 1951, Lawsville 1951, Brookdale 1951, Hance, Wilbur, and Howard not known. LITTLE MEADOWS TOWNSHIP 1971. SILVER LAKE TOWNSHIP Sweeney 1912, Howard 1913, Hill 1919, Whally 1920, McCormick 1921, Snow Hollow 1924, Dacey IMeachen, Richmond Hilll 1942, Brackney 1947, Gage 1954, Silver Lake fFoxl 1954, Ward 1954. MONTROSE BOROUGH Montrose High School 1947, Montrose Elementary School 1951 Chapman Independent District was made up of Bridgewater, Jessup and Forest Lake and the date is not known. PrincipaI's office in 1926 1936 School Board