Mount Vernon High School - Forum Yearbook (Mount Vernon, OH)

Page 10 text:

•■ ..V Tir ■■■ ' all -: v ; 2 u a % - -iF ? ' W Arf giii)iigittfffli|g) ' ' « ' A ) P | ll|fffl (i lf| il Toby Siml.fns BACKWARD, TURN BACKWARD OH, TIME, IN YOUR FLIGHT.

Page 12 text:

Otir First Hundred Years When we glance casually each day at the million dollar building that houses our present high school, we can scarcely believe that edu- cation in Mount Vernon began in 1808 in a log cabin on the Public Square under the instruction of one teacher for all grades and subjects. This history is intended to cover just the part the high school has played in our educa- tional system, but we must give a little of the background of county and city schools in order to understand our present secondary school system. Although Mount Vernon was laid out in 1805, it was not established as a county seat until 1808. The people who settled the community felt the need of educating their children, so a one- room log cabin was built on the south west corner of the Public Square where Heckler ' s Drug Store now stands. This room was four- teen by sixteen feet square and was heated only by a large fireplace. The building contained a teacher ' s desk and slab benches facing crude wooden shelves at- tached to the wall which served as desks. The pupils faced the wall and sat with their backs to the teacher. For the privilege of receiving this education, the pupils paid a small tuition fee to defray the expenses of the teacher ' s salary and fuel for the fireplace. The first teacher whose name has been re- corded was Thomas Irving in 1811. This little building gradually deteriorated and a market place was built in its place. As the population increased, it became im- perative to build a school; and a committee was appointed by the citizens to collect volunteer contributions to purchase a school site. Two lots on the north east corner of North Mulberry and West High Streets were purchased from John Williamson of Lancaster, August 23, 1817, and a small two story building was erected on them. Because the Masonic Order had been instru- mental in raising funds for the new structure, they insisted on occupying the second story of the building as a lodge room. Again just one room was used for school purposes. When this building was finished, no money was left for plastering or furnishing it, so once more the slab benches and wall desks were used. Joseph Chapman was the only teacher employed. On Sunday the room was used by various religious groups who had no churches of their own. Finally Henry Curtis, Esquire, was successful in raising enough money for furnishing the little building. This was the first free school in Mount Ver- non, and it was not very popular; consequently, a number of private schools were started. By an act of Legislature in 1845, Mount Vernon was incorporated and divided into five separate wards or school districts. The mayor and the councilmen from each ward acted as the school board, and the members of this first council were James Smith, Jr., Jon- ston Elliott, Job Evans, Rollin Hurd, Henry B. Curtis, Esquire, and Charles Cooper. The board agreed to pay the teacher the sum of twenty-two dollars a month and furnish the school room with desks, chairs, and fuel. Some members of council were impressed with the Akron system of operating schools and adopted a similar one for Mount Vernon. A petition signed by 333 voters was brought to council asking to appoint a regular school board which would provide better school facili- t ies for the fast-growing city of Mount Vernon. This was done and C. P. Buckingham, Abel Hart, Job Evans, Jonathan Burr, James Young, Henry B. Curtis, and Samuel Israel were ap- pointed school directors in 1849. This board petitioned council to levy a tax for the purpose of building schools including a Grand Central one for the teaching of higher branches of learning. The people of Knox County became alarmed at the anticipation of such high taxes, and in 1850 an act was passed exempting the town of Mount Vernon from Knox County. The school board was dissolved and the management of schools again reverted to the mayor and councilmen. The amount of $2,879.58 which had been collected for schools was distributed by council to wards. Each ward held meetings and with approximately s$500 in each treasury, decided to