Owego Free Academy - Tom Tom Yearbook (Owego, NY)

Page 15 text:

:A f , 5 I .3l3'l't'?U.:T' . '- ,l:?Li.'. ggiii wsiaeagq -Q 49 'stil' .sf A 'A te -if Y:-f Ezzf nf.: --.11--N x A:- ll rl ' The First school 1251 P 1 building which was , f I' built in Owego was a small log house built in the year 1792, on Court Street, opposite the place where the Court House now stands. ln 1800 a larger two story frame building was erected on the south side of main Street near Academy. It was in this school house that a meeting was called March 4, 1817, to discuss the question ol the Academy. By an act of Legislature of the State of New Yorlc, in 1782, a lot of tour hundred acres was set aside in each township for the support of the Gospel and two lots of two hundred acres for the support ol schools. At a town meeting it was decided to sell two hundred acres set aside for schools and to use the proceeds for the building of a new school. The Academy was built on the fig, 21:54.-QA':l H 'lil old academy lot on Court Street by Amos Martin in 1872. James Pumpelly was the Presi- dent ol the First school board. The new building V in 1 ' - Iii E I2 -1 EMF E 'mug Y, --t N -x . . . 9? Q 37 5 I . truss? ' -i mm SEE I I . V ..: lr M I S .I gif was divided into three parts. The lower Floor was oc- cupied by the girls, the upper Floor by the principal who taught l.atin and Greek and the mid- dle Floor by the prin- cipal's assistantwho taught mathematics. The analytic method of in- struction was used and the plan ot the school was that the young ladies and young men should be perfectly distinct and separate except when they should meet on the recitation bench under the watchful eye of the professor. There were two terms in the school year. The summer term began the third weelc in April and continued for twenty-four weelcs. The winter term began the third Wednesday in Qctober and continued tor twenty-four weelcs. The tuition varied from two dollars to four dollars according to the subjects talcen and at this time there was a tax oi forty cents tor fuel in the winter and thirty cents in the summer. There was only one month of vacation each year. ln 1843 the Academy ran into serious compe- tition. Mrs. Mary Palmer and Miss Eunice Wil- liams established a boarding and day school for young ladies. This school, called The Owego Female Seminaryf' was in a large white house onthe north side ot Front Street where the Van Buslcirk and Wallis houses now stand. This school was such a success that in the summer of 1843 the Academy started the Owego Female institution, to counteract the loss of young SClIO0L llIS'l'0IlY ladies from the girls' department of the Academy. This lnstitute was started at the house of Joseph M. Ely who was principal of the Academy in 1844. The school was not a success and was closed after a short time, ln the meantime the Academy had been growing. The tuition had been raised until the schedule ranged from one dollar to Five dollars for a course a quarter. Besides these studies the girls were regularly given instruction in music without charge. From this time on the history of the Qwego Free Academy was a record of continued and increasing success for a period of nearly a quarter of a century. l-low- 4 eveir, with the in- 'jgm g 7, 5 tro uction o our 1 lx I 'f'k3J state free schools, followed in 1853 by the union free aca- demic system, with all its increased advantages over the tuition schools and academies of the period, then came the gradual though certain decline in in- terest and profit in the aFtairs of the Academy. The result was its Final dissolution, so far as its corporate charter was concerned, and in 1864, it was merged into the more modern system under the name ot the Hlslnion Free Schools of the Village of Owegof' ln 1883, the First Academy on the southwest corner of Main and Academy Streets was erected at a cost of 525,000.00 Some of the citi- zens desired the Academy to be built on the old site but the board decided to build on the corner of Academy and Main Streets. This was Finished in 1884 and was the pride of Qwego. However, in the course of the years following, much im- provement was being made in all schools and in 1921, it was found that this building was in- adequate to meet the needs of the community. ln 1923, plans were made tor a new academy that would cost S270,000.00. This sum was to be raised by taxing the property of the school district. The present academy building was ready for occupation in the tall of 1924. At tirst, all the rooms in the building were not used but by 1927 the steady increase in registration made A mf '...f 5, ' - 2 ? .- 7 it necessary to open 1 - .Y ,fm all parts ofthe build- 1 ZEEE ing and at this pres- ,,u -'gfzittt -Y -' . gg!! milf 1' 5, it Q, ent time, every room -f is in use with a reg- ' -- 1 iii , , ltltj istratlon of 750 'Z ,, ,ffribi-1 ' Yi. 'J Dupils iD

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T0 DIISS ELSIE M. DUTCIIEB Who through thirty-Five years of splendid service Ctvventy-seven in the Qvvego Free Academy and eight elsevvhereb hos been ready, vvilling, and ahleu to lead many students through the subtle mazes of Cicero and Virgil and over the rough trail oi English literature. l-ler lceen intelligence, her loyal interest in school activities, and her unsellish devotion of time and energy to the vvel- fare oi hundreds ol students have won her a high place in our re- gard. It is vvith deep regret that vve write these vvords oi Farewell. We wish her much lucl4 and happiness and may her memories oi the Class ol '37 be many and pleasant.

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MVA The l-lomemakers Two Beftys Don paclcs againl Last cell for lunch Elizabeth Ruthie I-Iis Nibsu Clem Marie Doctor Clem Miss Dulcher Three Sophs Frank Unpecks egein! Stanley K'Barrymore,' Hayes Three Tom-Toms Ulvlouseyn Miss lngelsloy and Mrs Lawton Believe if or not