Page Ten
-' 80th Anniyersart'Edttton, The Oregon Statesman . iS. iv
m
Used Eight' Years Uhtil it Was Replaced in 1858 by Gent!ral ScKool ; Bonham
And 'Moores Persist 1 in Records of. Early Teachers; Old Building Still Stands
.'I
'50
ri'Gusi
f
ABOUT 81 years ago there stood on the corner of Marion
and Commercial streets a log house that was to be 7 the
forerunner of 12 and 'who knows how 'many more ?-huge
structures. The log house, erected in 1850, was "Salem's
first public school. ; . : ; v ,
This structure was used for school purposes and about
eight years before the Central school, usually considered the
first school, was constructed. It had. served as a school five
years , before William Pugh, county school superintendent,
created Salem district No.! 24.
Of the' school teachers whoO-
wielded the traditional birch; in
the old log house, two; names
persist: B. F. Bonham and Mrs.
I. 'it. Moores. In those days, the
public school was supported j by
subscription and by rate-billsj in
addition to the aid given by ithe
common school fund. j
! It was in IS 57 that the Cen
tral school, erected at the corner
of North High and Marion
streets, was ordered built, and
the following year it was com
pleted and that great day was
at hand when youthful Salem
could "lam" its readin. writin'
and. 'rithmetic in "a magnificent
new building. The first- Central
building (moved when the high
school was erected at Marion and
High) is still in use as the
Stei&bock junk shop.
J. C Donald Builder
Of Central School
J, O'Donald was the contrac
tor and builder of the : Central
! school. Names of most; of the
.teachers who taught the r school
from 1858 to 1866 are recorded
as follows: Sylvester Pennoyef
(who was to be elected governor
in 188.7) and Mrs. Pennoyer," Mr.
1 and Mrs. O. J. Carr, A. ; C. ' Dan
iuls, S. II. .lenner, Miss Emily
IJelt. Mins Nellie Stlpp, Miss
Clara Watt. K. Humphrey, Prof
Dana C. Pearson, Mrs. P. -.-I.
Price, Miss E. Boise and J. T.
Outhouse.
When the school was opened
in 1S5 8. members of the board
of directors were: A. W. Fergu
son, W. II. Rector and C, A.
Reed. B. F. Brown was school
elerk.
Names associated with the en
terprise of establishing the first
public schools in Salem are J. D.
Boon, E. NV Cooke, J. H. Moores,
I. R. Moores and Dr. A.; M. fielt.
History says that in 1859 there
were 227 boys and girls of school
age residing in the district, but
of what share of them were go
ing to school there is no record
Six years later, 200 pupils. were
in school and the enumeration
for the district totaled 632.
2 Schools Erected
At Cost of $4500
Eight years after the Central
school was opened the school
board voted, because of the
growing town and crowded! con
ditlons in the school, construc
tion of two new two-room school
buildings. In 1866 these build
ings, on. in North Salem and one
in South Salem were erected at
a cost of 14.500. This figure
also included purchase: of
grounds.
Even with three school build
ings, the taxpayer had : no cause
to grumble, for only In a few
instances during the first 15
years of public school - history
was the taxpayer called upon to
help make up deficiencies in re
pair and building. The three
schools were virtually self-sustaining,
and it was not even ne
cessary to levy a local tax to pay
teachers' salaries. A tuitiotn of
$4 per term and monies received
from the school fund were the
main revenue.
The first Marlon county teach
ers' institute seems to date back
to August, 1867, for In April of
that year the school board desig-
nated : Rev.: O. Dickinson to rep
resent the , Salem schools at. that
meeting, to be held at Belle
Pass!. '
Little Central School
Used First for Negroes
Rapid increases in population
prompted the district to pur
chase sites and built the, two
schools known as the .Little; Cen-J
tral and the East Salem school in
the three-year period ' from 1868
to 1869. The Little V Central
school, present-day Salem may
be surprised to kn6w, was used
first for a public school, for col-
i
UPPER: mtS
I'Til A8,
MAT EE SEE:? ONE OP THE OLD HORSE DRAWN BUSES. LOW EH
ored children, with Mrs. R. Mal
lory as teacher, a post which she
held as long as the school was
maintained.
Other teachers whose names
are associated' with the history
of: the public schools r until the
close of 1869 are: Prof. T. H,
Crawford, W. T. Ramsey, F. H.
Grubbs, J. M. Garrison, O. D.
Doane H. Y. Thompson, R. O.
Dunbar, Mrs. E. Denlinger, Mrs.
P. L. Price, Miss E. A. Witten,
Miss Aurora Watt, Miss Fannie
Case,, Miss McGhee. Miss Louise
Simpson and Miss Clara Watt.
This list is not complete.
! In 1869, there were ,1,136
children of school age, of whom
327 are recorded as being in
school. i
3-Mill tax put .
On by Close Squeeze
The second big and Important
step in t"he history of Salem
schools was instituted in 1871
and the storm it arose was great
er, than height of the excitement
at the recent legislative . session.
For horrors, the school board
was upsetting the established or
der of things by proposing' j to
inflict upon the people of Salem
for school purposes a 2 mill
tax, the former system proving
inadequate for the increasing de
mands. At the- annual meeting
on April 3 the vote-sfor the iax
was 51, and: against, -39 TBut
an - illegality was- found by .the
opponents. Another, .vote on
April 24 passed a three mill levy
by a good margin, 111 'to 741 '
And school taxes -' were
launched,; s and ' with them the
f see ' school system was an ac
tuality. Directors In f 7 1 , wgre R.'
H. Dearborn, R. ; Mallory, Paul
Crandall -and C. P Stratton,
clerk. Opposition to a school tax
continued strong for about five
years. . , . " . . '
In 1875,-the grades syiste'm of
Instruction was adopted by the
board,1 with1 the. following teach
ers ! selected ta Introduce the
graded: system: J. T.
Gregg.
Clara Watt and Zilpha Raymond,
East building; Jrtrs.' L. G.' Adair
and Mrs. Nellie Curl, Central
school;' Marie E. Smith, primary
Central school; H. G. Morris and
Ida 1 Hutton at the North
school;
J. Jory
..Gregg
A. W. Lockhart and Maryj
at the South school. J.
was . city "superintendent
Another big step in history of
Salem schools was taken in ,1883
when, because two churches had
sal'em:s first street
.... : . -'r '4 '- "-y'
SJ&Vfi. .1? AT 8 OUTHERk. WCmC
FIRST
been called into use as schools,
the annual meeting jroted to
build another schoolhjouse, to
cost $40,000. A five niill. build
ing tax, as well as th regular
three mill levy, was passed that
year, when taxable property was
set. at $1,321,738, and salaries
of the 13 teachers! were $6395
The result of .this move was
the East Salem school (the pres
ent Washington school and first
of those now in use) boasted as
one of the finest public school
buildings on . the Pacific coast
and designed to accommodate
600 students, seated In 12
rooms. The building was not1 en
tlrely completed until 1887. '
From that time on, growth of
the city and of trends in public
education are more; or less
known, and suffice it but to
touch upon th present system
with Its 12 strong schools , and
nearly 200 teachers. The North
and South schools, later renamed
the Washington and Lincoln
schools," were constructed in
1890 and 1891 respectively;
Park was built in 1890; next
the senior high, Garfield in 1909,
Englewood the next . year, then
Richmond and Highland in 1911,
McKinley in 1915, and finally
the Pairish junior high and in a
short time Leslie Junior high.
Now . there is talk pf a 10-year
building program which may In
clude a new higk school as well
as additions to several old buildings.
In the Past 50 years city su
perlntendrtnts nave been:-, J. T.
Gregg, , Gqorge ; A. j Peebles, . S. A.
Randall, Mrs. Sarella Grubb Mil
ler (the I only. Woman to hold
that position ' here) again Mr
Peebles. D. W. Toder. L. R. Tra
ver, ,J; .n iPowersf who was here
4 A A ft 1 A. '4 ll A. A . 1L .
irom 10 lJ inexi 10 me
. longest plriod ) , p . J. Kuntz, O,
M. . Elliot . J. " W. Todd " and the
present Head, - George W. Hug,
who : has been here $. 1 years, the
longest record. i
4TH Section
LOtiG CONTEST
Intermediate ! Cities Were
Subject to High Costs
' Irl Dava of 1fi7
Probablf no section of the in
terstate commerce commission act
has been more hojtly contested than
the Fourth Section"; which relates
to the rates for' long and short
IT
cars
rEPOT. lV THE i.lfFT BACKGROUND
ELECTRIC CARS,; 1890
hauls. The fissht for low rates
for long' hauls oh account of water
competition had been waged for
over 40 years, feyer since the act
was passed. Just recently Oregon
cities from Ashland to Salem had a
fight before i thief commission for
lower rates. W. P. Ellis conducted
the easel j . j.
But bick in '87 just after the
act wentlnto Effect, the eight prin
cipal barfka of Sjun Francisco wired
to Washington t&iiftt "all nroductive
and mohetary relations of this
coast ar threatened with disorder
from thfc actioil of the interstate
commerce commission bill. - Action
on , your? cart can save-thi
from the-tremendous loss. which is
sure . to jfollow the illiberal or. nar
row interpretation of the - fourth'
section df the bill.! We ask the sus
pension: item ftorkrilv fha 1nn.
- t Z l Mr - ivii
haul clause, at least until our posi
tion can be placed before vour hon.
orable body.", -
Tempprarilyf meant a long time
-for-the'coastlitles still fight for
suspension -of the H ourth section,"
which 'is most Sfamous -in all nm.
ceeiings before; the commission.
AND pNjiTO? FAME
E. . B.;j Pirier: left veaterrlav ; fnr
Seattleto alse his : place on , the
reportorial fetaff i of the Post . In
telUgencer." -i Statesman, Nov. 1,
1888. J ' ; hr-.;' : '
Piper tserVed: as eitv eAltn n
the Statsmin,:ARd graduated from
Willamette I university, i He wa
successor td Harvey . Scott as edi
1, - 1
EDITOR HAPPY
AS RAILS COME
Espee Purchase of Line to
Be Great Asset to
State in View
When the Southern Pacific an
nounced its intention to acquire the
O. & C. railroad which had" been
built 'south from Portland through'
Salem to Eugene and Rosebur? ami
Ashland, The Statesman comment--
ed as follows: : . 1 .
"This announcement is of very -great
importance to Oreeon al-
Kvr.k : 24. 1 I - ...
wiuugii i, unq;vcen Known tnat
negotiations were pending for the
transfer of this system to the Cal
ifornia ompany for- a good many
months, yet this is the first time'
the fact has been reliably estab
lished by a statement from head
quarters of either company This
change means a great deal to Ore
gon and especially to the western
and southern portions of the state.
It liberates the Willamette valley
in a measure from the extortions
practiced by the Oregon Railway
and Navigation company, and will
also place the road that connects
the northern with the southern
parts of the state in the hands of a
company full of enterprise and a
go-ahead' spirit. It means that
after July first our mails will not
lie over in Ashland and Portland
one day out' of every - seven; it
means that our merchants will .
have not only Portland but San
Francisco as an available and
quick purchasing market; it means
an extended market for our nro-
daee; it means another and pleas
ant passenger route to the east . . .
This when completed will b I on
of the best paying roads on the
Pacific coast, and its completion
will contribute a great deal of ben
efit to Western Oregon, by bring
ing us much of the immigration
that comes now only to California,
and returns to the east from there."
Street Railroad
Public Company
With $20,000 In
"A number of the business men
of Salem met yesterday afternoon
at the Capital National bank to
discuss the question of the build
ing of a system of street railways
in this city. It was the general
sentiment of those present that the
time has arrived when street rail
way lines in Salem are a public
necessity and that if economically
built and well managed, such an
enterprise would be a paying in
vestment. -
"A company, to be named the
Salem Street Railway company
was authorized with capital stock
of $20,000." Statesman, Nov. 1,
1888. ; , ... t
The incorporators were Wm. N.
Ladue, John G. Wright, Wm. Eng
land, J. H. Albert. .Chas. B- Moores.
T. H. Hubbard, H. W. Cottle.
ine nrst officers were R. J.
Hendricks, president; T. H. Hub
bard, vice president; C. B. Moores,
secretary J. H. Albert, treasurer.
A rival company, the Capital
City Street railway was organized
in 1889 and began operations.
FASHION NOTE OF I 5 1
f The bloomers' in Oregon. A
couple of our down-town ladie,s ap
peared in the Bloomer costume
(short dress and trowsers) one day
last week. We were not 'there to
see' but we understand th d,mnn:
stration created an intense excite
ment in that quarter.H-The States
tor of the Orefrohian.
man, (Oregon City),1 Sept. 2, 1851.