History of Schools in Thompson, Connecticut
Public schools continued under the administration of the ecclesiastic
society till 1797, when by a change of law it was recognized in the
"capacity of a school society." Liberty had been previously given to the
several districts to tax themselves for the purpose of building and
repairing a. school house, to choose a clerk and appoint a collector and
treasurer. In 1798 it was further enacted " that each school society shall
appoint a suitable number of persons to be overseers or visitors of its
schools, whose duty it shall be to examine the instructors, superintend
and direct the instruction of the youth in letters, religion, morals and
manners, to appoint at their discretion public exercises for the youth, to
visit the schools twice at least during each season for schooling, and
particularly to direct the daily reading of the Bible by such of the
youths as are capable of it, and the weekly instruction in some catechism,
by them approved, and to recommend that the master conclude the services
of each day with prayer."
Reverend Daniel Dow, Noadiah Russel and Daniel Wickham were accordingly
appointed visitors and "inspectors" of the Thompson school, and on May
1st, 1799, presented an elaborate report, recommending a faithful
examination of school teachers, each master to consider it " a necessary
requirement to be able to read and write English with propriety," to
explain the spelling book, and to perform common arithmetic; that a moral
character be considered indispensable, and a knowledge of English grammar
very desirable; teachers to exercise their own choice between the shorter
Westminster catechism and Doctor Watt's catechism for children. These
recommendations were faithfully carried out. Examination of teachers was
duly enforced, Bible read daily, and catechism administered. Reading,
writing and spelling were taught in all schools throughout the year, to
which were added arithmetic and grammar in the winter, sewing and knitting
in summer. The school-ma'ams' task of overseeing the sewing, basting and
sometimes cutting out and fitting garments, was often very arduous. Some
little girls were even required to make underwear for their fathers and
brothers in school hours. No girl was thought to have thoroughly learned
the alphabet until she had acquired the art of', affixing each separate
letter perfectly upon an elaborate sampler.
Geography was taught in very economic fashion, the older scholars reading
it to the school in place of other reading exercise, sparing the necessity
of buying more than one copy. Saturday afternoons they were allowed, as a
special treat, to read aloud by turns, in the weekly county newspaper,
before recitation in the catechism. Air. Dow was accustomed to visit and
catechize each school in town, if possible, twice during the season-the
brethren of the church, resident in each district, making a point of
attending with him at such visitation. To make amends for this strictness
there were weekly spelling matches, when boys and girls enjoyed the
privilege of " choosing up sides " and spelling each other down,
ransacking spelling books for the most difficult specimens of orthography.
Evening exhibitions were also much in vogue, with declamation, recitation
and amusing dialogue. The last day of the winter school was celebrated
with especial festivities, the boys contributing pennies to purchase the
requisite materials for a generous bowl of flip, and the girls bringing
cake and home-made dainties. A popular teacher in the South Neighborhood
was accustomed to give the children a closing ball in his own house. Five
shillings a week was considered ample pay for a school mistress; a
successful master could command as much as two dollars. The school house
of that date was usually as bare, cold and comfortless a building as could
well be devised, but a daughter of Mr. Dow gives a pleasant picture of
that in the Central district.
This Thompson Hill district school house must have been quite exceptional.
As a rule the school houses were close, crowded, and every way
uncomfortable, with great cracks in the floor and about the windows, the
huge fires burning the faces of the children while their feet were
freezing. The numerous children in every household filled the houses to
overflowing, especially in the winter, when the schools frequently
numbered more than a hundred pupils. Their progress depended entirely upon
the personality of the teacher, some having that native teacher's instinct
or faculty which enabled them to stimulate intellect even under those
disadvantages. Captain John Green was one of these "born teachers," whose
services were in great demand for many years throughout the town. His
brother, Winthrop Green, Messrs. Horace Seamans and Winthrop H. Ballard,
are remembered as successful teachers. Among the schoolmistresses none
gained a higher rank than Miss Hope B. Gay, a shining member of Priest
Atkin's celebrated " class " upon Killingly hill, and highly gifted with
the art of imparting her own knowledge to others and winning the respect
and affection of her pupils. As a rule, however, the standard of the
district schools was so low, and the accommodations so poor, that
well-to-do families preferred to send their children to select schools or
academies. Thompson boys were sent to Plainfield, Woodstock or Dudley
Academies. Especially favored young girl had the privilege of a year's
schooling in one of the noted female schools " of Hartford, where they
added to solid studies the accomplishments of painting, drawing, music and
fine embroidery.
The first piano in town was purchased for one of these young ladies about
1820, who in turn instructed the other girls of the village in those rare
arts. The first select school in Thompson was opened by Miss Caroline
Dutch, an experienced teacher, in 1824, where a large number of charming
young ladies were trained in polite accomplishments. Select schools were
also taught by Messrs. Welcome Wilmarth, David Fisk, Cooley and Matthew
Mills. In 1837 a high school was opened by Mr. Thomas P. Green, of Auburn,
Mass., which gained a more permanent standing and higher reputation.
Woodstock Academy suffering a serious lapse at that time, its young men
came over to the Thompson school, as well as many from other county towns
and from Rhode Island. Mr. Green and his sister were not only stimulating
and successful teachers, but they knew how to carry through an attractive
" Exhibition, held yearly in the Congregational meeting house on the
Green, which added much to the prestige of the school. In 1840 the old
tavern house was purchased by Messrs. Joseph B. Gay and William H. Mason,
and transformed into an academy building and boarding house, where the
school flourished for a number of years. A few years after the demise of
Mr. Green's school, viz., in 1851, another high school was opened by Mr.
Henry Parker, an experienced teacher, which soon merged into a " Family
and High School," carried on by Mr. Parker and the Reverend Alanson
Rawson, in the historic old Watson House." This school enjoyed a high
reputation for thoroughness and good scholarship, and many young people of
the town availed themselves of its privileges, while a number of lads from
other states found a pleasant home and careful training.
During these years great changes had been wrought in the administration of
public schools. Finding that the Connecticut school fund, of which the
state was so proud, had proved to some extent a disadvantage, that people
took little interest in what cost them little or nothing, and that the
provision for public education in Connecticut was actually falling below
that of other states, a new departure was resolved upon and effected.
Through the efficient labors of Henry Barnard, first state school
superintendent, measures were instituted which placed educational matters
upon a new basis and led to thorough regeneration or reform. Schools have
been formed for the instruction of teachers, laws passed compelling
children to be placed under their tuition, and boards constituted to see
that all these laws are faithfully carried out. School houses, school
books and appliances, school methods, wages of teachers and ways of paying
them, have been exhaustively scrutinized and debated, and if public
schools in Connecticut are not some hundred per cent. in advance of those
of former generations, it is not for lack of discussion, legislation or
expenditure. Thompson has labored diligently to keep up with the demands
of the age, and under the careful oversight of a competent board of
visitors, has reconstructed her school houses, provided them with maps,
charts, school books and libraries, graded the schools when needful, and
supplied them with as good teachers as could be procured. Some of these
teachers are graduates from the town schools, as Mr. Newton A. and the
Misses Ballard, Miss Shaw, the Misses Chace, Knight, Bates, Bixby, Mr.
George Town and Mr, Wilfred Mills. No one has done more for public
education in the town, both as teacher and. visitor, than Mr. Stephen
Ballard, often secretary and chairman of the board, and so many of the
name are associated with our schools that it might well be called the
banner family in this respect.
Miss Emma Shaw, a native of Thompson village, much esteemed as a teacher
in the public schools of Providence, R. I., has won unique celebrity by
her energy and enterprise in exploring unfamiliar portions of the American
continent. She was one of the first American women to explore our Alaskan
territory, and in successive visits has made herself very familiar with
the topography and characteristics of that remarkable region. For six
successive summers Miss Shaw has crossed to the Pacific coast, over the
several trans-continental routes, making each year a special visitation
and study of some almost undiscovered country, and describing her
adventurous wanderings in graphic letters to many influential newspapers.
Yellowstone Park, the Cascades of the Columbian river, the Winnipeg
country, the Saskatchewan river far into the territory of the Hudson Bay
Company, and other remote and unfrequented sections, have been thus
visited and described. Miss Shaw has in a very marked degree the qualities
essential for a successful traveler, and the interesting papers recounting
her varied and unusual experiences have been greatly enjoyed and
appreciated by many intelligent audiences.
Back to: Thompson, Windham
County, Connecticut History
Source: History of Windham County, Connecticut,
Bayles, Richard M.; New York: W.W. Preston, 1889 Back to: Windham County, Connecticut
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