Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/347

 COLUMBIA AXD MOXTOUR COUNTIES a number o f years he exannnc«l the applicants for teachers’ positions fo r the township. Other teachers o f this ]>eriod were John Richards, Thom as G rier, Stephen H aiti, L. C. Judson, A braham LiIlc, M ichael Sanders. Michael B est, Isaac M ow er, Thom as Catley and John Porter. In 1806 a subscription school w as o|>cncagcs o f her books, which arc still prcs<*rvcd. appear the names o f Daniel E raser, Daniel Muntgumcry, Samuel Yorks and Joseph Com elison, as pupils. H er terms were $ 1 .5 0 ])cr quarter, and she taught spelling, reading and writing. In 1H 13 there were but three .schoolhouscs between D anville and M ilton, a distance o f fifteen mi cs, and nut more than eight in what is now M ontour county. Most of these schools were built by voluntary sub.scription whenever enough children were within a reasonable walking disLinec to ju s tify the movement. On a certain day the neighbors assembled, went to work, an<l in a few hours the log schoolhouse was ready fo r service. Mrs. Jo h n M aus, assisted hy her daughter Nancy, taught a school in a building on .Market street in early times. Sh e used to compel the boys, a s well a s the g irls, to sew on patchwork quilts. The T hird w ard school w as erected in l8 t7 on land given by Jo h n Sechler. It w as razed in 1892 to m ake w ay fo r a brick building, whkh cost $7,500. The D a n ftlle A cadem y w as founded by Gen. William M ontgom ery shortly prior to 18 19. He gave six ty lots tow ards its erection and maintenance, these lots lying west o f M ill street and lictwccn the riv e r and the creek. They were donated on condition that the .Academy .should lie under the supcrv-isiun and control of the M ahoning Presbyterian Church, and that one of the Montgomen- descendants should alw ays be a trustee, '['he Academ y building w as crci'tcd in 1 8 1 9 on the co m er of West Market and Clicslnul streets, in a grove with a number o f Immense maple trees. In 1855 a new and substantial brick building re­ placed the old one. The teachers in the Academ y w ere: Rev. John B. Patterson, S. P. Johnson. Rev. E d ­ ward D. Yeom ans, M rs. S. W. M ills ( o f M il­ ford. Conn.), E. V. Conkling. W. S. [’arsons, Joel E. B rad ley, J. V. Weston. W illiam A- Marr (a fte rw a rd s Ju d g e o f Schuvlkill county), 1. C. W ynn, Beniam in I'. Pratt. Prof. I.udwig, M iss Caroline Backus ami Jo h n M. Kelso. In O ctober, 1897, the Academ y build­

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ing w as sold hy the trustees, and is now used a s a private dw elling, owned by M rs. Jo h n B. M cCoy. 'n ie DattviHe F em a le S em in a ry w as started in 183K. It occupied fo r a while the second story of the Academ y building, but it w as soon alKindoncil and lioth sexes were taught to­ gether in the one room. T h e D anci/le institute w as founded by P ro f. lolm M. KeLso in 1857, in the Montgomery building. F o r many years Profe.ssor K elso maintained this school, prcfxiring many young men fo r college, and num bering among hi.s pupils many of the present older business and professional men of the community. P ro fe s­ sor K elso is now |>crha]>s the oldest living educator in the county. In 18 7 1 he closed the Institute an<l took charge of the Academ y, where he contimie<l teaching until it w as closctl and (he building disjioscd of. T h e first brick schoolhouse in Danville w as built in 1S34 on the co m er o f Pine and Bloom streets. O ne of the first teachers there was L. C. Jud son. father o f IC. Z . Jud son ( “ .Ned Runtlinc” ), the story writer. In 18 38 two fram e schoolhouscs were built on the ^ilan of the brick school, 22 by 3 2 feet in dimensions, and pbstcrcrl. T h ey were located near the homes o f Jaco b S id ler and Jo h n Blue, tlie latter now in V alley township. T he Fourth W ard school w as built some­ time a fte r 1834. In 19 14 additions to it requirc<l the removal of the bell which had hung in the tow er fo r thirty-five years. T his w as a great loss to the residents near, who had liccoine accustomed to its mellow tone. A fte r the fonnation o f .Montour county education received a fresh inqictus, especially in Danville, the county scat. M ahoning town­ ship at this time had three schools. W est Dan­ ville. E ast D anville and M ahoning. The ground fo r the W est Danville school was given by Gen. Daniel Montgomery, and fo r the other two by Jo h n Scchlcr. These schools wore under the sujiervision o f six trustees, who had c h a ise of the buildings also. The tc.-ichcrs w ere elected by the citizens, who cam e together at the call of the tnistce. But little attention w as (iai<l to the schools after they were ojieiicd. and the terms w ere seldom longer than fo u r months. I .I M K S T U N K V IL I.K

I N S T I T I 'T K

A description o f this school will be found in the chapter on Lim estone township. It oc­ cupied a substantial brick building erected in 1862. .Among its teachers in the earlier days