Page:History of West Hoboken NJ.djvu/45

 Besides the school presided over by Mr. Carter, there was now another school, situated on the Hackensack Plankroad, near the site of the Reformed Church. This building was owned by the late Chas. Statley and was previously used by him as a stable. It accommodated about forty pupils, and there were, all told, in both schools, one male and three female teachers. and these were the first public schools of our town.

In 1863, the Rev. C. A. Buckbee became the town superintendent, and the enrollment at this time was about 200.

In 1864. Thos. Keynton became superintendent, and the township now had a population of nearly 2,500, and the expenses for maintaining the schools in this year was $1,366.44.

In 1865 the sum of $1,200 was voted for a new school site, and an act passed the Legislature of that year authorizing the issue of $20,000 in bonds for the erection of a new school building. On August 24, 1866, the site of the present No. 1 school was purchased for $1,350, and on September 27, of the same year, Trustee James Aitkens was appointed a committee of one to procure plans for a new building. After reporting on same, the board took steps to erect the present school, which was completed in 1867, at a cost of $32,762.56.

The citizens of the town were delighted with their new school, which at that time was considered one of the finest buildings of its kind in the county.

Considering the old barns and shanties which had been in use previous to the building of the new school, it is no wonder that the people were delighted, and as for the scholars, they must have thought they were entering a palace.

The first principal of this school was Mr. John Keynton, who received a salary of $1,000. The first teachers in addition to Mr. Keynton were as follows:—

Mr. Chas. T. Scheck, Miss M. E. Tyson, Miss H. E. Eddy, Miss M. Vacqueray, Miss C. L. Brown, Miss A. E. Benedict, Miss I. A. Brockway, Miss M. S. Brown, and Garret Spear, janitor. The only one of the above teachers now teaching in our schools is Miss I. A. Brockway.

In the year 1868 the Legislature abolished the office of Town Superintendent, and created in its stead that of County Superintendent, and Mr. W. L. Dickinson became the first incumbent of the latter office.

The new school had a seating capacity of 798. It answered its purpose until the year 1887, just twenty years after its erection. In that year Geo. Muendel, then clerk of the Board of Education, in making his annual report, drew the attention of