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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES A T H L K T JC P A R K
The town o f Bloomsburg purchased from Rev. D. J . W aller, Sr.. on Dec. l8, 1873, three acres o f land on Seventh street between Center and Iron, "to be used for public purposes” as stated in the deed. T he intention at the time w as to make a public park o f it. T he price paid was $2,000. Forty-one years have passed and it is no nearer being a public park than the day it was bought. It has been used mostly for a ball ground, and several times leased to circuses. A t one time the Civic club planted a number o f trees therein, which if they had been properly cared for would by this lime have afforded some sliade. There are great possibilities fo r a beautiful public resort here, and it is to he hoped that the next historian w ill be able to record that the original purpose fo r which the purchase was made has been r e a lis t . E D U C A T IO N A L
Upon the passage of the public school act in 1842 schoolhouscs were built at various points in town, but there was no system o f grading or general supervision until 1870, when (he F ifth street school was built at a cost o f $12,000, and opened with F. M. Bates as principal and George K. Elw ell, assistant principal. Three years later the Third street school was built. 1. E. Schoonover being the first principal. In 1885 all the schools were placed under' the superintcndcncy o f D. A . Beckley. who prepared a regular course o f studies and greatly improved the condition of the schools. T he increase in the number o f pupils in the schools was such that a third building soon became necessary, and so it was determined to erect a higli school building. T he lot formerly occupied by the jail on First street w as p u r chased from the county the school district, and in 1888 (he present imposing edifice w as completed. T he directors at the time w ere: lohn R . Townsend. J . C. Brow n, O. T . Wilson, W. Kram er, W. Chrisman, Joseph Garrison. T he architect was R. H. Ritter, and the builder, David Geisingcr. Since D. A . Beckiey's time the following persons hSve been principals of the high school: William J . W olvcrton, J . F . Harkins, L . P. Sterner and W. C . Mauser. L . P. Sterner was elected su pervising principal of the schools in i8gt and most efficiently filled (hat position until Ju ly . 19 14 . when he was elected district superin tendent, and the district thus became inde pendent. I .a ^ e additions have bw n made to the three buildings from time to time, with sufficient additional room supposedly fo r many years in the future, but on the o]icning of the schools in the fall o f 19 14 every room was filled to overflowing, and (he necessity for a fourth building w-is made imperative; steps are Iieing taken for its erection. In 19 14 W . C. M auser is principal of the high school. II. H. Johnson of the Third street school and M arry R ider of the F ifth street school. E x tensive improvements were made to (he latter grounds (his year, and recent additions have been made in (he chemical, scientific and com mercial departments of the high school. Man ual training has iKcn introduced in the other (wo schools, and sewing classes are conducted for the girls.
T he first school o f any consequence in Bloomsburg was taught by George Vance in a log building on the site of the present Episcopal church in 1802, and about the same time Ludw ig E ver taught a German school in a building on the northeast com er o f Market and Second streets. Other teachers o f early date were Roliert Fields. William Ferguson, M urray Manvillc and Jo sq ih Worden. The highest branches taught in these schools were the “ three R 's.” the advanced classes reading in the Bible. The second schoolhousc on the site of the first one w as of fram e con struction and was taught hy WilUam Love. The next school w as established in a build ing in the lower end of the town, on the site o f (he cabinet shop o f Joseph E . Barkley, now owned by the C . S . Furman estate. Robert Fields w as the first teacher here. .About the year 1830 a school w as opened in a chair or wagon shop at the site of the .Masonic Temple. Hiram W. Thornton being the teacher. T he old academy was erected on what at the present time is the site o f Dr. Montgomcrs residence, contained four class rooms, and was used fo r school purposes until 1875. The first actual high school w as conducted between 1850 and i8(i) by P rof. Joel E . B rad ley in a room later used by the Demoeralic S'enliftel, white M rs. Anna Drake taught pri mary classes in the adjoining room. .-Mm u I the same period Miss Mattie W ells taught a State Norm al Srhoot select school in a building later occupied by Crowning an elevation 150 feet aljovc the William Gilmore, and Miss Susan Painter had another in the rear o f her father's office on Susquehanna and overlooking the town of Hloomsburg. the situation of the State Normal Market street.
