History of Amesbury - Merrill.org

HISTORY OF AMESBURY. 323
built. The sum assessed was $307.23, of which amount Thomas
Worthen paid $21.77, J°hn Huntington $18.69, Elijah Clough
$18.29, John Clough $18.27, Amos Huntington $16.48, Ephraim
Goodwin $21.28, Thomas Goodwin $13.41, Aquilla Martin $13.66,
Isaac Martin $12.56, David Huntington $11.89, William Worthen
$11.19, William Goodwin. $10.59, and Elijah Huntington $10.05.
The Pond Hills district purchased the school-house built a
few years ago on private ground, and a tax of $203.58 was
assessed to pay for it.
1805.
Last year an effort was made to establish an academy at
Bartlett's Corner for the benefit of Amesbury and Salisbury. It
was proposed to raise $2000 by subscription, as the capital
needed to carry out the design of the friends who were
interested in the measure. This capital was divided into two
hundred shares of $10 each, which were readily taken in the
two towns. The company was organized September 10th, 1804,
by the choice of Jonathan Ireland, clerk, Nathan Long, treas-
urer and collector, John Barnard, Nathan Long, Joseph Hoyt,
Samuel Nye, David Currier, Isaac Whittier, Christopher Sargent,
Ebenezer Pearley and Ezekiel Evans, committee. The plan was
to convert the Presbyterian meeting-house, which was built for
Mr. Llibbert some years since, into a school-house for the use
of the company. The premises were accordingly purchased of Dea-
con David Tewksbury and others, and preparations made to fit
the church for the use of the school. There was, however, some
dissatisfaction in regard to the location, which was damp and
thought to be unfit for school purposes. Capt. Joseph Hoyt
and Nathan Long, Esq., asked and obtained leave of the com-
pany to move the building across the road from its location,
near the late Ezekiel Barnard's, to land which they had contracted
for of William Barnard and William Bartlett, provided it should
be done without expense to the company. An exchange of
land was, also, allowed, and the beautiful location now known
as the "Academy lot" thus secured. But to remove this large
church up the hill on to the desired spot was found to be no
very easy or desirable task, and the measure was abandoned.