History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

518 HISTOEY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
tion refunded; and so promptly was the moue}'
forthcoming that the town always filled its (piota
promptly, and was never at any time behindhand.
The war expenses for five years amounted to tlie
sum of 142,771.39.
Out of the two hundred and forty-four men,
fourteen were substitutes, three from the state en-
listments for the South, twenty-two nnie-months
men were from Reading, fifteen from the state at
large, twelve re-enlistmeuts, and one hundred
and seventy-eight from this town. Of these last
named, ten died in the service of their coun-
try. The roll of honor is as follows : George
AV. L. Sanborn, Aaron D. Weld, Josiali Stratton,
Francis A. Hatch, John Fitzgerald, Joshua T.
I^awrence, Francis B. Bedell, John Gordon, Jeffer-
son Ford, and Ira Johonnott.
Eihiciiliiiiiiil. — No school-house appears to have
been bnilt in wliat are now the limits of the town
before the yearl7yO,and though a public school was
some years appointed to be kept, it could be accommodated
only in some private house, and then only
for a few weeks in the course of the season. Other
years the children who attended school had to be
provided with a private one at the cost of the
parents, or travel to the centre of Woburn and
Medford, some two miles distant. At the incor-
poration of the town there were only two school-
houses within its limits, — one in the Centre
(formerly South "Woburn), and the other on the
Medford road, near Symmcs Corner (formerly
Medford).
The town at its first meeting cliose 0. R. Clark,
Charles Kimball, and AVilliam A. Dodge a commit-
tee to build five scliool-houses. These houses were
built during the ensuing year, and were resjiectively
called : the Hill, from its location; the Wy-
inan, from an honored townsman of that name ; the
Rumford, from Count Rumford, a native of Woburn;
the Washington, from tiie street of that
name; and tlic Giirnrd, from S. X. ( nllord, who
was so active in Mi-ming the incovpur.ilidii nf the
town. The whole ,-(,st of Ihrsc houses, exclusive
orfuniituiv, u:,s about S(l,.-,(l(). These five houses,
logelher wuh Ihe two first lueul ioue,!, eoiiiprised
all tiic school accommodations of tlial day. A high
school was established at Ihe oulsel in the old
school-house in the Cenlre, ahhougli ihe ninuber
of iniiabitants did not then and has no! sinee re-
quired it.
Tlie school syslein was also inau-uraleil upon
the most liberal footin- and up.>u tlie uisesl
scheme, including every grade, and managed not
by districts and district committees, but by the
whole town. In 1S53 the Mystic School-house,
on Bacon Street, was built to take the place of the
old one in that locality, at an expense of some
•$l,yOO. In 1854 a primary school-room was fitted
up in the Giff'ord School-house, at an expense of
SSOO. In 1857 the Adams School-house was
erected, at an expense of §2,000. In 1863 this
school-house was enlarged by the addition of an
upper room, at an expense of ^700.
In 1865 a new high-school house was erected
on Dix Street, near the old one, which had become
unsuitable for the purpose. The total cost of the
building, land, furniture, etc., was about $17,000.
Tin's house was dedicated November 4, 1865. In
the same year a new grammar-school house was
erected on Washington Street, on the site of the
Gifford School-house, which had been removed to
a locality on Main Street. This house, with the
land and furnishing, cost about $16,000. The
house was dedicated November 5, 18G5. In 1875
the Adams School-house, being found insufficient
for the accommodation of the children in that
section of the town, was sold, and a new one
erected on Swanton Street, at an expense of about
$12,000. It was named the Chapin, in honor of
Dr. Chapin, who for eleven years served upon the
school board.
In 1878 a new school-house was built upon
land belonging to the town, on Highland Avenue,
to accommodate the children living in that neigh-
borhood. It cost, complete, about $ 1,500. There
are fourteen schools, all keeping ten months in tlie
year, and nineteen teachers. The number of chil-
dren in the town between five and fifteen years of
age, May 1, 1879, was 580. The average number
of scholars in all the schools for the year ending
March 1, 1880, was 530. The ten school-houses
now in use are valued at $57,500. Tlie amount
expended upon the schools for the past thirty
years, or to March 1, 1880, is $208,672.20; anil
"for new school-houses, $66,272.20, or a total of
$274,944.40, — nearly three quarters of a million
dollars. Up to the year 1867 the committee re-
ceived no pay for their services, but since then they
have received a small stipend. Of those who have
rendered valuable service upon the school board,
sjiecial allusion should be made to Dr. Alonzo
Chapin, whose term of service exceeded tliat of any
..ther, and wlu) was also a trustee of tlie towii
lilirar\ for several years, and took an aeti\e inlerest