History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

1801.] MEMORIAL TO CONGRESS—CANALS— SCHOOLS. 585
A New Street Re- All uiisuccessful attempt was made in 1801,
i^^^^^- to lay a road from Lickingwater bridge
across the home lots of Dr. Hunt and Samuel
Hinckley. Undoubtedly tliis was a road from South
Street bridge to Pleasant Street, nearly parallel with, but
considerably to the north of the present River Street. Dr.
Hunt owned the lot bounded west on old South Street, extending
from Mill River to Main Street, and Mr. Hinckley
that on Pleasant Street, which in more recent years has
been known as the Kirkland homestead.
Schooling Girls. The subject of schooliug girls came before
the town again at the April meeting in 1801.
Coupled with it was the question of dividing the town into
school-districts. Girls had been allowed to attend the town
schools for a number of years, and doubtless many availed
themselves of the privilege. The town was pretty evenly
divided upon this question, as the votes in dijfferent years
seem to indicate. Girls were not admitted to the town
schools every year after permission was first granted. In
1799, the town refused to make any appropriation for
schooling them.
Girls' Schools. Duriiig the latter part of the eighteenth
century, schools for girls, taught by females,
were plenty. The best of them were not of very high
grade, and a majority of them were for the tuition of very
young children. Five or six such schools are mentioned in
Mr. Judd's interviews with old people, held in 1852 and 1853.
They were kept in private houses, though some of them
were held in rooms hired for that purpose. Not many of
these schools were commenced, however, till after the private
school taught by Isaac Curson, already described, was es-
tablished, and they flourished a number of years, till the
town took the matter in hand and engaged female teachers.
Many of the teachers, previous to 1800, were residents of
the town, daughters of some of the first citizens, who kept
school at their homes, but only during the summer months.
Most conspicuous among them in point of abilitj', were
Miss Sally Hill and Miss Sumner of Boston. Miss Hill
was engaged by Mr. Joseph Clarke. She began her la-