When Pocomoke Was Young- A continuing weekly feature.

 

(Chapter flow:)

ITS ORIGIN AND TOWN LIMITS

TOWN LIMITS

GROWTH, CHANGE OF NAME, ETC.

MERCANTILE ASPECT

MANUFACTURING

TRADES ETC.

SHIPPING INTERESTS

EASTERN SHORE STEAMBOAT CO.

SHIP BUILDING ETC.

HOTELS, LIVERY STABLES, ETC.

PHYSICIANS

LAWYERS

POST OFFICE

PRINTING OFFICES

SOCIAL ASPECT, ETC.

MORAL ASPECT

TEMPERANCE CAUSE

SCHOOLS

CHURCHES

Note:  In duplicating this material for publishing on The Pocomoke Public Eye we have made minor adjustments to correct some of the spelling, punctuation, etc. We believe the errors were not in Rev. Murray's original writing but occurred in the process of formatting the material to a digital format for viewing online.

(Mentions of Commerce Street refers to present-day Clarke Avenue.)

SCHOOLS. 

The schools are a very important factor in making up 
the history of New Town, now Pocomoke City, and I 
have no doubt a description of the school in its early 
history, together with the school-house, will be quite 
interesting. The school-house was sixteen square: it had 
two doors and two windows, and there was a writing desk 
which reached nearly across the room, and benches with- 
out backs for the scholars to sit upon. This school-house 
stood on a piece of ground facing on Second and Cedar 
Streets, about twenty feet on Second Street and running 
down Cedar Street about seventy-five feet to the junction 
of Captain John H. Clarke's and Captain Jas. H. Young's 
lines. This piece of ground belongs to the heirs of Wm. 
J. Long, deceased. It formerly belonged to David Long, 
the father of William J. Long, and he charged twenty-five 
cents rent for it, which was done simply to hold posses- 
sion of it. The old school-house stood on this piece of 
ground and was occupied for school purposes until 1837 or 
1838, when it was sold and went into other hands. If the 
youthful reader is anxious to see the old school-house in 
which their parents and grand-parents were educated, they 
will find it occupied as a kitchen at the corner of Com- 
merce and Walnut Streets, the property being owned by 
Thomas S. Stevenson, Esq. The only teachers of whom 
I have any information or knowledge in the early history 
of New Town were: George Furnis, a Mr. McFadden, 
Levi Bishop, Samuel Carey, Michael Murray, Dr. John 
B. H. W. Clarvoe and James Stevenson. These were all 
good teachers of the branches of education which they 
taught. The different branches taught were letters, 
spelling, reading, writing, and arithmetic. When a scholar 
could cipher through Pike's Arithmetic, understanding, 
he was considered a finished scholar in that school. 

Steel pens were not then invented and writing was done 
with pens made out of goose quills. It was one part of 
the teacher's duties to make pens for the scholars, and 
when scholars had learned sufficiently to make a pen out 
of a goose quill, they were advancing finely. Although 
the teachers of this school taught but few of the branches 
of common English comparatively, yet so thorough was 
the training that there are but few now, if any, who would 
surpass the scholars of that school in these branches. The 
boys in that school would sometimes have a little fun, 
sometimes with the teacher and sometimes with each other. 
For instance: the scholars had to get lessons in the defi- 
nitions in the spelling book, this they called grammar. 
Some who had to get those lessons and recite them to the 
teacher had been out too long, at play, they would resort 
to the older scholars to put them through in a hurry. 
"Well!" says the advisor: "when you go up to say 
your lesson commencing with ball a round substance, you 
say b-a-l-l, cattle or horses." In these lessons the scholar 
was required to spell the word and define it. The time 
for recitation came. "Well!'' says the teacher, "com- 
mence! Scholar: "b-a-double-l ball." Teacher. Well!' 
what does that signify?" Scholar: "cattle or horses." 
Teacher. "Cattle or horses!" Scholar. "Yes sir. 
Cattle or horses!" The teacher having his black gum 
switch by his side commenced giving it to him che-wi-o r 
che-wi-o, until he had given him a good sound thrashing 
and then sent him to his seat to get his lesson better. 

In 1835, Gecrge S. Redden, Esq., commenced teaching- 
school here. He taught, in addition to the other branches 
which had been taught, English grammar and geography. 
With him dates the beginning or introduction of these 
branches of education in the school in New Town, and 
with him begins, also, the day of progress in the pursuit of 
scholarly attainments. 

Mr. Redden taught school in New Town at two different 
periods, but how long I cannot say. He was born in New 
Town, in 1803, after going to school until he was old 
enough to go to a trade, he was then apprenticed to Jacob 
Rogers, in the City of Baltimore, to learn the hatting bus- 
iness. While he was an apprentice he went to a night 
school, taught by Mr. Kirkham, author of Kirkham's 
grammar. After his majority, he commenced the hatting 
business in New Town. How long he continued I have no 
definite knowledge, but probably not more than two years, 
after which he returned to Baltimore and continued there 
until 1835, when he returned again to New Town, and 
commenced as before stated, to teach school. After he 
gave up the school in this place, he taught in the schools 
on the Western Shore of Maryland and in the Academy 
in Snow Hill, during which time he read law, graduated 
and practiced at the Snow Hill Bar. 

Mr. Redden was one of the most intellectual young men 
of his day, that was raised in New Town. He died in the 
City of Baltimore about the year 1868, aged sixty-five 
years. Dr. John L. Hearn succeeded Mr. Redden. As 
I have given a history of Dr. Hearn under another head- 
ing, I will here pass him by. 

In 1838, the old Academy was built and Dr. William 
Marsters was employed to take charge of the school. He 
remained, however, but a short time, and afterwards settled 
near Quantico, in Somerset County, now Wicomico County, 
and graduated in medicine and practiced till he died, which 
event occurred but recently. A Mr. Schooler succeeded 
Dr. Marsters and taught in the Academy until, probably, 
1842, when he resigned the position and went away. Of 
his antecedents I have no data upon which to write his 
history. 

Nehemiah Holland succeeded Mr. Schooler, and taught 
school two or three years. He finally resigned the posi- 
tion on account of feeble health, and went South. He 
settled in Texas, where he read law, graduated and 
practiced his profession until his death, which event 
occurred but recently. Mr. Holland was a native of Wor- 
cester County, Md., and a brother of Mrs. L. Jane Dennis, 
widow of the late John U. Dennis, of this county. He 
was a graduate of Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 
Mr. Holland was a Christian gentleman in the highest sense 
of that term. I have already stated that George S. 
Redden taught two terms in New Town, his second term 
followed Mr. Holland, then followed in succession: Mr. 
McGarry, George V. Curtis, C. C. Holtzman, Edward W. 
Stevenson, J. Allen Graves, Dr. Joseph L. Mills and Rev. 
Joseph L. Polk. During Mr. Polk's charge of the 
Academy, the High School Building was erected, which 
was in 1867. The Academy was occupied for school pur- 
poses twenty-nine years, when it was sold and went into 
other hands. It is at present owned by Ralph Ross, Esq., 
and is occupied as a carpenter shop, on Commerce Street. 
Messrs. McGarrey, Curtis and Holtzman were strangers of 
whose antecedents I have no knowledge, and consequently 
can only say of Mr. McGarrey and Mr. Holtzman that 
they were good teachers; but of Mr. Curtis I have this to 
say: that it was conceded, by the citizens of New Town, 
that he was the best teacher that had taught school in New 
Town up to his day. He did not, however, continue long 
in New Town. He finally removed to Harford County, 
Maryland, where he established a school of high grade, 
preparatory for college, and is principal of the same to 
the present day. Edward W. Stevenson succeeded Mr. 
Holtzman and taught school in the Academy for nine 
years. Mr. Stevenson is a native of New Town. He 
received his education partly in New Town and partly in 
the Snow Hill Academy. After he resigned his position as 
teacher in the New Town Academy, he moved to Phila- 
delphia where he engaged in mercantile pursuits. After 
being there for some time, he removed to Marietta, Ohio, 
where he still resides and is still engaged in mercantile 
business. Mr. Stevenson is a man of high moral 
character, and is living to bless the present generation 
with a fine family of prosperous children, who will 
no doubt make their mark in due time. 

J. Allen Graves succeeded Mr. Stevenson in the princi- 
palship of New Town Academy. How long he occupied 
the position I cannot say, and of whose history I have no 
information, consequently I can only say that he was an 
acceptable teacher. 

Dr. Joseph L. Mills succeeded Mr. Graves in the 
Academy. He was born in New Town, Md. in 1840. He 
was left at an early day without father or mother, but was 
tenderly and carefully raised by his grandmother. He 
had all the advantages of education in the New Town 
Academy, until he was old enough to go to a trade. His 
grandmother then placed him under the care of James 
T. Dickinson of this place to learn the cabinet and under- 
taking business. Some time after his majority he was 
united in marriage to Miss Marietta Dickinson, daughter 
of James T. Dickinson. At an early day Mr. Mills 
connected himself with the Methodist Protestant Church, 
and it was not long before the Church discovered that he 
had talents lying dormant that ought to be called into 
exercise, and soon he was licensed to preach, and after- 
wards was received in the Maryland Annual Conference of 
the Methodist Protestant Church as a traveling preacher. 
He had not traveled long, however, before his health failed 
and he was induced to retire from the active work for 
awhile. It was during this retirement that we have him 
before us as principal of the New Town Academy. He 
had for his assistants, his wife Mrs. Marietta Mills and 
Miss Mary M. Hearn. It was under his tutelage that the 
school seemed to spring into new life, and some of the 
scholars learned as they never had before. He did not. 
however, teach more than, probably, two years, when his 
health was sufficiently restored to enter again the active 
work of the ministry. Dr. Mills is quite a popular preacher 
in his denomination; he has filled several prominent 
appointments in that church, and he had, several years ago 
for distinguished abilities, the Doctor of Divinity conferred 
upon him. Dr. Mills is yet, but in the prime of his life 
and reflects great credit upon his birth place. 

There were two other schools in New Town beside the 
Academy, one was the Parish School, which was under 
the supervision and control of the Rector of the Protestant 
Episcopal Church. It was organized in 1847. This school 
was taught severally by the following ladies, Mrs. Lore, 
the Misses Magruder, Mary O'Dell, Mary Canon, Jennie 
Adams, Mary Crosdale and Clementine Meziek. All 
competent and faithful teachers. The other school was 
organized in 1855. It was gotten up in view of the Academy 
being overcrowded with scholars, and it was also thought 
to be more suitable for girls and smaller boys. This 
school was taught severally by the following persons, 
Mrs. Rev. William Merrill, Mrs. Leach J. Stewart, the 
Misses Emma Huston, Cynthia Primrose, Serena Hall, 
Rose Humphries, Mary E. Truitt, Millie Stevenson, 
Nettie Clayville and Rev. William Wilkinson. These 
were all well qualified as teachers, some of them being 
graduates of Seminaries. 

CONTINUES NEXT SATURDAY HERE AT THE POCOMOKE PUBLIC EYE.