Footnotes to Long Island History
Public School Here By 1795
by
Thomas R. Bayles
According
to Osborn Shaw, official town historian, Patchogue had a school district of its
own as early as 1795, and the document to prove this is preserved among the
paper of the Town trustees in the town hall at Patchogue. This paper shows that
Isaac Overton, John Bun and Jacob Baker were appointed trustees of the Patchogue
school district in 1795, and also bears the signatures of 11 residents living in
or near the village in that year.
In 1813,
when Brookhaven town as divided into school districts, Patchogue contained three,
each of which had a small one room schoolhouse. In that year Ocean avenue
was a lane with a fence at the end of it
not far below Main Street, and was called "Slippery Lane".
Eventually
four school districts served the village, each with its own schoolhouse. In 1852,
the school census showed 609 children of school age. In 1869, the four districts
were consolidated and the Patchogue Union school was purchased from Austin Roe
for $2,000 on South Ocean avenue at Academy street.
Here a building 62 by 66
feet in size with two stories was erected at a cost of 15,824. The four old
school houses were sold for about $2,500. The new building was dedicated on October
16, 1871, and the first trustees of the consolidated district were Oliver P.
Smith, William L. Preston, George F.
Carman, Edward T. Moore, Alfred E. Mott, Edwin Bailey and Smith L.
Newins.
The
reception and board room was in the west room on the first floor, and an early
resolution of the board provided that such room be furnished with center table,
lamps, ink stands, pens, and paper, spit
boxes and a stove. Another resolution
adopted was that the pupil should furnish their own books which was in
effect until 1925.
The
first principal in the new school was Professor A. M.. Drummond, an excellent
teacher and a good organizer. Under his influence, the school at once took a
high rank in the county. He had five teachers and there were about 400 pupils
registered.
After
four years, Professor Drummond left for another position and professor Levi
Seeley was appointed principal and continued the work until 1881, when W. E.
Gordon was appointed to succeed him. 1905 the district was changed to a village superintendency and Dr. Gordon was appointed
superintendent. He continued in
this capacity until he had completed 38 years of service, in the Patchogue schools
retiring in 1919.
In 1883,
the number of pupils had become so large that increased facilities were
necessary to accommodate them. A rear addition of two rooms was added but, by 1887
it was again necessary to add more room.
In 1888
a kindergarten department was added with Miss Lucretia Titterton in charge. It
was the first organized in connection with a public school in Suffolk county.
In 1892, the academic department was admitted to the supervision of the regents
with a full high school course. In 1893, additional room was needed and a branch
primary school was built on River avenue to accommodate the first and second
year pupils in that section.
Among
the men who have figured in the history of the schools this locality perhaps
none has stood out with more unique and striking originality than Brewster H.
Saxton.
He
taught the school on Ocean avenue, then called Slippery lane, and his pupils were
composed in part of boys in their teens who worked on the bay during the open
season and came to school during the bad weather.
At one
time a conference of county teachers were discussing methods of preserving
school discipline and were in favor of "moral suasion" instead of using the
"rod". Mr. Saxton held to the old-fashioned way and wound up his argument by
saying "don't waste your breath talking moral suasion to the bay boys of
Slippery lane."