The History of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia Part 18

On Major Day's tombstone, in the burial ground of Fredericksburg Masonic Lodge, in reference to this school, is found these words: "The Male Charity School of Fredericksburg is chiefly indebted to him for its origin in 1795, and for its prosperity to his unremitted attention in the princ.i.p.al management of its concerns, over which he presided until the time of his death."

These tablets and tombstones furnish a history of this school that can be had nowhere else, and their transcription here will, it is hoped, enshrine the memories of these charitable men for their munificence to the poor of the town in the hearts of the present generation and indelibly impress upon their minds the solemn, but oft unheeded, words of the Master, "ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good." Mr. George W. Rothrock conducted this male school as teacher for many years, but upon his death, before the Civil war, it was closed and has never been resumed.

A reference to other schools of Fredericksburg, some contemporary with the Male Charity School and the Federal Hill Female College, and others of a later date, will no doubt be of interest to the numerous descendants of those who were educated in them, and will recall to many of our older citizens pleasant memories of their youthful days, as well as the labor over "tare and tret, which made them mad and sweat."

Among these was the excellent female school taught by Rev. Samuel Wilson, in which many of the most accomplished ladies in Fredericksburg received their early education. Mr. Wilson was succeeded by Miss Mary Ralls, who was a.s.sisted by Mr. Herard, whom she afterwards married.[68] Mr. Herard was a Frenchman, and although he could not speak English, taught writing and French in the school. Here commenced the education of a large number of girls and boys, who were afterwards well known in the social circle and business pursuits of Fredericksburg and of many other parts of the country, and some of them are to-day honored citizens of the town.

The school kept by Mr. John Goolrick, in the small, brick building on the lower end of Main street, now occupied by Mr. W. Snowden Hitt, was famous in its day, and in that school were educated some of our substantial business men and accomplished women. He was a.s.sisted in his school by his son, George, who was an accomplished teacher and cultured gentleman.

George Goolrick succeeded his father in the conduct of the school and continued it for many years.

Mr. Thomas H. Hanson, who came to Fredericksburg from Georgetown, D. C., was princ.i.p.al of the Fredericksburg Male Academy. He was a fine cla.s.sical scholar and his school enjoyed a wide-spread reputation as a cla.s.sical school. He taught in the north wing of the City Hall, and for several years on Prince Edward street, above Amelia, in a brick building, where the residences of Misses Hay and Misses Wissner now stand. The building was torn down several years ago, when residences were built. Some few of his pupils are now living. One died a short time ago, at a ripe old age, with the honorary LL. D. attached to his name.

Rev. George W. McPhail conducted a school for some years on the west side of Main street, just above Commerce. The house was a large, frame building, with a store on the ground floor and school-room above. It was destroyed at the sh.e.l.ling of the town in December, 1862. Mr. McPhail's first school-room was located on George street west of the Presbyterian church, but, it being too small to accommodate his pupils, he moved to Main street.

Messrs. Powell and Morrison, for many years, conducted a school for girls in Citizens' Hall, which stood on Princess Ann street where the Catholic parsonage now stands. It was known as the Fredericksburg Inst.i.tute, and was one of the best schools of that day. It was moved to Richmond and is now conducted by members of Mr. Powell's family.

Professor Richard Sterling conducted a school for boys in the old Colonnade building on Princess Ann street, opposite the courthouse, long before the war. He was succeeded by Mr. J. J. Halsey. The building was partially destroyed by fire during the Civil war, and finally, in 1880, was removed to give place to the Presbyterian Memorial chapel.

For a number of years a school for girls was conducted by Mrs. John P.

Little, first at her residence, on Princess Ann street, and then for some time at Federal Hill and at the Union House, which is now used for the public schools. She was a.s.sisted in her school by an accomplished French teacher by the name of Guillet.

More than half a century ago Misses Ann and Mary Drinnan conducted a flourishing school for girls on Charles street, above Lewis, where the Misses Goodwin now live, and Mrs. Mary Hackley conducted a large boarding school over the store now occupied by Mr. Thomas N. Brent. For several years before the war Rev. Wm. F. Broaddus, D. D., taught a school for young ladies in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the Baptist church. These schools were all of a high order and fully sustained the reputation of Fredericksburg as a town possessing the most enlarged educational advantages. Besides the schools above referred to, schools for boys were taught by Richard Stern, Mr. Hudson, Mr. Jamison, Stephen A. Boardman, James G. Read, Edward Henry, Mr. Tchudi, Buckner & Henry, Buckner & Temple, Chas. E. Tackett, Thomas Moncure, H. W. Rhinehart, Mrs. Judith Anstice, Mrs. A. L. Magrath, Maria Woodruff, Miss Willie Schooler and others.

After the war Judge Richard H. Coleman taught a high school for boys at Kenmore, and Colonel W. Winston Fontaine taught a high school for girls on the south corner of Main and Frederick streets, and Professor Volley M.

Johnson conducted a similar school at the Union House. When Judge Coleman moved his school to Guiney's in Caroline county, Messrs. Cuthbert Buckner and Charles W. Temple opened a school of the same grade. They were succeeded by Messrs. Cuthbert Buckner and Wm. Caruthers, and they by Messrs. Charles E. Tackett, James W. Ford and Wm. B. Marye, who added a military feature to the school, which made it quite popular. These schools were located on Prince Edward street in a one-story brick house, known as the Academy, where the Misses Hay have recently erected a modern residence.

After Colonel Fontaine moved South a high school for young ladies was opened by Mr. Wm. Caruthers in the Presbyterian Asylum, known now as Smithsonia, a.s.sisted by his sisters, Mrs. Davis and Miss Caruthers. He was succeeded by Mrs. Wm. A. Campbell and daughter, two excellent teachers, but the school did not appear to prosper and was finally closed. In addition to these schools of high grade there were many excellent primary schools for girls and boys, which succeeded well until the public free schools were opened, which became popular because of their graded system and the thoroughness of their instruction. Since then most of the private schools have been abandoned, yet some few are yet conducted and are doing well.

THE a.s.sEMBLY'S HOME AND SCHOOL.

The a.s.sembly's Home and School was founded by Rev. A. P. Saunders, D. D., then pastor of the Presbyterian church in Fredericksburg, in 1893. It was incorporated by an act of the Virginia Legislature December 16, 1893. It consisted originally of a home designed for the maintenance and education of the orphans of deceased Presbyterian ministers and missionaries, and also of a college. The latter was intended as a place for the education of these orphans and also for the youth of other denominations.

The General a.s.sembly of the Presbyterian church, each year, commended the inst.i.tution to the confidence of the churches within its bounds, and by their contributions the Home was maintained. The college for some time was supported partly by contributions from the churches, but more largely by the pay students attending the school from home and abroad.

In the year 1897 the General a.s.sembly of the church separated the college from the Home and ordered the sale of the college and all the property belonging to it. The city of Fredericksburg recognizing the value of such an inst.i.tution in its midst, had subscribed ten thousand dollars of bonds, the interest on which was to pay for ten annual scholarships in the college, the scholars being selected from the highest grade of the public schools of the town.

This arrangement continued until 1898, when the college and property were sold and the ten thousand dollars of bonds were returned to the city authorities and cancelled. The property was purchased by Rev. F. P.

Ramsay, who conducted the college for two years, the city continuing its patronage of ten scholarships, paying the tuition in money.

In the year 1900 Mr. Ramsay sold the college and property to Rev. John W.

Rosebro, who had just become pastor of the Presbyterian church in Fredericksburg. He is a gentleman of rare ability, and, with his corps of able a.s.sistants, is making the college worthy of the confidence and support of the public. A bright and prosperous future is predicted for the inst.i.tution under the management of this scholarly gentleman.

The a.s.sembly Home is still in operation, supported by the denomination, and holds a strong place in the affections of the Presbyterian church. It is now under the management of Professor Samuel W. Somerville.

THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

The public schools were established in Fredericksburg, under what is known as the Underwood Const.i.tution, in 1870. For several years they were not well patronized, princ.i.p.ally from the fact that the system was not popular with the people. When the system was first put in operation in town the schools were kept at private houses, because the city had no public school houses and was then unable to build them, and as the appropriations for school purposes were small the sessions were held only for five or six months in the year. The teachers, in a majority of cases, were selected more because of their need of the salary than because of their ability and fitness to teach.

In the year 1876 the schools were graded, and the funds received from the city and State were largely supplemented from the Peabody fund, which enabled the school board to adopt a ten months' session. By this arrangement the efficiency of the schools was greatly promoted; they grew in public favor, the citizens patronized them, and soon they became so large and popular the town was compelled to provide larger buildings for the accommodation of the pupils. To accommodate this large increase of attendance a commodious two-story brick building was erected on the north corner of Princess Ann and Wolfe streets for the colored schools, sufficiently large to accommodate four schools, and the Union House, a three-story brick building on the north corner of Main and Lewis streets, was purchased for the white schools and converted into a building capable of accommodating six schools.

In addition to the schools held at the Union House there are two schools for the first primary grades, one held in the forenoon and the other in the afternoon, under one teacher, and were kept in the south wing of the courthouse until two years ago, when they were moved to the Union House and other grades removed to the courthouse. The grammar grade of the colored schools is taught at Samaritan Hall, on Douglas street. These schools have an efficient corps of teachers and the instruction is as thorough as is found in any of the schools of the State.

There are ten grades in the white schools--seven in the primary department and three in the grammar department. There are six grades in the colored schools--five in the primary department and one in the grammar department.

The town is divided into two school districts, the Upper and the Lower, George street being the dividing line. There are three trustees from each school district, the six members const.i.tuting the school board of the town.

There have been four superintendents of schools since the inauguration of the free school system in 1870, who have served in the following order: Mr. John Howison, General Daniel Ruggles, Mr. Edgar M. Crutchfield and Mr.

Benjamin P. Willis. All of these gentlemen have pa.s.sed away except Mr.

Willis, who is now serving as superintendent. The school board has had but four presidents since its organization, thirty-eight years ago, who served in the following order: John James Young, Captain Joseph W. Sener, Wm. H. Cunningham and Andrew B. Bowering. Only one is now living--A. B.

Bowering, who is serving at present.

CHAPTER XIV

_The Churches of Fredericksburg._

If the morals and correct lives of the people of a town are to be judged by the number of churches within its borders, giving due consideration to the number of inhabitants, the people of Fredericksburg would be rated with the best. One of the first things that received the attention of the founders of the town, under the charter granted by the House of Burgesses in 1727, was the building of a house of worship and its dedication to the service of the Almighty, and since that time Fredericksburg has been blessed with regular divine services. And as the inhabitants of the town increased in numbers, and the little building became too small to accommodate all who would wish to attend upon the House of the Lord, the authorities were not too much engrossed with money-making and money-getting to enlarge the church and provide for the spiritual comfort and necessities of the increasing population. So the church building was enlarged time and again as the growth of the town demanded it.

Up to the first of the nineteenth century the only denomination holding regular services in town was the Episcopalians, as that was the only denomination that had a house of worship, but in the early part of that century other denominations organized churches in town, built houses of worship and have continued to occupy them to the present. Since then Fredericksburg has not been without a sufficient number of churches for the accommodation of her entire church-going population. There are at present eleven church buildings in town--seven for the whites and four for the colored people. The seating capacity of the white church buildings is about three thousand and that of the colored churches about one thousand five hundred, making the total seating capacity of the churches of Fredericksburg about four thousand five hundred, being ample accommodation for the church-going population, both white and colored.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Jackson Monument. Erected where he was mortally wounded May 2, 1863. (See page 96)]

ST. GEORGE'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

The history of the Episcopal church in Fredericksburg is of peculiar interest to the people of the town because of its antiquity and because of its intimate connection with the history and affairs of the town. In the year 1732, seven years after the town was laid out and named, the first church building was erected in Fredericksburg.[69] It was in St. George's parish, which embraced the whole of Spotsylvania county, which then contained all the territory west, as far as it was or might be settled by the whites. A church building had previously been erected in the county, on the Po river, for the accommodation of the people of the county. This church is said to have been located on the Catharpin road, on the top of the hill west of Mine run, on the south side of the road, where the Yellow church was afterwards built by the Baptists and which was destroyed some years ago. This stream is not the Po, but one of its tributaries and may then have been called the Po.

The first pastor the Fredericksburg church had after the completion of its building was Rev. Patrick Henry, uncle of the great orator and statesman of that name. He served the church for two years, and in 1735 was succeeded by Rev. James Marye,[70] of Goochland county, who died as rector of the church in 1769, having served it faithfully for thirty-four years.

Rev. James Marye was succeeded in the rectorship by his son, Rev. James Marye, Jr., who was rector for eleven years. From 1780, when the second James Marye closed his labors, to 1813 the church had many rectors, but their stay was of short duration.

In the year 1787 the Common Council, through a committee of its members, repaired and enlarged the church building by adding another wing, (one having been previously constructed, mentioned elsewhere,) which made the building a cross in shape. The cost for this work amounted to four hundred and six pounds, a part of which was raised by the committee by an appeal to the private citizens for donations, because of the depleted condition of the city treasury. In the same year the Council prepared and adopted a pet.i.tion to the Legislature of Virginia, praying for a division of St.

George's parish and for vesting "the property of the old church and the new burying ground in Fredericksburg in the corporation of said town."

Mr. James Monroe,[71] who was a member of the Council and a vestryman of St. George's church, (who was afterwards a member of the Legislature, a Representative in Congress, a United States Senator, twice Governor of Virginia, twice Minister to France, twice Minister to England, Minister to Spain, Secretary of State, Secretary of War, two terms President of the United States, Presiding Justice of Loudoun county and Visitor of the University of Virginia,) was appointed chairman of the committee to present the pet.i.tion and secure the desired action of the Legislature. If any report was ever made by Mr. Monroe, neither it nor any reference to it can be found. It is quite likely that the law separating church and State, which was pa.s.sed that year, made it unnecessary.

As has been stated, that after the death of the younger Marye, for more than thirty years the pastorates of the church were short and unsatisfactory. The cause for this state of things has not been recorded and conjecture is needless. In 1813 Edward C. McGuire, of Winchester, Virginia, came to the church as lay reader, being highly recommended by Rev. Wm. Meade (who afterwards became bishop of the diocese) as a young man of character and piety. Mr. McGuire was soon ordained and became rector of the church, serving it with great acceptance and success to the day of his death, in 1858, a period of forty-five years.[72]

Mr. McGuire was greatly beloved by all cla.s.ses of persons, his ministerial labors were signally blessed, and the number of communicants was largely increased. From the death of Mr. McGuire to the present the church has had several rectors, who did good work and who greatly endeared themselves to the congregation and people of the town. These pastors served in the following order: Rev. A. M. Randolph, D. D., now bishop of the Southern Diocese of Virginia; Rev. Magruder Maury, Rev. Edward C. Murdaugh, Rev.

Robert J. McBryde, Rev. J. K. Mason, Rev. Wm. M. Clarke, Rev. Wm. D. Smith and Rev. Dr. Robert J. McBryde, a second time, who is the present rector.

During a portion of the time that Dr. Murdaugh was rector he had as his a.s.sistant Rev. Arthur S. Johns, a son of the late Bishop Johns. St.

George's church has a flourishing Sunday school, of which Dr. M. C. Hall was superintendent for thirty-eight years, his duties closing at his death. This long service as an officer of St. George's church has been exceeded only by one rector, Rev. Edward C. McGuire, and one vestryman and senior warden, Reuben T. Thom, Esq.[73]

There have been three buildings erected on the ground where the present house of worship stands. The first one was built in 1732, and was an oblong, frame building. As the inhabitants of the town increased an addition was built on one side, and in 1787 another addition was constructed, rendered necessary by a further increase of the population and larger congregations. By the year 1814 the old building seems to have become so old and dilapidated that a new house was thought necessary, and therefore the old one, which had stood for over three-quarters of a century, was torn down and a new one was erected in its stead. An aged citizen, some forty years ago, describing this first building, said: "It was cruciform in shape, with steeple and bell, capable of holding large congregations. In each projection of the cross there was a small gallery; one contained the organ, the others two pews each. It was a frame building, painted yellow. The pulpit was at one of the angles of the cross, highly elevated, with reading desk, and clerk's desk in front below. A clerk, in his desk, generally responded to the minister in the service, while the people were silent."[74]