Evening Star Newspaper, December 28, 1930, Page 75

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. Thomson School, on Twelfth street, between K and L, taught by Bdward A. Paul. At first only a one-year course was taught in these schobis, - but. because their value and popularity, this period was extended to two years, and, by 1880, these courses were effficially called high schools, and the modest start first made in the Seaton Building soon led to the erection' of the Cen- tral High school on O street, between Sixth and Seventh streets northwest, and the same ldmm A. Paul became the first principal there 1882. In addition to the poems read at the dedica- tion of the Seaton School, remarks were also made by J. Ormond Wilson, one of the out- standing superintendents of the public schools, and one of the most beloved; W. W. Moore, formerly an alderman in the City Council; Gen. Norton P. Chipman, delegate to Congress from the District of Columbia under the Terri- torial Government; Wiliam R. Woodward, chairman of the Sub-board of Trustees, Second District School, and Gen. Francis A. Walker, Superintendent of the ninth census. The mem- bers of the Board of Trustees for the second school district . for 1870-71 were William R. Woodward, George F. McLellan, R. M. Hall, A. C. Richards and John Randolph. The first teachers assigned to the Seaton Building were: Nathaniel P. Gage, Male Gram- mar Schocl; Julia A. Brown, male intermediate, No. 1; M. Adcle Tait, male intermediate, No. 2; Mary E. Rowe, male intermediate, No. 3; Eliza Caton, male secondary, No. 1; Clara C. Baker, male secondary, No. 3; Amanda East, male secondary, No. 5; Mrs. Ros2 E. Roosevelt, male primary, No. 1; Metalla King, male primary, No. 3, and Hannah R. Hudson, male primary, No. 5. TH‘ESE were the days when medals, diplomas ' and other honors were bestowed upon the children in the different grades for faithful and meritorious ‘work done during the school year, and it unquestionably was a great incentive to the scholar, and a practice that the old-timer feels should not have bzen done away with. Indeed, many an early resident today shows with pride the different colored certificates of merit given to the worthy children each month, of which he happened to be one, and thz other erits of different valuation, such as the one the writer has before him calling for 100 merits awarded in 1878 to Maud Crown and signed by her teacher, Miss M. E. Rodier, and which has the mottoes in scrollwork: “Hear Instruction and Be Wise” and “Wisdom Is More Precious Than Rubles.” To many these are priceless treasures, and no doubt some of the boys who attended the Seaton School the first year it was opened still recall with pride the honors received on graduating day in 1872. Here are some of the classes; your name may be among them: Male Grammar School: Gold medal—Edward V. Benton. Diplomas—William R. Stansbury, Charles H. Ourand, Joseph Brown, George T. Parks, Galusha A. Riggies, William B. Turpin, William T. Talbott, Ernest F. King, Frank G. Barry, Walter N. Drummond, Willlam Wal- decker. Male intermediate, No. 1: Gold medal— Charles W. Lemon. Diplomas—George W. Kern, William J. Flather, Prank L. Stickney, William F. Williams, Wallace P. Crossman, William M. Arnold, Moses Schwartz, Joseph Sturgis, Thomas G. Betts, Rives Curran, Bingham H. Baxter, Charles Rodgers, William B. Stockman, Oscar C. Towner, Harold C. McArthur, J. Jacob Decker and Henry D. Kleinman. Male intermediate, No. 2: Gold medal— Francis A. Lange. Diplomas—Jamss O. Hagan, Charles W. Riggles, Jeddie Gittings, Joseph B. Ballenger, Perry B. Turpin, William H. Peters, John J. Sturgus, Samuel Rosenbaum, Hamilton W. Adams, John W. Koob, John P. Sturgis, Charles H. Ehrhardt and George C. Faherty. Mazale intermediate, No. 3: Gold medal— Charles E. Kinsey. Diplomas—Walter H. Klop= fer, John B. Johnson, Robert C. Herman, Rob- inson B. Lesh, James C. Bushby, William E. Gibson, Edwin M. Frazee, Harry Skippon, Charles B. Ward, William F. Arvin, Robert L. Fenwick, William T. Betts, Frank Burnham, Edward H. Patterson, Clarence L. Trevitt, Samue! G. Wise and Harry J. Finley. Male secondary, No. iI: Sllver medal—Ed- ward E. Rider. Diplomas—Louis Kolipinski, William P. Van Arsdale, Lewis E. White, Henry P. King, Edwin H. Burch, Frank W. Walker and George W Campbell. Male s>condary, No. 3: Silver medal—Oscar Cissel. Diplomas—Willlam A. Wilson, Roger Perry Miller, Elmer E. Troxell, Henry N. Boern- stein, Thomas H. Wilson, Charles M. O'Leary, William T. Bain, Charles E. Brereton and George W. Kennedy. Male s:condary, No. 5: Silver medal—John Brennan. Diplomas—John T. Howard, George F. Randolph, Charles H. Ruoff, Wilbur 8. Dodge, Elma E. Yates, John Walsh, Joseph J. Fowler, John W. Thorn, Frank P. Tucker, Willard M. McConnell, Herman Bucheler, Wil- liam S. Knox, G. Beuregard Branson and James G. Birchett. Male primary, No. 1: Silver medal—JefTerson 8. Smith. D plomas—Lewis E. Hawkins, Frank A. Macnichol, Edward J. Fletcher, Elwood B. Kelly, Gustav Esch, Edward J. Enthoffer, John B. T. Espey, Samuel Fenton, John A. Stock- man, Charles H. Bosenberg, Daniel Eagan, ‘Willlam H. Brown, Albert Minor, Arthur B. Nichols, Richard H. Brooks and John C. Det- weiler. Male primary, No. 3: 8Silver medal—Roger Mitchell. Diplomas—Lemuel Miller, Wiiliam Fowler, Charles Landvoigt, John Ward, Alfred Krackring, Cornelius Maloney, Edward Betts, Frederic Schafhirt, John Maddigan, Howard Brooks, George Edmund, Willam Donaldson and Lewis Holden. Male primary, No. 5: Silver medal—Joseph Goldstein. Diplomas—John Gibbons, William Swingle, Thomas Clark, Charles Cook, Charles Pusey, Henry L. Shackleford, Hugh Doherty, Albert Hall, Henry Swinfellow, Charley Nalley and Walter Donaldson. F the writer is not mistaken Nathaniel P. Gage was the first principal of the Seaton ‘School, and quite Nkely he later became super- vising principal of that school division, which later became the sixth. Miss Mary Rowe came “next, followed by Miss Flora L. Hendley, then THE® SUNDAY' STAR,, WASHINGTON, D. C; DECEMBER 28, 1930 ey - A i il & et e ¢ b ot - s Bl ©d SN i The Seaton Public School, on Eye street, betiveen Second and Third streets northwest. It was dedicated in 1871. Miss Adelald Davis. Up until a year ago the Seaton School was in the fifth division, under Prof. Selden M. Ely, but was then put in the sixth division under Mrs. Florence H. Rogers, supervising principal, and Miss Mary A. Diiger, administrative principal. At :one time Miss A. M. Clayton was principal of this building as was Miss Susie Collins. The present head teacher ‘of the Seaton is Miss Frances C. Carroll. Miss Hendley went there in 1889 as principel, became 2 supervisor in 1908 and retired in 1924, and recalls when the roof of the building blew off during a heavy windstorm about 1390, when the school records blew all over the place he affiliated with Lebanon Lodge, No. 7, F. A. A M, and served as its worshipful master from 1818 to 1821, when he was made grand master of the District of Columbia, serv- ing from 1822 to 1824, after which he again became master of Lebanon Lodge, filling that office during the years 1825, 1826 and 1827. He also held other high Masonic posts of honor. In 1902 his grandson, Malcolm Seaton. was also selected and served as grand master of Masons of this city. Another mayor who was a member of Lebanon Lodge and who served as grand master of Masons was Roger C. Weightman. Home of John Sullivan Browne. One of the first houses erected on Park road, in Mount Pleasant. It was first occupied in December, 1867. to the children’s delight and the chagrin of the teachers, who had a hard time marking the children up in their studies at least fos tLhat menth. COL WINSTON SEATON, for whom this school was named, was in his day one of Washington’s foremost citizens, serving as mayor of the city from 1840 to 1849. He was born in Chelsea, Va., on January 11, 1785, and died in Washington, D. C., June 16, 1868. In 1812 he camec to Washington to live, and from November 7 of that year the firm of Gales & Seaton published the National IntelM- gencer and Washington Advertiser, which they continued to edit and publish jointly until the death of Mr. Gales on July 21, 1860. Mr. Seaton then continued as editor of the paper until December 31, 1864, when the Intelligencer announced to the country Mr. Seaton’s retirement from his eonnection with the press, and he survived but & year and a half afterward. Mr. Seaton was highly esteemed by the public, particularly for the steadfast interest he took in the welfare of the city and its vesidents. Shortly after coming here on January 2q. 1815, One of the great historic events im which y “There is no withstanding public opinfon, and William has consented that Augustine, at the head of his company, shall be allowed to meet Lafayette at the District line; so the young captain and ensigns are in a way to tread the Avenue with as much precision and dignity as their fathers.” Again Mrs. Seaton writes: “Dear Mother—I dcn't know how it was, but I certainly figured more than I had any wish or expectation of doing on the day of Lafayette’s arrival. In the first place, I was selected by the committee of arrangements to superintend the dress and decoration of 25 young ladies representing the States and Dis- trict, and procure appropriate wreaths, scarfs and Lafayette gloves and flags for the occasion, to assemble them at my house and attend them under my protection to the Capitol. “I had previously been influenced by various reasons to present a flag to the ‘Washington Guards,” of which William is the proud cap- tain, and as this was now a duty, I determined to make it a pleasant one, and to avail myself of the dear little children’s presence to render my own position less conspicuous by being thus surroygnded. “At 8 o’clock a crowd had assembled around the house, and many friends were within to witness the ceremony. The little girls were in uniform—Ilong blue scarfs, hair curling “down and wreaths of eglantine on their pretty young heeds. They formed in double line, separating on each side of the front steps, 20 being so disposed, while four were selected—of whom J. represented North Carolina and M. Virginia— to bear the flag to the center of the stone platform, and, forming a star, to await the priestess of the ceremonies, who, stepping forth arrayed in India muslin trimmed with blue ribbons and lace, and with a nodding but modest plume of the same color, making the most of her height, thus, as nearly as reeol- lected, addressed the Guards.” R. SEATON'S home, where he entertained Lafayette and other noted public and celebrated men, stood on the south side of E street between Seventh and Eighth streets, where some 40 or more years ago was Abner’s Summer garden. Lansburgh’'s store now oc- cupies the site of this noted mansion, which is well described by the late Henry E. Davis in the Records of the Columbia Historical Soclety, as follows: “The home of Mr. Seaton was a commodious end substantially built house of brick om the south side of E street north, midway between Seventh and Eighth streets west. It was origie nally numbered 423, but after the renumbering of houses under the act of the District Legis- lature its number was 708. As indicated by the numbering on the rainspout, it was buil in 1823 ’ “The lot on which the house stood was 60 feet front by a depth of 120 feet, and the southern end thereof was a side lot about 20 feet in width, extending out to Eighth street. “The house itself was 40 feet square, leaving an alleyway of 10 feet on each of the east and a large Seckel pear, which Continued on Fijtventh Page

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