Evening Star Newspaper, November 1, 1931, Page 87

SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, NOVEMBER 1, 1931, fots 18 and 19, square 158, on Massachusetts pvenue, between Seventeenth and Eighteenth ptreets northwest, in the city of Washington, and now owned by the United States Govern- ment. These lots have a frontage of 107 feet and a depth of 177 feet, and would make an excellent site- for a school building for the children residing in the northwestern section of the city.” Though, apparently, the minutes do not state Just when Congress granted the trustees’ re- quest, vet it is evident that this was done, for in the report of the Committee on Buildings and Repairs of the school trustees, made at the meeting held May 13, 1879, we find this men- tion: “As to sites for the two buildings, the com- mittee recommend that the ground om Mas- sachusetts avenue, in the first school division, donated by Congress for the purposes, be selected for one of the buildings, and that the ground owned by the District at the junction of Fifth and C streets northeast, be selected for the other.” Over the plans for the building the Com- missioners and the school trustees had quite a time reconciling their differences of opinion, but as the trustces were then appointed by the Commissioners, naturally the former had to agree to the arguments cf the latter, which, however, they did reluctantly. They were evi- dently men of high standing in the community and were working as best they could to further the interests of the public schools, and they felt that their close touch with educational matters made them the best judges of the needs of the schools—but the Commissioners did not always see it in that way. The Board of Trus- tees for the year 1879-80 consisted of the fol- lowing gentlemen: Edward Baldwin, William W. Curtis, Alfred Pope, Chapin Brown, William H Smith, George White, Rev. Alexandeér Fair- ley, Talmadge A. Lembert, Benjamin G. Love- joy, Charles M. Matthews, D. W. Middieton, Jr.; James B. Nourse, John H. Brooks, Dr. George C. Samson, Benjamin F. Lloyd, Dr. Arthur Christie, Thomas Somerville, John F. N, Wilkinson and William® H. A. Wormley. N March 21, 1879, the Commissioners called for a design for a public school building, evidently having the Force Building particu- larly in mind. This ccinmunication, addressed *“To All Architects,” and signed by our good friend Dr. William Tindall, ‘as secretary, stated: “The Commissioners of the District of Co- lumbia offer a premium of $500 for the best design of a public school building, with draw- ings, specifications and detailed estimates, to oontain twelve (12) school rooms with capacity to accommodate not exceeding sixty (60) pupils each, with necessary and convenient coat and hat rooms; said building to have basement and $hree (3) full stories, and to contain all suit- able accommodations for recreation and physi- cal exercise, for janitor’s office, for heating apparatus, &c., with ample provision for light and ventilation. Cost not to exceed $30,000. “All plans to be submiited on or before the first day of May, 1879, and when submitted %o be the property of said District, to be used and disposed of as the Commissioners may think best. “All drawings to be made to a scale of one- Sourth of an inch to the foot.” When the plans and specifications were re- eelved by the Commissioners, they proceeded $o unload the matter on the trustees, and in the minutes of May 20, 1879, the Building Com- mittee made this report: “The Committee on Buildings and Repairs, %0 whom were referred, by a resolution that passed the board at its last meeting, the three plans for school buildings submitted to the Commissioners of the District of Columbia under their advertisement of March 21st last, by Messrs. Cluss & Schulce of Washington, D. C.:. P. H. Lauritzen of Washington, D. C,, and Thomas S. Kempster of Chicago, I, have the honor to report that, after a very careful examination of all the drawings and accom- panying papers, they unanimously decided that the plan of Mr. Lauritzen was entitled to the reward offered in the advertisement, and this decision they have communicated to the Com- missioners.” VEN this did not settle the question of de- sign, and it would be difficult, after reading $he correspondence on the subject, to tell just whose plans were used, those of Cluss & Schulse, P. H. Lauritzen or Thomas S. Kemp- ster. Maybe it was a little bit of each, for we @0 kmow that, in the end, a modified plan was used, called by the Commissioners, “the Paris plan, and also with amended plans of the Lauritzen building.” Here is the Commissioners’ Bubject : *To the Board of Trustees of Public Schools, D.C “Gentlemen: I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of resolution. passed by your board on the 30th ultimo, relative to the erection of $he school building in the First District, and to inform you that after conference with the Committee on Buildings and Repairs, and with s concurrence, the Commissioners have di- rected the inspector of buildings to advertise fmmediately for proposals for the erection of & school building on Massachusetts avenue, in accordance with pilans for the house known as the Paris plan, and also with amended plans of the Lauritzen buildin “The Commissioners will be pleased if the board will appoint a committee to co-operate with them in the .erection of the proposed The committee members appointed by the frustees to cc-operate with the Commissioners, &s requested, were Edward Baldwin, George White, Thomas Somerville. George C. Samson, William W. Curtis, Chapin Brown and John H. Brooks. The selection of a name for the school was ot such a difficuit matter, though we might infer that another name had been thought of for this building. However, the matter was Quickly settied at the meeting of the trustees beld March 9, 1880, when tbe following reso- Bution was adopted: “Whereas the present plan of the new build- fng in the Pirst Division is diferent from what & known as the Paris plan, with which the name of Prof. Herry is inseparably identified; and whereas the memory of the late Peter Q. Force, as a former faithfu! mayor of the Qily of Washington, and as distinguished fer letter om the SERREEERNS” wmem—— ] West side of Thomas Circle in 1874, showing the Lauritzen house before the addition of Mrs. Cole’s famous bay window. Scott’s statue and Stewart’s Castle may be seen to the right—the undeveloped neighborhood at that time is apparent. his invaluable contributions to American his- tory, deserves the highest expressions of re- spect at our hands, therefore, “Resolved, That the school building now in process of erection in the first division be named the Force Building, after the late Peter ROM the minutes of the trustees for 1880-81 we get at the approximate date upon which the Force Building was opened. Here we find the report of the Committee on Building and Repairs, which states: “The Committee on Building and Repairs respectfully reports that they met on the 31st of August at the Force Building for the pur- pose of inspection. After doing so, carefully, we had the pleasure to recopnmend its accept- ance by the honorable Commissioners. * * * “We are now getting the furniture put down and expect to have the school running all right in one week.” From this we might assume that the school was opened about September 21, 1880, as there is no reference to the subject at the following board meeting. The next item of interest gleaned from the minutes is a letter from the son of Mr. Force, which reads: “1208 K street, Washington, D. C., “October 6, 1880. “J. O. Wilson, esq.. “Superintendent of Public Schools, D. C. “My dear Sir: I learn that the trustees of the public schools have honored the memory of my falher by naming one of the new school houses the Peter Force Building. If it would meet the approval to place a portrait of him in one of its rooms, I beg their u:oepunde for that purpose of the lithograph from Jife by Fendrich sent herewith. The date annexed to his signature was the fifty-eighth anniversary of his birth. Very truly yours, “WILLIAM Q. FORCE.” By way of reply to this letter, Benjamin G. Lovejoy, at the meeting of March 9, offered the following resolution, which was adopted unanimously : “Resolved. That the portrait of the late Peter Force. presented by his son, be accepted by the Board of Trustees with thanks, and that the secretary be directed to convey this action to the donor. Also, that the portrait be placed in the PForce Building.” FEW evenings ago, the writer had a pleas- ant interview with Miss Janet McWilliam, recently retired from the public school service as supervising principal of the third division, and who for many years was principal of the Force School. : When we hear of some one retiring from the Government or the District nowadays somehow we assume the party to be elderly, and so when the writer called on Miss Mc- Williamm he naturally expected to find a woman who at least looked the age that she must have been to have received the bounty she was entitled to. But this valuable educator belies her looks completely and impresses one as being good for 10 years’ more service. She spoke enthusiastically of the notable families who had sent their children to this school, mentioning among several, James R. Garfield, former Cabinet officer and son of the lamentad President, James A. Garfield; Charles Taft, son of another President and recently deceased Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court; the daughters of Gen. Greely of Arctic fame, grandsons of the man for whom the school was .named, Sidney Walcott, son of Charles D. Walcott, late secrctary of the Smithsonian Instituticn; son and daughters of Charles E. Munroe, the eminent chemist; two daughters and a son of Minister Varela of Uruguay. The late Dr. S. S. Adams, who mar- ried Miss Hollister, a Force School teacher, sent one son and three daughters to this school, and Robert N. Harper sent his son Robert there. ‘The Roosevelt boys, Thecdore and Quentin, sons of the famous Rough Rider and Presi- dent, were of its beloved scholars. A memo- rial tree in honor of Quentin Roosevelt was planted in the school grounds with impressive ceremonies on November 11, 1918. This tree, a Lombardy poplar, was presented by the American Forestry Association, and éach anni- versary of the planting is celebrated by the pupils of the school. N his quest for information about this old school, the writer also had the delightful pleasure of meeting Walter B. Patterson, re- tired just last June as a supervising principal of our fine school system after serving the District for 48 years. Mr. Patterson came to Force School Building, Massachusetts avenue, between Seventeanth and) - Eighteenth streets. . Washington as a very young child and attended our public schools, afterward graduating from Dartmouth College. Early in tbe school year, 1883, he received an appointment in this city as temporary teacher which, on September 18, 1883, was made permanent, and he was as- signed to the eighth grade, boys, in the Force School, relieving also Maurice P. White as principal, who was leaving to become assistant superintendent of public schools in Boston, and who was taking with him as Mrs. White the former Miss Helen I. Schimmelfennig, a teacher at the Force, and a daughter of Brig. Gen. Alexander Schimmelfennig, who served | with Maj. Gen. Carl Schurz at Gettysburg. Mr. Patterson continued at the Foree School until October, 1892, when he was transferred in a like position to another district, and the duties temporarily taken over by Miss Frances Fairlee until the appointment of Benjamin W. Murch. Miss Fairlee died a few years ago while principal of the Park View School. The present assistant superintendent of public schools, Stephen E. Kramer, was also a prin- cipal at the Force. In the very early days of this school, when there yns much vacant ground, especially to the north, and it was not just safe to walk through the nearby dark streets at night, the scholars were from families in different eir- cumstances of life. Some were poor, some in moderate circumstances and some rich and influential. Hqwever, this section soon grew into’ importance, and the classes became filled with the sons and daughters of Presidents, diplomats, military and naval officers, and men of distinction in other ways. The prejudice against free schools having died out, they sent their sons and daughters here to’ be educated. ‘These predominated over their less fortunate classmates. The results in the long run were typically American, and today some of those who were rich are poor, and some who were poor are now rich, but all of them alike, re- gardless of origin or conditions, are grateful of the opportunity to attend this school and look back over the years fast receding with the fondest memory for this old building and a thought of appreciation for the splendid corps of instructors who taught them and who made it possible for them to become useful men and women to society and a credit to the Capital of the United States. HAT a big roll of honor it would make if we could give the names of all the boys and girls who attended this school. Undoubt- edly the reader would recall many—perhaps his own included. Douglas MacArthur, major general and Chief of Staff, U. S. A, is only one of the many. Indeed, the military branch of the Government is more than represented in its graduates. Here are just a few whose names were given to the writer: Lieut. Col. Dean Halford, Q. M. C., retired; Lieut. Col. Frank Halford, U. S. M. C, retired; John Hudson Poole, former major, U. S. A.; Philip Sheridan, son of the famous general, died during the World War; Gen. John F. Myers, U. 8. M. C,, to whom the Spanish flag floating over Guam was surrendered during the Spanish-American War, and Gen. Willlam M. Cruickshank, Robert Wallach, son of Maj. Richard Wallach, became an Army officer, and another scholar, David D. Porter—descendant of a line of eminent naval officers—led a detachment of Marines over the Island of Sumar without a commissary. Fleming Newbold, business manager of The Evening Star, and his brothers, John, Thomas and Henry, also attended here, as did Craig and James Wadsworth, cousins to former Senator Wadsworth; the sons of W. 8. Patton; Charles G. Sawtelle, jr., Army officer, and his brother, sons of Gen. Charles G. Sawtelle; Ewing Cockrell and brother, sons of Senator Cockrell; Randall Hagner; John C. Arm- strong of the District Building, and his brother, W. Spencer Armstrong, vice president of the Columbia and Real Estate Title In- surance Companies. The sister to the Arm- strong boys, Miss Bertha J. Armstrong, taught at this school, and left here when she married Michael M. McNamee, now a retired colonel, U. 8. A, who saw service at San Juan Hill and elsewhere during the Spanish-American War, and who makes his home in nearby Virginia. One of his last assignments was as commandant at Fort Myer. HE Force School also had as students the Langhorne brothers, Marshall and Kerry; the present Lady Nancy Astor; Hayden John- son, chancellor of the National University; Brig. Gen. Joseph P. Tracy, a native son; the Purman boys, sons of Dr. J. J. Purman; John M. and Edgar Henderson, whose father always materially assisted the schools in obtaining flagpoles before they were provided for by the District; Arthur and Charles Bryant, and the writer’'s good wife, when she was Miss Annie Maud Crown. Lieut. Howard S. Pisk, for many years snd still a writer for The Star, and his brother, Harry C. Fisk, in thHe composing room of that paper, obtained at least a part of their educa- tion in this old building, as did George and Elroy Curtis, sons of William Elroy Curtis, a newspaper correspondent; Miss Byrn, whose father was a patent attorney and connected with the Scientific American; Edward J. Mc- Quade, president of the Liberty National Bank; Corcoran Thom, another bank president, and his brother, James; Paul Cockerille, son of an early dentist; Marian, daughter of Senator F. M. Cockrell, who married a son of Dr. E. M. Gallaudet; William R. Eastman; John O'Hagan, who became a real estate dealer, and his bro- ther, who became a professional base ball player; Dr. Clarence A. Weaver; Horace H. Westcott, realtor; Charles Westcott; Miss Kate Hopkins, who married a Mr. Wylie, son of Judge Andrew Wylie, and Col. Spencer Caosby, John and Robert Wilkins, sons of Beriah Wil kins, one of the former owners of the Washe ington Post. The Roller girls, one of whom is now the