SCHOOLS
SCHOOL HISTORY
From the Town of Alexandria Historian's office, courtesy of Hazel McMane
According to history the first school house was located where the Reformed Church now stands. It was built in 1821. Evidently school meeting records were not kept until 1827. At this time the school was being held in a room rented from Abel Root at 75 cents a month. The first school meeting was held in a room in the back of a store owned by A. Chapman on the first Tuesday of November, 1827. John Fuller presided at the meeting. The trustees evidently intended to have one meeting a year because the minutes show it was adjourned until next November.
The rooms were heated by wood. Each parent was taxed half a cord of wood for each child attending school. The first movement to build a school failed because of lack of interest. This building was to have been 20 by 24 feet and not to cost more than $120.00.
The first teacher was Lemuel Goodell. The teachers boarded around at the homes of the parents. When the parent boarded the teacher, he was exempted from the wood tax. The average salary for a teacher was $50. a year.
In 1828 the school house was built, costing $120.
In 1855, they built a stone building costing $400. to accomodate the growing population. Charles Crossmon donated land for this building. The school semesters were divided into winter and summer terms.
FIRST SCHOOLS
after Growth of a Century by John A. Haddock, 1895
In 1880 Alexandria had a population of 3,135. The town is located in the
third school district of Jefferson county, and in 1880 had 22 school
districts, one of which was joint, in which 28 teachers were employed the
same number of weeks or more. The whole number of scholars attending
school was 931, while the aggregate days attendance during the year was
78,606. The total value of school buildings and sites was $17,400, and the
assessed valuation of all the districts was $1, 275,061. The whole amount
raised during the year for school purposes was $8,602,02; $5,299.11 of
which was received by local tax.
The first school-house was a primitive log structure erected in 1821. It
stood on the lot now occupied by the Reformed Church. A fine graded school building
was erected in 1884, and in 1885 opened for classes. It has five
departments under the instruction of competent teachers.
Nan Dixon
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