"HAMILTON TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS - THE WAY THEY WERE"
Compiled and edited by Tom Glover
Compiled and edited by Tom Glover
Public education has played a vital role in the evolution of America. From very modest beginnings in the days of the Pilgrims, right up to the present day, Americans have always placed a high priority on the "3 R's".
This humble treatise deals with Hamilton Township schools of the past. Indeed, some of the schools from way back in the 1890's will be heard from. The source material has been transcribed from old newspaper clippings, unfortunately some of it undated. Intriguing Hamilton Township school names such as Edgebrook, Washington, and Friendship were all a part of Hamilton Township’s primary education system. The names of prominent Hamiltonians such as E. S. Willey, General James Rusling, Benedict C. Kuser, Isaac De Cou, and countless others, will play an important part in this thumbnail history of Hamilton's system of education.
In the latter part of the 1800's, Hamilton Township was mostly farmland; about as rural as you could find in the area. As the 20th century dawned, Hamilton and the surrounding area would progress from a system of one room school houses, into the highly efficient and sophisticated system that we know today.
Those of us who are avid fans of "The Little Rascals" on TV, are quite familiar with the one room school house. The kids were taught by a winsome and lovely teacher named Miss Crabtree. It is somewhat difficult to comprehend that Hamilton had those very same one room school houses, but we did.
So as Miss Julia McLain, my 6th grade teacher at Kuser School used to say, “face front, keep your eyes on your own paper.” You will see how rural, one room schoolhouses, scarlet fever epidemics, and other grade school crises, provide an interesting peek at our past.
GETTING ORGANIZED
Hamilton Township's first recorded school board meeting was held on July 13, 1894 at the school in Hamilton Square. At this meeting, the board voted to number the schools, and trustees were appointed for each school. The initial schools placed under the jurisdiction of the board, and their assigned numbers were:
No. 1) WASHINGTON
No. 2) MERCERVILLE
No. 3) HAMILTON SQUARE
No. 4) EDGEBROOK
No. 5) FRIENDSHIP
No. 6 ) WHITEHORSE
No. 7) YARDVILLE
No. 8) GROVEVILLE
No. 9) FARMINGDALE
The census of 1898 showed Hamilton with 981 school-age children. Of that number, 517 were formally enrolled in the township school system. Twenty five children attended private schools. The remaining 339 didn't attend school. In those days, it was not unusual for children to work on farms, or in factories. Truancy was an accepted fact, and a formal truancy program was yet to be implemented.
The "one-teacher-one-classroom" concept worked out quite well until the developers began to add to our population. Early real estate developments, such as the Homedell Land Association, Bromley Place, Broad Street Park Land Association, the Union Land Association (Deutzville), and other developers, were creating home sites, and many farms were changing into developed areas. As the various areas developed, the need for more and larger schools became apparent. It is interesting to note that some of Hamilton's schools have been in continuous operation since the early part of this century. The relatively recent renovation of two of these schools, Kuser and Klockner, is helping to maintain a link with the past.
MERCERVILLE SCHOOL
Before the township schools were organized under the board of education in 1894, Mercerville School was known as School No. 2. It was located on Quaker Bridge Road approximately where the Quaker Bridge Commons building is now located. During the period from 1894 to 1904, the school was taught by the Misses Annie Wright, Jennie Chinnick, Roxie Southard, Ella Polhemus, and a Miss Peabody.
One of Mercerville School’s teachers, Miss Roxie Southard, caused somewhat of a problem for the early school board; a problem which really wasn't handled too diplomatically. It seems that Miss Southard suspended the son of one of the members of the Hamilton Township Board of Education for disorderly conduct. Additionally, the boy was from one of the more prominent families of Hamilton Township. The touchy situation was resolved in a somewhat devious manner, when the board ruled that Miss Southard had suspended the boy for violation of her (Miss Roxie Southard’s) rules, as opposed to the rules of the school. It was further ruled that the boy could return to the school if he promised to adhere to the rules of the school. Throughout the early years and almost without exception, the board required an apology from all errant students. There was no such requirement in the Roxie Southard case. In May, 1900, she was sent to the Farmingdale School, trading places with Miss Jennie Chinnick.
Over the years, the Hamilton schools were rented to various organizations for after school use. Many complaints were heard by the board relative to the after hours tenants: The Groveville School was often left in disorder by the Groveville Cornet Band, who practiced in that school. The added cost of coal consumption at Mercerville School due to Mr. Theodore Carhart's Union Sunday school on Sunday Mornings. These and other problems were dealt with by the Hamilton Township Board of Education in the early part of the century. And then came the first problem of a major magnitude.
In March, 1903, a fire totally destroyed the Mercerville school. The cause was believed to have been from a faulty chimney. The fire caused a great problem for the local families who depended on the school to educate their children. The board took immediate steps to replace the building. The insurance coverage was $1,000, enough to cover more than half of the replacement cost of a new schoolhouse.
Mr. Riley, the trustee, was instructed to find someone to transport the children to the Hamilton Square School until the new building was completed. It was difficult to find anyone at first, but by the end of April Mr. Riley succeeded in hiring Howard Smith to transport the Mercerville children at a cost of $5.50 per week.
With $1,000 insurance money on hand, the board proceeded to appropriate $800 additional to rebuild the school. At the October meeting, bids were opened and Mr. Riley was deemed the successful bidder on a replacement school with a bid of $1,660.00. The contract was awarded to Mr. Riley with a $500 performance bond, and the understanding that the school would be finished by December 21, 1903. The one room schoolhouse became a thing of the past. Mercerville was moving into the era of the multi-room, multi-teacher school house.
INTERESTING SPLINTERS FROM
This humble treatise deals with Hamilton Township schools of the past. Indeed, some of the schools from way back in the 1890's will be heard from. The source material has been transcribed from old newspaper clippings, unfortunately some of it undated. Intriguing Hamilton Township school names such as Edgebrook, Washington, and Friendship were all a part of Hamilton Township’s primary education system. The names of prominent Hamiltonians such as E. S. Willey, General James Rusling, Benedict C. Kuser, Isaac De Cou, and countless others, will play an important part in this thumbnail history of Hamilton's system of education.
In the latter part of the 1800's, Hamilton Township was mostly farmland; about as rural as you could find in the area. As the 20th century dawned, Hamilton and the surrounding area would progress from a system of one room school houses, into the highly efficient and sophisticated system that we know today.
Those of us who are avid fans of "The Little Rascals" on TV, are quite familiar with the one room school house. The kids were taught by a winsome and lovely teacher named Miss Crabtree. It is somewhat difficult to comprehend that Hamilton had those very same one room school houses, but we did.
So as Miss Julia McLain, my 6th grade teacher at Kuser School used to say, “face front, keep your eyes on your own paper.” You will see how rural, one room schoolhouses, scarlet fever epidemics, and other grade school crises, provide an interesting peek at our past.
GETTING ORGANIZED
Hamilton Township's first recorded school board meeting was held on July 13, 1894 at the school in Hamilton Square. At this meeting, the board voted to number the schools, and trustees were appointed for each school. The initial schools placed under the jurisdiction of the board, and their assigned numbers were:
No. 1) WASHINGTON
No. 2) MERCERVILLE
No. 3) HAMILTON SQUARE
No. 4) EDGEBROOK
No. 5) FRIENDSHIP
No. 6 ) WHITEHORSE
No. 7) YARDVILLE
No. 8) GROVEVILLE
No. 9) FARMINGDALE
The census of 1898 showed Hamilton with 981 school-age children. Of that number, 517 were formally enrolled in the township school system. Twenty five children attended private schools. The remaining 339 didn't attend school. In those days, it was not unusual for children to work on farms, or in factories. Truancy was an accepted fact, and a formal truancy program was yet to be implemented.
The "one-teacher-one-classroom" concept worked out quite well until the developers began to add to our population. Early real estate developments, such as the Homedell Land Association, Bromley Place, Broad Street Park Land Association, the Union Land Association (Deutzville), and other developers, were creating home sites, and many farms were changing into developed areas. As the various areas developed, the need for more and larger schools became apparent. It is interesting to note that some of Hamilton's schools have been in continuous operation since the early part of this century. The relatively recent renovation of two of these schools, Kuser and Klockner, is helping to maintain a link with the past.
MERCERVILLE SCHOOL
Before the township schools were organized under the board of education in 1894, Mercerville School was known as School No. 2. It was located on Quaker Bridge Road approximately where the Quaker Bridge Commons building is now located. During the period from 1894 to 1904, the school was taught by the Misses Annie Wright, Jennie Chinnick, Roxie Southard, Ella Polhemus, and a Miss Peabody.
One of Mercerville School’s teachers, Miss Roxie Southard, caused somewhat of a problem for the early school board; a problem which really wasn't handled too diplomatically. It seems that Miss Southard suspended the son of one of the members of the Hamilton Township Board of Education for disorderly conduct. Additionally, the boy was from one of the more prominent families of Hamilton Township. The touchy situation was resolved in a somewhat devious manner, when the board ruled that Miss Southard had suspended the boy for violation of her (Miss Roxie Southard’s) rules, as opposed to the rules of the school. It was further ruled that the boy could return to the school if he promised to adhere to the rules of the school. Throughout the early years and almost without exception, the board required an apology from all errant students. There was no such requirement in the Roxie Southard case. In May, 1900, she was sent to the Farmingdale School, trading places with Miss Jennie Chinnick.
Over the years, the Hamilton schools were rented to various organizations for after school use. Many complaints were heard by the board relative to the after hours tenants: The Groveville School was often left in disorder by the Groveville Cornet Band, who practiced in that school. The added cost of coal consumption at Mercerville School due to Mr. Theodore Carhart's Union Sunday school on Sunday Mornings. These and other problems were dealt with by the Hamilton Township Board of Education in the early part of the century. And then came the first problem of a major magnitude.
In March, 1903, a fire totally destroyed the Mercerville school. The cause was believed to have been from a faulty chimney. The fire caused a great problem for the local families who depended on the school to educate their children. The board took immediate steps to replace the building. The insurance coverage was $1,000, enough to cover more than half of the replacement cost of a new schoolhouse.
Mr. Riley, the trustee, was instructed to find someone to transport the children to the Hamilton Square School until the new building was completed. It was difficult to find anyone at first, but by the end of April Mr. Riley succeeded in hiring Howard Smith to transport the Mercerville children at a cost of $5.50 per week.
With $1,000 insurance money on hand, the board proceeded to appropriate $800 additional to rebuild the school. At the October meeting, bids were opened and Mr. Riley was deemed the successful bidder on a replacement school with a bid of $1,660.00. The contract was awarded to Mr. Riley with a $500 performance bond, and the understanding that the school would be finished by December 21, 1903. The one room schoolhouse became a thing of the past. Mercerville was moving into the era of the multi-room, multi-teacher school house.
INTERESTING SPLINTERS FROM
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION:
Sept., 1902: Hamilton adopted the following textbooks for use in the system:
WARD' S PRIMER
BLAISDELL ' S PSYCHOLOGY
MILU’S ARITHMETIC
RICE' S SPELLERS
FREY' S GEOGRAPHY
MONTGOMERY ' S HISTORY
WEBSTER 'S DICTIONARY
BRYANT AND STRATTON BOOKKEEPING
HAMILTON SQUARE SCHOOL
The Hamilton Square School was known as number 28. There were two teachers at the school in 1894, when the Hamilton Board of Education took over the township school system. Miss Mary Whittaker, and Miss Emily Mitchell handled the affairs of the school.
Helen Almy West, in her history of Hamilton Township, listed a number of locations for the Hamilton Square Schools. The location we are dealing with here was chosen in 1898. The area was growing, and a larger school was needed. The school board voted to raise $4,500 for the construction of a new building, and to sell the old building and grounds at public auction.
The location picked by the Board was to include two lots belonging to John Coleman, on the southeast corner of Pine Street and Maple Shade Avenue. This lot was bounded by one lot belonging to Mrs. E. H. Totten, fronting on Pine Street. The final parcel of land needed to provide a large school site, was owned by Samuel Smith, and fronted on Maple Shade Avenue.
The new building was to be built of brick, with two rooms on the first floor, and two on the second. The cost of the building was not to exceed $4,000. It was decided to finish off the rooms on the first floor, and leave the upper rooms unfinished until the extra space was needed, at which time the rooms could be conveniently finished and furnished.
Unfortunately, the bids were rejected when they exceeded the amount of money allocated. The architect was asked to cut some of the extras out of the design in order to bring the amount down to the budgeted $4,000.
It was also decided that the Board should visit the Cranbury School in order to get an idea of what could be done on a limited budget.
In the summer of 1898, with the specifications re-drawn by Mr. Poland, the architect, the Board advertised for bids on the new Hamilton Square School. The successful bidder was Mr. E. W. Ford. He accepted the contract with the understanding that the school would be finished by December 1st, 1899.
Mr. Ford made good headway on the building, and finished it in time for the dedication ceremonies which were held on November 30, 1899. The ceremony is re-printed from the Trenton State Gazette from Dec. 1, 1899.
The Board was justly proud of their efforts in completing the school in such good time. There was a minor problem after completion when they held up Mr. Ford's final payment for a few weeks. It was the view of the Board that Mr. Ford would not be paid the final installment on his contract until the dirt piles around the building were leveled off, and the sash cords on many of the school windows be adjusted. This done, the final payment was made and the village of Hamilton Square greeted the new century with a brand new four room school house.
MORE SPLINTERS FROM THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
July, 1899:
The Board was disappointed in the sale of the old Hamilton Square school house and lot. It was felt that $325 was far below what they expected.
August, 1899:
The basement of the unfinished Hamilton Square School was completely flooded. Solution: sink 8" terra cotta pipe sufficiently deep to drain off.
February, 1901:
Work begins to finish off the two upper rooms.
December, 1902:
Board votes to pay balance of 1902 bills. Among those paid was to Mr. Fred Erick, the janitor, for the months of Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.($15.00 total)
April, 1903:
The children are putting foreign objects in the toilets. They clogged up, flooded the basement, and put the fire out in the furnace.
November, 1903
Truancy is becoming a problem. The local officials are powerless to force students to attend. The Broad of Education votes to appoint Mr. Henry Caesar as Truant Officer with the authority to enforce truancy laws.
RUSLING SCHOOL
In April of 1895, a petition was presented to the Board, signed by area residents; asking for a school at, or near Broad Street Park. The Board set about the task of finding a suitable facility. At the meeting in June of that year, General James Rusling, Andrew K. Rowan, and Eugene Willey cane forward with $72 in cash for the Board to use in providing a "suitable schoolhouse", at least equal to the room which the Homedell area residents were renting for their Kindergarten classes. Rusling, Rowan, and Willey agreed to take on the task of providing a school-room, if the Board would agree to furnish desks, blackboards, and other furnishings. After the Board received assurance that all the furnishings would remain the property of the Township of Hamilton, the go-ahead was gratefully given by the Board.
The building at 547 Schiller Avenue was the location picked by Rusling and his associates. The building still stands, and with the exception of a flashy covering of contemporary siding, the basic structural characteristics are unchanged. The building is currently the home of the Marine Corps League.
Early records refer to the building as "The Annex", "Broad Street Park Hose House", "Rusling Annex", and "Rusling School". The infant predecessor to Rusling Hose Volunteer Fire Co. shared the school building for many years.
General Rusling and his friends had the school room all ready for classes in time for the 1895 school year. At the September meeting of the Board of Education, held at Rusling School, formal thanks were tendered the Messrs. Rusling, Rowan, and Willey for their aid in supplying the school room. At this meeting, the school was assigned the designation, "Rusling School, Number 10".
The little school room served quite well until 1897, when the citizens again petitioned for a larger school. The area was growing rapidly, and the single classroom was fast becoming over-crowded, causing many of the citizens of Broad Street Park to send their children over to the Hutchinson School, over in the Homedell section. The little school room was closed for a time, but would be pressed into service again during the World War I era.
BROAD STREET PARK SCHOOL
Acting on the petition filed by Broad Street Park residents in June of 1897, The Hamilton Township Board of Education set about the task of finding ways and means of erecting a new school house in the area. Three locations were offered. The first to be considered was bounded by Clinton Avenue and Lida Street, on the Isaac De Cou plot. The second was offered by General James Rusling, which consisted of lots 373 thru 378, on the south side of Schiller Avenue, where the little Rusling School room was located.
The third lot came with an offer the Board couldn't refuse: These lots were numbered 65 through 68, and were bounded by Broad Street, Chambers Street, Rennie Street, and a ten foot alley on the Isaac DeCou plot. Mr. Andrew IC. Rowan offered to enter into bond with the Board, Rowan paying the annual interest rate of $100. The offer was accepted, and the site of the new Broad Street Park School was established.
The architect was given the go-ahead to draw up plans for a two storey, brick building, with two rooms on the first floor, and two rooms on the second. The second floor rooms to be unfurnished, as was the custom until the added space was needed. The cost of the building was not to exceed $2500.00.
In the summer of 1897, bids were advertised with the following results: George S. Fell was lowest bidder for the masonry work on the new school, with his bid of $1395.00. Mr. A. W. Ford bid $1106.00, and was low bidder for the carpentry work.
Work proceeded on the building, and it was a source of encouragement to the Board to see the building progress quite well during the summer and early fall months. At the meeting in September, 1897, a motion was passed that 'Number 10, formerly Rusling School, will hereafter be known as the 'Broad Street Park School."
`The furniture, desks, and other furnishings, were transferred from the Rusling School room to the new school, and on November 1, 1897, Broad Street Park School Number 10 accepted classes. The assigned teachers were Miss Colleen Reed teaching the advanced classes, and Miss Dora Lurford teaching the primary children. As it turned out, the furnishings from the little Rusling schoolroom were barely enough to furnish one room, and necessitated the first known utilization of split sessions in Hamilton.
For a period of about one month, only one room was used, until October 29th, when $125.00 was appropriated to furnish the other room.
The cover of this booklet shows the little school that was once on the vacant lot next to Rusling Hose Volunteer Fire Co. I drew it from an old Trenton True American photo which was published in 1908, showing this building as it was to be torn down, to be replaced by the Andrew K. Rowan School.
FARMINGDALE SCHOOL NO. 9
Farmingdale School was only recently leveled and made into a playground. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Nottingham Way was called East Clinton Avenue. The school was located on East Clinton Avenue, just east of State Street. The original designation of Farmingdale was number 35. According to Helen Almy West in "History of Hamilton Township," Farmingdale was the oldest school in the Township of Hamilton.
The area was relatively rural in the latter part of the last century. Farmingdale's proximity to the city of Trenton led to some problems which were not experienced by the other schools in Hamilton. At different times, complaints were lodged with the Board of Education on a number of peculiar problems. Particularly troublesome were the horse-drawn wagons which chose to cross the school yard. "Street boys" and "tramps" were also disturbing the normal operation of the school. Miss Dalton, the teacher at Farmingdale, lodged a formal complaint with the Board on matters such as these, and succeeded in getting an iron fence constructed around the school yard.
Other minor problems cropped up at the school: unsanitary out-houses, untidy occupants from the local Sunday school, and other little itches which were dealt with quite efficiently.
The breaking up of Henry Smith’s "Fashion Stud Farm" in the 1870's started the population increase in this area of Bromley. Property was rapidly changing hands in the area. As the new century began, the population began to increase at a rate which would soon render Farmingdale's facilities hopelessly inadequate. In the late summer of 1904, with 60 new homes in the Victor - Adela avenue are in the course of construction, it was decided to look into a solution to the problem.
Mr. Benedict C. Kuser, representing the "Fashion Farm Land Association", offered a plot of land 212 x 125 feet, located on the land owned by Henry N. Smith. The offer included a building which was known as "The Club House.” It was a large building, which could easily be converted into a school. The price was $12,500, with Mr. Kuser offering to donate $10,000, thus leaving a balance of $2500. For un-stated reasons, the offer was turned down. During the ensuing months, "The Club House" was rented for school space, but only temporarily, until a larger school could be provided.
In March, 1905, a proposal to raise $7,500 for a new schoolhouse was passed. The new building was to be of brick, two storeys, and contain four rooms. The old school building was to be sold, and the moneys received applied to the purchase of the new building. The $7,500 figure proved to be too low. The lowest bid received on the initial invitations was $9,390. Accordingly, the Board negated all bids, and framed a new request to bid. This time the allocation was raised to a more realistic $9,500. The award went to J. W. Bowers. The architect was Harry Hill. A new school would soon be a reality on East Clinton Avenue, but not before some more problems arose.
As the building contractor began to assemble his tools to start erection of the new Farmingdale School in 1905, a problem arose which could have been quite "sticky" if it weren't for the agility of all concerned to “thrust and parry.”
Benedict Kuser and Alfred Whitehead attended the October meeting as representatives of the Fashion Farm Land Association. Their lawyer, Judge R. S. Woodruff, wrote a letter to the Board, stating that the Township was encroaching on the Whitehead Road with the building of the new school. The Board maintained that the property line was properly drawn; it was the Whitehead Road which was technically on Township school property. The Board further stated that they would have preferred to have secured options on the land immediately next to the school, but were unable to acquire it. At this point, Benedict Kuser stated that he had authorization from the Fashion Farm Land Association to sell to the Township Board of Education a plot of ground about 40 feet wide on the north side of the existing lot, and another 5O feet wide on the easterly side of the existing school lot. The price of the lot included a token payment of one dollar. The offer was accepted, provided the contractor would not charge too much to take a few backward steps. It seems that the cellar had already been excavated, and it would be expensive to cover up the hole, move eastward, and dig another hole away from Whitehead Road. The Messrs. Kuser and Whitehead again came forward on behalf of their employer, and offered to pay half of the re-excavation fee, provided the cost was no more than one hundred dollars. The problem was resolved. The contractor covered the hole, moved east dug a new hole, and Whitehead Road was once again free to carry traffic. B. C. Kuser and the Fashion Farm Folks were very happy that things turned out to the advantage of all concerned, and the business of building a new Farmingdale School got under way in earnest.
It went so well, in fact; at the December 1905 meeting of the Hamilton Township Board of Education a resolution of gratitude was offered by Mr. Rockwell Hart, District Clerk. It read: "Resolved. That the Board of Education, on behalf of the inhabitants of the Township of Hamilton, extend a vote of thanks to the Fashion Farm Land Association, through their Secretary, Mr. B. C. Kuser, for the very munificent gift of the two lots of land adjoining the Farmingdale School grounds, thus enlarging said grounds to a proper size and enabling the Board of Education to place the handsome new school building., in the course of erection, on one of the most ideal public school grounds in the county. The resolution was unanimously adopted, and ordered to be a part of the record, with a copy sent to the Trenton Times for publication. Farmingdale School became the newest, and largest school in the system. It stayed with the Township until the 1980’s, when it gave way to the wrecker's ball.
MORE SPLINTERS FROM THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
September 1905: What may have been the first PTA in Hamilton, was formed in 1905. Miss Stirling, the Principal, wrote a letter to the Board requesting permission to form a "Mother's Club" to meet at the school. The expressed purpose of the club was to act in the interest of the school to help promote the interchange of ideas. The Board granted the request, and commended all concerned for the example of civic concern they exhibited. May, 1906: The Board voted to sell the old Farmingdale Schoolhouse. The Successful bidder was a Mr. Reuben Farwell. His bid of $20.25 with a cash discount, got him possession of the old school for the net price of $19.24. Times HAVE changed, haven't they?
Sept., 1902: Hamilton adopted the following textbooks for use in the system:
WARD' S PRIMER
BLAISDELL ' S PSYCHOLOGY
MILU’S ARITHMETIC
RICE' S SPELLERS
FREY' S GEOGRAPHY
MONTGOMERY ' S HISTORY
WEBSTER 'S DICTIONARY
BRYANT AND STRATTON BOOKKEEPING
HAMILTON SQUARE SCHOOL
The Hamilton Square School was known as number 28. There were two teachers at the school in 1894, when the Hamilton Board of Education took over the township school system. Miss Mary Whittaker, and Miss Emily Mitchell handled the affairs of the school.
Helen Almy West, in her history of Hamilton Township, listed a number of locations for the Hamilton Square Schools. The location we are dealing with here was chosen in 1898. The area was growing, and a larger school was needed. The school board voted to raise $4,500 for the construction of a new building, and to sell the old building and grounds at public auction.
The location picked by the Board was to include two lots belonging to John Coleman, on the southeast corner of Pine Street and Maple Shade Avenue. This lot was bounded by one lot belonging to Mrs. E. H. Totten, fronting on Pine Street. The final parcel of land needed to provide a large school site, was owned by Samuel Smith, and fronted on Maple Shade Avenue.
The new building was to be built of brick, with two rooms on the first floor, and two on the second. The cost of the building was not to exceed $4,000. It was decided to finish off the rooms on the first floor, and leave the upper rooms unfinished until the extra space was needed, at which time the rooms could be conveniently finished and furnished.
Unfortunately, the bids were rejected when they exceeded the amount of money allocated. The architect was asked to cut some of the extras out of the design in order to bring the amount down to the budgeted $4,000.
It was also decided that the Board should visit the Cranbury School in order to get an idea of what could be done on a limited budget.
In the summer of 1898, with the specifications re-drawn by Mr. Poland, the architect, the Board advertised for bids on the new Hamilton Square School. The successful bidder was Mr. E. W. Ford. He accepted the contract with the understanding that the school would be finished by December 1st, 1899.
Mr. Ford made good headway on the building, and finished it in time for the dedication ceremonies which were held on November 30, 1899. The ceremony is re-printed from the Trenton State Gazette from Dec. 1, 1899.
The Board was justly proud of their efforts in completing the school in such good time. There was a minor problem after completion when they held up Mr. Ford's final payment for a few weeks. It was the view of the Board that Mr. Ford would not be paid the final installment on his contract until the dirt piles around the building were leveled off, and the sash cords on many of the school windows be adjusted. This done, the final payment was made and the village of Hamilton Square greeted the new century with a brand new four room school house.
MORE SPLINTERS FROM THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
July, 1899:
The Board was disappointed in the sale of the old Hamilton Square school house and lot. It was felt that $325 was far below what they expected.
August, 1899:
The basement of the unfinished Hamilton Square School was completely flooded. Solution: sink 8" terra cotta pipe sufficiently deep to drain off.
February, 1901:
Work begins to finish off the two upper rooms.
December, 1902:
Board votes to pay balance of 1902 bills. Among those paid was to Mr. Fred Erick, the janitor, for the months of Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.($15.00 total)
April, 1903:
The children are putting foreign objects in the toilets. They clogged up, flooded the basement, and put the fire out in the furnace.
November, 1903
Truancy is becoming a problem. The local officials are powerless to force students to attend. The Broad of Education votes to appoint Mr. Henry Caesar as Truant Officer with the authority to enforce truancy laws.
RUSLING SCHOOL
In April of 1895, a petition was presented to the Board, signed by area residents; asking for a school at, or near Broad Street Park. The Board set about the task of finding a suitable facility. At the meeting in June of that year, General James Rusling, Andrew K. Rowan, and Eugene Willey cane forward with $72 in cash for the Board to use in providing a "suitable schoolhouse", at least equal to the room which the Homedell area residents were renting for their Kindergarten classes. Rusling, Rowan, and Willey agreed to take on the task of providing a school-room, if the Board would agree to furnish desks, blackboards, and other furnishings. After the Board received assurance that all the furnishings would remain the property of the Township of Hamilton, the go-ahead was gratefully given by the Board.
The building at 547 Schiller Avenue was the location picked by Rusling and his associates. The building still stands, and with the exception of a flashy covering of contemporary siding, the basic structural characteristics are unchanged. The building is currently the home of the Marine Corps League.
Early records refer to the building as "The Annex", "Broad Street Park Hose House", "Rusling Annex", and "Rusling School". The infant predecessor to Rusling Hose Volunteer Fire Co. shared the school building for many years.
General Rusling and his friends had the school room all ready for classes in time for the 1895 school year. At the September meeting of the Board of Education, held at Rusling School, formal thanks were tendered the Messrs. Rusling, Rowan, and Willey for their aid in supplying the school room. At this meeting, the school was assigned the designation, "Rusling School, Number 10".
The little school room served quite well until 1897, when the citizens again petitioned for a larger school. The area was growing rapidly, and the single classroom was fast becoming over-crowded, causing many of the citizens of Broad Street Park to send their children over to the Hutchinson School, over in the Homedell section. The little school room was closed for a time, but would be pressed into service again during the World War I era.
BROAD STREET PARK SCHOOL
Acting on the petition filed by Broad Street Park residents in June of 1897, The Hamilton Township Board of Education set about the task of finding ways and means of erecting a new school house in the area. Three locations were offered. The first to be considered was bounded by Clinton Avenue and Lida Street, on the Isaac De Cou plot. The second was offered by General James Rusling, which consisted of lots 373 thru 378, on the south side of Schiller Avenue, where the little Rusling School room was located.
The third lot came with an offer the Board couldn't refuse: These lots were numbered 65 through 68, and were bounded by Broad Street, Chambers Street, Rennie Street, and a ten foot alley on the Isaac DeCou plot. Mr. Andrew IC. Rowan offered to enter into bond with the Board, Rowan paying the annual interest rate of $100. The offer was accepted, and the site of the new Broad Street Park School was established.
The architect was given the go-ahead to draw up plans for a two storey, brick building, with two rooms on the first floor, and two rooms on the second. The second floor rooms to be unfurnished, as was the custom until the added space was needed. The cost of the building was not to exceed $2500.00.
In the summer of 1897, bids were advertised with the following results: George S. Fell was lowest bidder for the masonry work on the new school, with his bid of $1395.00. Mr. A. W. Ford bid $1106.00, and was low bidder for the carpentry work.
Work proceeded on the building, and it was a source of encouragement to the Board to see the building progress quite well during the summer and early fall months. At the meeting in September, 1897, a motion was passed that 'Number 10, formerly Rusling School, will hereafter be known as the 'Broad Street Park School."
`The furniture, desks, and other furnishings, were transferred from the Rusling School room to the new school, and on November 1, 1897, Broad Street Park School Number 10 accepted classes. The assigned teachers were Miss Colleen Reed teaching the advanced classes, and Miss Dora Lurford teaching the primary children. As it turned out, the furnishings from the little Rusling schoolroom were barely enough to furnish one room, and necessitated the first known utilization of split sessions in Hamilton.
For a period of about one month, only one room was used, until October 29th, when $125.00 was appropriated to furnish the other room.
The cover of this booklet shows the little school that was once on the vacant lot next to Rusling Hose Volunteer Fire Co. I drew it from an old Trenton True American photo which was published in 1908, showing this building as it was to be torn down, to be replaced by the Andrew K. Rowan School.
FARMINGDALE SCHOOL NO. 9
Farmingdale School was only recently leveled and made into a playground. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Nottingham Way was called East Clinton Avenue. The school was located on East Clinton Avenue, just east of State Street. The original designation of Farmingdale was number 35. According to Helen Almy West in "History of Hamilton Township," Farmingdale was the oldest school in the Township of Hamilton.
The area was relatively rural in the latter part of the last century. Farmingdale's proximity to the city of Trenton led to some problems which were not experienced by the other schools in Hamilton. At different times, complaints were lodged with the Board of Education on a number of peculiar problems. Particularly troublesome were the horse-drawn wagons which chose to cross the school yard. "Street boys" and "tramps" were also disturbing the normal operation of the school. Miss Dalton, the teacher at Farmingdale, lodged a formal complaint with the Board on matters such as these, and succeeded in getting an iron fence constructed around the school yard.
Other minor problems cropped up at the school: unsanitary out-houses, untidy occupants from the local Sunday school, and other little itches which were dealt with quite efficiently.
The breaking up of Henry Smith’s "Fashion Stud Farm" in the 1870's started the population increase in this area of Bromley. Property was rapidly changing hands in the area. As the new century began, the population began to increase at a rate which would soon render Farmingdale's facilities hopelessly inadequate. In the late summer of 1904, with 60 new homes in the Victor - Adela avenue are in the course of construction, it was decided to look into a solution to the problem.
Mr. Benedict C. Kuser, representing the "Fashion Farm Land Association", offered a plot of land 212 x 125 feet, located on the land owned by Henry N. Smith. The offer included a building which was known as "The Club House.” It was a large building, which could easily be converted into a school. The price was $12,500, with Mr. Kuser offering to donate $10,000, thus leaving a balance of $2500. For un-stated reasons, the offer was turned down. During the ensuing months, "The Club House" was rented for school space, but only temporarily, until a larger school could be provided.
In March, 1905, a proposal to raise $7,500 for a new schoolhouse was passed. The new building was to be of brick, two storeys, and contain four rooms. The old school building was to be sold, and the moneys received applied to the purchase of the new building. The $7,500 figure proved to be too low. The lowest bid received on the initial invitations was $9,390. Accordingly, the Board negated all bids, and framed a new request to bid. This time the allocation was raised to a more realistic $9,500. The award went to J. W. Bowers. The architect was Harry Hill. A new school would soon be a reality on East Clinton Avenue, but not before some more problems arose.
As the building contractor began to assemble his tools to start erection of the new Farmingdale School in 1905, a problem arose which could have been quite "sticky" if it weren't for the agility of all concerned to “thrust and parry.”
Benedict Kuser and Alfred Whitehead attended the October meeting as representatives of the Fashion Farm Land Association. Their lawyer, Judge R. S. Woodruff, wrote a letter to the Board, stating that the Township was encroaching on the Whitehead Road with the building of the new school. The Board maintained that the property line was properly drawn; it was the Whitehead Road which was technically on Township school property. The Board further stated that they would have preferred to have secured options on the land immediately next to the school, but were unable to acquire it. At this point, Benedict Kuser stated that he had authorization from the Fashion Farm Land Association to sell to the Township Board of Education a plot of ground about 40 feet wide on the north side of the existing lot, and another 5O feet wide on the easterly side of the existing school lot. The price of the lot included a token payment of one dollar. The offer was accepted, provided the contractor would not charge too much to take a few backward steps. It seems that the cellar had already been excavated, and it would be expensive to cover up the hole, move eastward, and dig another hole away from Whitehead Road. The Messrs. Kuser and Whitehead again came forward on behalf of their employer, and offered to pay half of the re-excavation fee, provided the cost was no more than one hundred dollars. The problem was resolved. The contractor covered the hole, moved east dug a new hole, and Whitehead Road was once again free to carry traffic. B. C. Kuser and the Fashion Farm Folks were very happy that things turned out to the advantage of all concerned, and the business of building a new Farmingdale School got under way in earnest.
It went so well, in fact; at the December 1905 meeting of the Hamilton Township Board of Education a resolution of gratitude was offered by Mr. Rockwell Hart, District Clerk. It read: "Resolved. That the Board of Education, on behalf of the inhabitants of the Township of Hamilton, extend a vote of thanks to the Fashion Farm Land Association, through their Secretary, Mr. B. C. Kuser, for the very munificent gift of the two lots of land adjoining the Farmingdale School grounds, thus enlarging said grounds to a proper size and enabling the Board of Education to place the handsome new school building., in the course of erection, on one of the most ideal public school grounds in the county. The resolution was unanimously adopted, and ordered to be a part of the record, with a copy sent to the Trenton Times for publication. Farmingdale School became the newest, and largest school in the system. It stayed with the Township until the 1980’s, when it gave way to the wrecker's ball.
MORE SPLINTERS FROM THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
September 1905: What may have been the first PTA in Hamilton, was formed in 1905. Miss Stirling, the Principal, wrote a letter to the Board requesting permission to form a "Mother's Club" to meet at the school. The expressed purpose of the club was to act in the interest of the school to help promote the interchange of ideas. The Board granted the request, and commended all concerned for the example of civic concern they exhibited. May, 1906: The Board voted to sell the old Farmingdale Schoolhouse. The Successful bidder was a Mr. Reuben Farwell. His bid of $20.25 with a cash discount, got him possession of the old school for the net price of $19.24. Times HAVE changed, haven't they?
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