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The area north and west of Main and Phillips Streets was the academic center of Phillips Academy from its foundation in 1778, through the nineteenth century and well into the twentieth. It was in this area that the founding fathers first located their residence and the first school house. It was here that the first dormitories were erected to establish the Old Campus. The fifth Main Academy Building, the first multi-functional school building, was built here as well as the initial special purpose academic building, Graves Hall. It is understandable that we term this area the cornerstone of the Academy, especially from a physical plant standpoint.
This quadrant was also the site of the sister academy, Abbot Academy. Founded in 1829, it merged with Phillips Academy in 1973. This seat of knowledge merits its own coverage which is provided in Chapter IX.
As mentioned previously in Chapter I, Samuel Phillips, Jr. and John Phillips purchased the first tracts of land for their Academy along what is now the north side of Phillips Street. There was a house on this property which had been owned by George Abbot. Samuel Phillips, Jr., moved into this house at once to be near the Academy and watch his project grow. This Old Abbot House served as the site of the signing of the Constitution of the Academy on April 21, 1778; a picture of the dwelling is shown here to identify its location with respect to the "recently moved" Farrar House.
Judge Phillips continued to live in this house for a short while, until the need for a residence for the Principal of the Academy was identified. He then moved to a house on Hidden Road which served as temporary quarters until his Mansion House was completed in 1782. Eliphalet Pearson resided in the Old Abbot House from 1778 to 1786, Ebenezer Pemberton from 1786 to 1793 and Mark Newman from 1794 to 1807.
By 1807 the building had fallen into a state of disrepair and the Trustees were forced to reconstruct it. When the Seminary opened in 1808 this was the only house available for Dr. Leonard Woods. He delivered his lectures there for the first year of existence of the Seminary --- until Phillips Hall was completed in 1809.
In later years the building came into use as a "Commons" dining hall; a discussion of that existence is provided in Chapter III. The barn behind this dwelling was torn down in the summer of 1887 and by December 1889, the floors of the building were no longer safe to use. The Trustees, not wanting to assume any further responsibility, had the house razed.
The Carpenter's Shop (or Joiner's Shop) which served as the first academy school house was part of the Phillips' purchase from Solomon Wardwell in January 1777. It was moved that year to the corner of "the old road to the meeting house" (which was then School Street as Main Street had not yet been established along its present route) and the lane which has since been named Phillips Street. This site is presently occupied by the Archaeology Building.
This one story building, 35 feet by 20 feet, made of rough, unpainted boards and ornamented on the outside by a brick chimney, was fitted up to serve as the classroom on opening day, April 30, 1778. It served for lectures and studies until the Second Classroom was built in 1786; after that time it was used as a singing-room and then as a storehouse for rags. It was sold after the turn of the century and moved to Abbot Walker's farm about a mile to the east. It was converted into a workshop there and was finally torn down about 1845.
The site of this First Classroom is marked by a bronze Memorial Tablet mounted on the Archaeology Building. The plaque was unveiled during the first Founder's Day exercises on October 11, 1913. A picture of this plaque was shown in figure 4; the model of the First Schoolhouse was shown in figure 3.
The first building erected in this quadrant in association with the Academy was the Farrar House. It was built in 1812 on the site of the First Classroom by Squire Samuel Farrar, Treasurer of the Academy, first Librarian of the Seminary, first President of the "Andover Bank" (Andover National Bank, now Bay Bank) serving from 1826 to 1856 and Treasurer of the Academy and Seminary Boards of Trustees. He extended an offer to Madame Phoebe Phillips, widow of Judge Samuel Phillips, Jr., to spend her declining years there.
Accepting his offer, she moved in the year the house was built and died that same year. Squire Farrar died in 1864 and willed his home to the Trustees of the Academy.
In 1880, the dwelling was moved down Phillips Street to its present location on the edge of the Old Campus. It served there as a dormitory and boarding house during the latter part of the nineteenth century. A card of the 1894-95 season cited table board at $4 a week, payable in advance. On weekdays breakfast was served at 7:15, dinner 12:05 to 12:35 and supper from 6:00 to 6:35. On Sundays breakfast was offered from 8:00 to 9:00 (none after 9:15), dinner 1:00 to 1:35 and supper 6:00 to 6:30. A 25 cent charge was applied to all meals served outside the regular hours. The Trustees have used this building as a dormitory exclusively since 1906.
The original Treasurer's Office was built on Squire Farrar's property just north of his residence. The date of its erection does not appear to be available nor the exact date of its demise. Its use as a Treasurer's Office was discontinued after 1884 when a new Office was constructed at the corner of Main and School Streets. The old office was converted to use as a reading room for a short time. Available pictures of the Churchill House, built on the former site of the Farrar House, do not show the old office so it can be assumed that this building did not last long after its conversion to a reading room.
The Double Brick House was built in 1829 as a "Commons" for the students soon to be housed in the forthcoming Latin and English Commons. The monies for this construction originated in a fund started by Squire Farrar in 1809 to provide prizes in Latin, Greek and Religion. The Trustees decided that prizes were not needed to stimulate the students and the fund was allowed to accumulate.
In 1837 Principal Samuel Harvey Taylor took over the dwelling as his residence and stayed there until his death in January 1871. Mrs. Taylor stayed in the south part after her husband's death and Principal Frederic W. Tilton moved into the north half. He in turn was followed by Principal Cecil F. P. Bancroft from 1873, to 1892. Dr. Walter R. Newton, a Latin Instructor, resided here for many years, was followed by George W. Hinman, another Latin Instructor, from 1907 to 1940, and then Dr. James Grew, a French Instructor.
After the Old Abbot House was torn down in 1889, this Double Brick House was known as "The Abbot House" or "The New Abbot House" for many years. A newspaper article of March 20, 1896, cites a fire which gutted the barn attached to the house; the fire was of unknown origin. The building was converted to a girl's dormitory in 1973, was renovated in 1982 and still remains a faculty residence and student dormitory.
Park House was built in 1833-34 as a suitable house for Professor Thomas H. Skinner of the Seminary. On July 1, 1833 Capt. William Bartlet wrote to Squire Farrar promising $5,000 for a suitable house for Dr. Skinner. On August 15, 1837, three years after completion of the building, William Bartlet transferred the ownership to the Trustees of the Academy. The house was so designed that no room abuts another and that after three days of hot weather, the interior is no warmer than 76 degrees. A fire discovered on February 5, 1916, did manage to cause significant damage to the interior of the building; starting on the second floor, it spread rapidly to the attic. The building was ready, following renovations, for occupancy in July of that same year.
Following Dr. Skinner, Prof. Edwards A. Park lived there from 1836 to his death in 1900. His daughter, Miss Agnes Park, resided there until her death in 1922. After her death, this building was acquired by the school and has been used for faculty housing.
The Latin and English Commons, creations of Samuel Farrar, were the Academy's first ventures into student dormitories. The first five in the Latin Commons chain were erected in the summer of 1834 along the north side of Phillips Street; the sixth was added before the end of the year. The English Commons were built two years later on the north side of the Old Campus, about a quarter mile away from the earlier set. The first set of "Academic Halls" were installed to house the students of the Classical or Latin Department while the latter set were for students of the Scientific or English Department. Both sets of buildings were designed for scholarship boys or those who wanted to economize on expenses during their stay at the Academy. The total cost of the dozen buildings was $18,000 or $1500 each.
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Descriptions of these buildings were provided in Chapter II as well as brief discussions of the major conflagrations experienced therein. The furniture for these rooms, never too sumptuous or plentiful, became more and more battered as it passed from one destructive generation to another. Over the years, it began to resemble the contents of a junk shop. No student was likely to complain of not receiving his money's worth, however, as the rent of a room in the Commons was fixed at one dollar a term and when the rate was raised to three dollars in 1856, the old level was maintained for "scholarship boys".
One member of the Class of 1886 reminisced:
"The houses had no fire escapes but we never worried about that. Each house was planned for 12 boys --- two in each of the six apartments. Each house had only one outside door opening on the roadway that ran in front of the buildings."
The apartments were all exactly alike --- each occupied a half floor from front to back. Living room, front and side window and two doors leading to two tiny cubicles used as individual bedrooms. With bed, bureau, washstand and chair the floor space was pretty well occupied. The school furnished only the bedstead and spring --- possibly the mattress. Furnishings sold from one student to the next --- like an open-air bazaar.
"The floors were rough and not very warm in winter and needed covering. Once a week there was an 'Inspection' by a member of the faculty --- on a regularly designated day at a stated hour."
"The houses were entirely without plumbing and had no bathrooms or toilets. Water came from the good old pump that stood under an apple tree on the edge of the campus about opposite house No. 3."
The Old Campus, bounded on the south by the Latin Commons, on the north by the English Commons and on the east by the Farrar House, Park House, the Double Brick House and later the Main Academy Building, was the focal point for the athletic contests of the nineteenth century as well as the academic center. The football and baseball games were played there as many pictures will attest. Each summer that improvements were made in the landscaping, more earth was moved and more stones were removed. One year one or two embankments were terraced to create a level playing field 600 feet by 400 feet which contained 2 or 3 football fields or diamonds. In May 1888 a Phillipian article stated that "The campus has again been harrowed and the remaining stones removed. It now presents a much better appearance."
A new grandstand was erected on this field in 1889. It was 56 feet long, 14 feet wide with 16 foot posts. It contained ten rows of seats to accommodate about 400 spectators. The framing was done in spruce, the rest was pine --- planed on all sides for appearance and functionality. The roof projected over the front to shade the seats and there was a wire netting to protect the occupants from foul balls. Ready for use in April of that year, its cost was met by a company called the Phillips Academy Grand Stand Co. which consisted of officers and a board of directors. They issued stock at $2.00 per share which matured at the end of 1890. Until that time, the shareholders reaped the benefits of all receipts earned through the small admission charged at each game. After the share maturity, the grandstand was given to the Academy.
It was planned to build a Commons/Dining Hall on the knoll opposite the baseball diamond in the summer of 1887 but this plan never materialized.
The fifth Main Academy Building was constructed in 1865 on the northeast corner of the Old Campus. This new classroom building was required following the fire in the Stone Academy which destroyed that building in December 1863. Many of the details of this building and its later renovations were discussed in Chapter II. The dedication ceremony on February 7, 1866, attracted a large number of graduates and was the first celebration of its kind ever held entirely under the auspices of Academy Alumni. The principal address of the occasion, "Classical Studies as a Part of Academic Education" was delivered by the Honorable Philip H. Sears.
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The exterior of the building was not in keeping with other edifices of the Academy or the Seminary. One source states "Architecturally, the essential ugliness of the building was only accentuated by attempts at ornamentation." The interior, however, was both comfortable and commodious and its large assembly hall on the third floor and its recitation rooms and offices were ample at that date for the demands of the school. In the summer of 1887 renovations resulted in the replacement of the chapel on the second floor by two recitation rooms; the chapel was moved to the large hall on the third floor.
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Rumors as to the safety of this building began to circulate as early as 1894. An article in a November issue of "The Andover Townsman" states:
"Ever since we can remember, statements have been made in regard to the safety of the Phillips Academy building, and we know of several Andover people who will not enter it because of its supposed shakiness. A complaint having been made to the Selectmen in regard to it has recently been investigated, and the following report of the inspector shows the building to be all right:
'Rufus R. Wade, Esq., Chief District Police:
'Sir.---In accordance with your orders, upon request of the Selectmen of the town of Andover, we have inspected the academy building of Phillips Academy in that town, represented to be unsafe, and have the honor to report that we consider the building safe. We found the fire escape, also represented to be unsafe, in good condition.
Very Respectfully, John T. White,
Joseph A. Moore
Inspectors of Factories and Public Buildings Boston, Mass. Nov. 10, 1894'"
The details of the re-investigation of 1902 are outlined in Chapter II. The results led to the removal of the third floor in 1903 and the porch shortly thereafter. Remodeling efforts in the summer of 1911 again changed the exterior image of the building through the removal of the portico, the old tower and the belfry. Fourteen years later use of the building for recitation purposes was discontinued, Samuel Phillips Hall had been constructed as the New Main Building. Work on the demolition of this building was begun on May 10, 1927, by the American Building and Wrecking Co. of Cambridge. By June 3 the walls were gone and all that remained was the cellar. That too was removed and shortly thereafter Samaritan House was relocated to the general area of this former hub of activity of the Academy.
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In 1882 the Trustees constructed an edifice near the Main Academy Building to serve as a laboratory. It was a hideous brick structure designed as part of a larger science building to come some time later. The furnishings were also meager --- as described by Prof. Graves in 1883, "Purchased the year the academy was dedicated with scarcely any additions since, it is hardly worthy of the school". He was granted $300-500 each year thereafter by the Trustees to purchase equipment for this laboratory.
The original building had walls of pressed brick, laid in red mortar, with dark granite base and Nova Scotia sandstone trimmings; the roof was covered with Monson slate. The basement was 11 feet high, mostly above ground, and served to house the force-pump and heating apparatus and as storage. The main floor was the chemical laboratory, 40 feet by 30 feet and 31 feet high to the top of the lantern. The lantern windows swung on swivels and could be easily operated from the floor. The interior walls, 13 feet high, were selected brick also laid in red mortar. The trusses were of Georgia pine, the floor of mill construction finished in rock maple. Each table was vented through the wall to the ventilating turret at the east angle of the roof. There was room for 40 pupils in experimental chemistry.
In 1891 the Trustees voted to complete the Chemical Laboratory; the architect selected was Merrill and Cutler of Lowell, the contractor, Abbott and Jenkins of Andover --- the same crews who were responsible for the original part of the building. The estimated cost was $20,000, the actuals ran another 50% higher. The construction was completed by autumn of 1892 with the previous building serving as the east wing of the new facility which contained not only room for the Chemistry Department but also temporary accommodations for the Physics Department. A large hall was provided for use as a "draughting" room and space was made available for the Newton Cabinet which had been crowded into the lower rooms of Brechin Hall.
It was expected at that time that another building to be known as the Physical Laboratory would be erected on the opposite side of the Old Campus. It was to contain room for the Department of Physics, as well as extra recitation and society rooms. This $50,000 facility was another plan of the Trustees which never materialized.
In 1908 Room 1 in the basement, formerly used only for examinations, was fitted up for recitation purposes. A new examination room was made at the other end of the basement by removing the furnaces and boilers as the building was them heated from the main plant.
In the spring of 1912 this building became Graves Hall --- named for William B. Graves, head of the Scientific Department from 1866 to 1899 and the first Peabody Professor.
Various Clubs used the facilities of Graves Hall, predominately in the basement --- the Wireless Club in 1916 and a hobby workshop in 1930 which stressed shipbuilding. The laundry was moved here from the Commons in 1941 and the building was used as a Civil Defense Headquarters following World War II. Some renovations were performed in 1963.
In 1977 the trustees decided that Graves Hall should be upgraded for use by the Music Department, not replaced. The architect firm of Childs, Bertram, Tsackeras & Casedino won the competition for that task and reconstruction was completed by the Volpe Co. in October 1982. Dedication ceremonies were held in April 1983.
A house was built in 1882 for Professor J. Wesley Churchill of the Seminary on the northwest corner of Main and Phillips Streets --- the former site of the first classroom building and the Farrar House. It was to be "a much more sightly structure" than its well-known predecessor (Farrar House). Professor J. W. Churchill occupied this home until his death in 1900 after which Professor Winthrop Platner moved in. The building was moved to its present location in 1901 to make room for the Archaeology Building.
As mentioned earlier, the first Treasurer's Office was erected on the property of Squire Farrar at the corner of Main and Phillips Streets. Ground was staked out for a new Treasurer's Office in March 1884 on the northeast corner of the Old Campus just south of the Main Academy Building. This building was also to contain offices for the Principal, a long-standing need. The preconstruction estimate was on the order of $10,000 which was donated by Edward Taylor, the Treasurer at the time. The building was constructed of brick with meadow freestone trimming and had a high peaked roof. The Treasurer's Office was to the left upon entering and contained a vault; the room itself was finished in oak. The Principal's Office and the Trustee's Room, located opposite the front entrance, was finished in cherry. There were two fireplaces with mantle pieces in the two offices and a consultation room rounded off the features of the first floor. The attic provided storage space and the heating apparatus was located in the cellar. The building architects were Merrill & Cutler of Lowell.
When the administrative offices were moved to Brechin Hall in 1910, this building was vacated and was given to the Phillips Club --- an organization consisting of instructors in the Academy and various interested townspeople. The facility was equipped with card tables, a pool table (added in 1927) and coffee mess and provided an opportunity to smoke --- the faculty was not supposed to smoke in public.
In later years this edifice became the Office of the Physical Plant Services. It is now called "Phillips Hall" and serves as a minority counseling center.
Draper Cottage was one of the first of the new style of dormitories intended to replace the Latin and English Commons facilities. It was donated in 1891 by Warren F. Draper in response to a plea by the Academy for a Science Building, new Dining Hall, a new Gym and two blocks of modern cottages. This donation was pledged on the condition that an annuity be paid to his wife until her death (which occurred in 1916).
Designed by A. W. Longfellow of Boston, it was constructed by Hardy & Cole, the Contractors, on the site of the old second house in the row of English Commons. A description of this cottage is provided in Chapter III.
Just after the turn of the century, the Trustees determined that it would be more economical to provide a central heating plant and distribute this heat to the various buildings of the school. This plant was erected in 1902 behind the row of English Commons buildings and Draper Cottage. This facility was fueled by coal. A fire was discovered in the coal bunker behind Draper Cottage on December 18, 1903, at 1:15 A.M.. This fire which had resulted from spontaneous combustion lasted for two or three days.
During the summer of 1910 the heating plant located on the east side of Main Street --- under the church --was connected with the main plant across the street and the boiler under the church was then removed. This action enabled all school buildings to be heated from the one central plant.
The electrical lighting plant was added in 1914 through the generosity of Frederick Goodrich Crane, a member of the Board of Trustees. Planned to be operational by November of that year, it was to provide the power for all of the Academy buildings. The system was built using duplicate steam driven generating units, 75 KVA each, together with the controlling switchboard, transformers and underground cable distribution network. The engines were supplied with steam from the heating boilers. This combined central heating and lighting plant was installed under the direction of Richard D. Kimball Co., Consulting Engineers of Boston.
Fourteen years later a new heating plant was constructed by Thomas Cochran using some of the income from room rents in Paul Revere Hall. Started in the fall of 1928, it progressed rapidly and was in operation the following spring. The new building was built around the old one so the flow of heat was not interrupted during the cold weather. A new 150 foot smokestack was raised and three new 320 H. P. boilers were installed. These boilers were fired by automatic Riley Stokers which in turn received coal from overhead storage bins and the ash was discharged by a steam jet conveyor in to a storage bin outside the plant --- all hand labor was dispensed with. The contractor was E. W. Pitman Co. of Lawrence and the mechanical engineers were the Richard D. Kimball Co. of Boston.
The heating system was converted to one using fuel oil in 1950. The electrical system was completely overhauled in the fall of 1984 at a cost of one and a half million dollars. The underground utilities had extended well beyond their expected life and the power generating equipment was operating at higher levels than the system could support and frequent black-outs were experienced.
On March 6, 1901, Robert Singleton Peabody, Class of 1857, offered Phillips Academy a collection of 40,000 specimens in American Archaeology, to provide a suitable building for their housing and to furnish a fund for their maintenance and enlargement of the collection. He donated $100,000 for the Peabody Foundation and $50,000 for the building which was dedicated on March 28, 1903 and then opened to the public on April 23. The architect was Guy Lowell.
The Archaeology Building is 100 feet long and 50 feet wide and is located on the former site of the First Classroom Building, the Farrar House and the Churchill House. The main entrance in the center opens into a spacious hall designed for the largest specimens in the collection. Exhibition halls are located on either side of this central area. The second floor contained a room for lectures and entertainment which was designed to seat 175 to 200 people. A large library/reading room and lounging place with stack facilities was located on the other side of the main hall. The basement housed an assembly room, grill room and commons rooms ---designed as a center for social life, a usage which never took hold.
Warren K. Moorhead was the first Curator of this facility; he was succeeded by Douglass S. Byers who served in that position from 1939 to 1968. The position is presently open.
The Academy Library which numbered 5000 volumes in 1911, was begun by the gift of the Samuel H. Taylor Memorial Library from Mrs. Horace Fairbanks of St. Johnsbury, Vermont; additions to this base were made by several societies. The bulk of this library was stored in the Main Academy Building; however, the more modern books and those most in demand for reference and collateral reading were deposited in the Reading Room of the Archaeology Building. It was equipped with a long table with reading lamps. Walnut window seats, gifts of the four classes at the Academy, were built under the windows. Framed pictures showing scenes from all the leading colleges and universities were on the walls. A librarian was in charge. This Library moved to Brechin Hall in 1911.
In 1912 the newly formed Phillips Union opened in the basement of the Archaeology Building. This new feature in the school life was established to decrease the student drift to the restaurants and lounging places in town such as "Chap's" and later "French's". The basement was remodeled to plans drawn by Guy Lowell to make this facility a center for the social life of the student body as was Peabody's wishes. The southern end contained a kitchen, serving counter with a soda fountain attached and stalls providing accommodations for those desiring to secure light lunches, ice cream soda, etc. The northerly end was made into a commodious and well-lighted room with wall seats around the entire circuit and numerous tables and chairs. The Reading Room formerly on the second floor was moved to this room and all the leading dailies as well as the weekly and monthly magazines were kept on file.
A Stuart Travis Map was installed on the stairway of the Archaeology Building in 1938. It depicts North America covered by the shadow of the Thunderbird and flanked by some striking works of art of the American Indians. Portraits of several racial types appear across the top of the map.
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Professor Edward H. Williams, Jr., Class of 1868, "donated" the Williams Hall property to the Trustees in the summer of 1910. In reality, he sold it to the Academy for a price so much lower than the actual value that it was considered a gift from him. The Trustees decided to make this facility a self-contained dormitory for the youngest boys --- the Juniors.
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The five acre property contained a large residence and several smaller buildings. The main house easily accommodated 30 boys and could be increased to 40 boys without undue crowding. There were many bathrooms and a special infirmary with an adjoining nurse's room. The ground floor contained rooms for an instructor family plus a spacious study room, a large reading and recreation room and dining facilities. A wing was added in 1922 to accommodate 18 more boys.
The first resident instructor family was John L. Phillips and his wife.
In 1911 one of the smaller buildings formerly used by the employees of the estate was fitted up by the Trustees as a new infirmary and an experienced matron was placed in charge. (The track house on the West Quadrangle was still being used for contagious diseases.)
Peabody House was built directly behind the Archaeology Building on Phillips Street from the accrued income of the Peabody Foundation. Costing about $28,000 it was intended to be the start of a new quadrangle on the southwest corner of the Old Campus. Obviously, this idea never matured to development. The architect for Peabody House was Guy Lowell and the contractor was E. W. Pitman Co. of Lawrence.
The building was of Georgian design and was constructed using brick with white stone trimmings. The first floor housed a lounge room 30 feet by 50 feet 12 feet high, with a fireplace, paneled walls and three french windows which opened to a brick terrace in the front. The second floor also consisted of a large room with a fireplace and bookcases for use by the school organizations. The basement housed a large grill room, nine booths, a private dining room and a kitchen. Formally opened on October 2, 1915, it became a social center for the student body. Peabody House Dances were started here in the late teens and continued for several decades.
Several improvements were made to the building in the 1923-24 year through the generosity of Rudolph G. Leeds, Class of 1904. Large rugs were put on the formerly barren floors, hangings were placed on the windows and new furniture, games, piano and phonograph were added.
The Peabody Union was formed here in the winter of 1932-33, replacing the Peabody Club. This organization was designed to be a focal center of many new student intellectual activities and to serve as a social center for all Andover students. Jim Riley and his wife operated a grill in the basement where smoking was allowed; eventually it became unsavory and was discontinued.
The building was heavily damaged by a fire in May 1981 which destroyed the first and second floor as well as the attic. The cause of the fire was suspected to be faulty electrical wiring. At the time of the fire the building housed the "Pot Pourri" office, the Afro-Latino American Society and was the meeting place for various seminars. For many years it had served as a town polling place for elections. In November 1981 the Trustees voted to raze what was left of the building.
Clement House, located on the west side of School Street, was built in the early 1800's and deeded to the Trustees in 1829 by Jonathan Clement, teacher from 1819 to 1829. Its role as a "dining" boarding house is discussed in Chapter III. It became a girl's dormitory in 1973 following the merger of Phillips and Abbot Academies.
The Carter House, located at 153 Main Street, was also built in the early 1800's. It was known as the Mary Griffin House and the "Tract House" in the 1850 decade. Emily Carter, a long time resident of this house, was the person who spearheaded the drive for the Andover Cottage in 1891. Renovated in 1952, the building is still used for faculty housing.
Built in 1825 the Blunt House or America House soon became a boarding house for Seminary and Academy students under the control of a Mrs. Hutchings. She was in charge in February 1832 when Samuel Francis Smith, a student at the Seminary, wrote the words to "America" in the northeast front room, first floor. He was translating some German songs for Lowell Mason, a noted hymn composer, when he found a German tune he particularly liked. He seized a scrap of waste paper and wrote down the words to the song "America" in almost the same form as they exist today. The chair in which he sat during this historic activity traveled with S. F. Smith throughout his life. After his death in 1895 it was taken to California by one of his children. It was returned to the Academy in 1925 and has been placed in the archives.
Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Blunt became the proprietors in 1875 or 1876. A major fire was experienced there on the evening of July 14, 1884; the damage was extensive because of the scarcity of water. By September the building had been rebuilt into the three story French roof building we see today. It was called the Clark House for the period of time from 1908 to 1919 that they ran the facility.
The building was made into a dormitory in 1919 to accommodate 17 boys under the charge of Frederick J. Daly and then Mr. & Mrs. A. Allen who ran a small dining room there. Floyd Humphries and his wife took over in 1937 and remained there well into the 1950's.
America House again became a dormitory in 1976 as a result of the Class of 1926 50th Reunion Gift which was used to restore the building as a national landmark. At a cost of $73,000 dorm rooms for 16 students were renovated as well as a faculty apartment for Charles Whitehead, his wife and daughter.
Cheever House, located at the intersection of School and Main Streets, was constructed in the 1840's by amateur builders who did a poor job. Contractors later found out that often the rafters did not meet the side supports and the floor supports did not run the full length of the floor. The exterior of the house, however, was a beautiful example of Colonial architecture.
The building was purchased from Henry Gray in 1853 and became the home of Misses Ella T. & Minnie S. Cheever. The southern half of the lower floor was a bookstore kept by William Pierce in the 1850's. The two doors opened on a long platform and on its eastern end stood the sign --- a large book. When Miss Ella Cheever died in 1923, the building reverted back to the Academy and it was maintained as a school house with a resident instructor.
Cheever House served as a dorm for many years and then as a house for faculty members. In 1978 the building itself was declared unsafe and the residents --the Joseph Wennick's --- moved out. The total renovation costs were estimated to be $120,000 while replacement costs would be $84,000. Consequently, the Trustees had it razed during the latter part of the summer of 1981.
Samaritan House was moved from Chapel Avenue to its present site on School Street --- where the Main Academy Building used to be --- in the summer of 1929. Dr. Stearns remained there for two more years and was followed by Charles A. Parmelee, Horace M. Poynter (for almost 10 years) and James R. Adriance (for about a quarter of a century). This stately building is still in use today as a faculty housing facility.
Tilton and Davidson Houses, built as Society Houses on the west side of the Old Campus and converted to dorms and faculty residences after the phase out of the Secret Societies are discussed in Chapter IV. The KOA/Alumni House located on School Street is also discussed in Chapter IV along with the various Society Houses on Main Street and Locke Street.
Hayward House, located on Phillips Street just west of Farrar House, had originally been built in Boxford. It was moved to its present location about 1805 being dragged along by a team of oxen. Its attached barn was detached, brought along separately and located a bit south of the heating plant. It served there as the home of the paint shop for many years until replaced by the Smith building. The dining room of the Hayward House was the former carriage house; the present kitchen and back porch rooms were added later.
In the early 1900's the Hayward House was used as a two family home for the Henry Hopper's and the Bob McCoubry's. It later became a one family home, with boys, for the Hopper's until 1947. The Richard Pieters' resided there from 1947 to 1975. In the 1930's the Academy had remodeled the house to serve as a retirement home for Thomas Cochran but he died before he could move in there. Students were housed in this building until 1959.