by Larry Miller
One of the joys of reunions is seeing old friends and getting better acquainted with other persons from your past. Such was the case this month when we attended a reunion of Chadron State College alumni in the Phoenix area.
One of the joys of reunions is seeing old friends and getting better acquainted with other persons from your past. Such was the case this month when we attended a reunion of Chadron State College alumni in the Phoenix area.
And sometimes it's not just the people who delight you -- it's what they bring to the gathering.
The history helps fill in huge voids for many of us who have heard of the old Chadron Academy (not to be confused with the later Assumption Academy parochial school) but knew little, if any, of its history. This little 60-page booklet does the job nicely -- especially the autobiographical notes from some 110 students who attended the school.
Linda agreed to loan us this splendid booklet, and we're providing Gertrude Lutz's history in this posting. In the near future, we'll add some of the fascinating biographies that are included in the publication. Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~
A SHORT HISTORY OF THE CONGREGATIONAL ACADEMY
(Chadron ,
Nebraska
By Gertrude Lutz
If you stroll up the College Hill and go just beyond the
gate, you will see the remains of a narrow cement walk zigzagging ujp the
hillside.
In the year of 1888 the minister of the Chadron
Congregational Church, Rev. A. J. Powell, met with a group of ministers and
missionaries of this region to talk about a Church Academy
School
There was a need at that time for High School graduates to
qualify for teaching positions with county certificates in Dawes County
The Chadron
High School
Besides many older persons who would like to teach had not
the opportunity to finish a High School course.
So the Northwestern Association of Congregational Churches
was formed and after much thinking and debate, a decision was made to build an
academy with four years of High School work at Chadron , Nebraska
The Articles of Incorporation were filed on November 16,
1889.
The location for the school took some thinking and decisions
but it seemed that the hilly area South of the city of Chadron was the place.
 |
| The Chadron Congregational Academy |
So eighty acres of this hilly land was bought from Judson K.
Deming for $3200. It was mostly pine
tree country and hills but a slope near the Northern part down towards the town
was the spot chosen for the building.
This land was bought on November 21, 1888 and the building
was begun the following summer and was not finished until the year 1890.
The building was made of brick and native stone and was to
be three stories high, but only two stories were finished at first and then the
furnishings were needed. A lien had to
be put on the building for needed funds.
Donation of work and money came from the American College
In the fall of 1890 there were three students enrolled , but
more kept coming until before the year ended the enrollment came to over
twenty.
The Dedication Service as held on December 3, 1890.
The Executive Committee was comprised of the following: Honorable Alfred Bartow, lawyer, Rev. G. J.
Powell, home missionary for the Black Hills and Wyoming , G.A. Eckles, Chadron Postmaster,
Elbert Mead, businessman and Jarvis Richards, Banker.
Rev. F. L. Ferguson, who later became the Principal of the
Academy, gave the prayer of dedication.
The dedicatory address was given by Rev. Willard Scott and at the
evening service, addresses were given by
the Rev. S. H. Bross, Home Missionary for Nebraska ,
G. J. Powell and Lewis Gregory from Doane
College
The first Principal of the Academy was J.M. Hulbert and
association with hime were Mrs. Clara P. Lyon, Miss Emma J. Lyon and Mrs. Mary
Bartow. Later Principals were Messrs.
Ferguson, Oberkotter, Snow and Hart.
In the early fall before the building was completed, classes
were held in rooms at the old Public
High School
The Academy building was completed in December of the year
1889 except the third floor, which was left for a future project.
 |
| Looking south from near C Hill. The old Chadron Congregational Academy is seen in the foreground. The original college administration building (which still stands) is at left. (Photos courtesy of the First Congregational Church) |
The classes moved to the new building in the first of the
year 1890, several new students came but funds were low and sometimes the
teachers had to wait a while for their salaries.
In 1890 Rev. Frank L. Ferguson came as minister of the
Congregational Church and took over the office of Principal at the new Academy.
The attendance increased and help came from the citizens of
Chadron and neighboring towns.
Then misfortune struck at the beginning of the fourth year,
a fire broke out and the Chadron Fire Department was small and unable to cope
with the fire; so the building went up in flames on November 6, 1892.
Nothing daunted, the friends and teachers and citizens began
a drive to get a new building.
A new building needed more help and money, soon the
surrounding towns and different Societies and citizens made drives for help and
a new building began to rise on the old foundation. Much of the old stone and brick was used to
make a two and a half story building with dormer rooms for the boy
students. The building was completed in
less than a year, meantime classes were continued in the Y.M.C.A. building and
other rooms.
It was wonderful how people responded with help, money and
work, for Chadron at that time had only about 2500 population, it was a
Railroad town for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad and was just beginning
to boom.
A dormitory was needed for the school and a lot near the end
of Main street
with a house on it was bought from Maggie Ferguson for $ 2500.
This was remodeled to be used as a girl’s dormitory, and a
large dining room was made in the basement for serving meals to all the
students and most of the teachers. This
building was called, “The Academy Hall.”
In 1907 the liabilities of the Academy were about eight
thousand dollars.
There were four Protestant
Churches
The Chadron
Academy
The students enrolled were required to have an eighth grade
education. The school prepared students
for college in Classical and Scientific courses. There was also a good Commercial Education
course and voice and piano work. The
normal course was aimed to give a thorough academic training and also to meet
the Requirements Law in regard to the granting of Teacher’s Certificates. A preparatory course was added for the benefit
of those whose school privileges had been limited. There were many who were deficient in one or
more studies but were otherwise prepared to enter one of the academic
courses. Such students were permitted to
go on with the advanced work and remove the condition by taking extra work in
the preparatory course.
Some of these elementary classes were conducted by mature
students under the supervision of the instructors.
The Commercial Course was aimed to give a practical training
in Business Methods. Classes in Shorthand
and Typing were to be added if a sufficient number of students would desire
that special training.
In the year 1908 there were 125 students in attendance at
the Academy. The school had been
publishing a monthly paper call, “The Envoy,”
It contained advertisements from the local merchants, school news,
athletic news, news of alumni and former students, poems, jokes, editorials,
literary notes, religion notes and news of picnics and banquets.
The following is a class poem written by a member of the
Junior Class in 1910.
Class Poem, 1910
Look forth, tho thotful mortal, look!
And view the years ahead.
Where has this life of toil and strife
A brighter beam to shed,
Look not for clouds of darkness grim,
Tho’ rough may be the road,
Make smooth the way, be bright and gay,
And light will be your load.
Now think, thou tho’tful mortal, think,
Of the infinite power of God
He has a plan for every man
Who dwells upon the sod.
There’s work to do; God’s work it is
If honest, brave and true.
He will us bless with happiness
If well his work we do.
Wake up, thou drowsy mortal, wake
Keep guard with watchful eye,
For chances come, and bright are some,
And pass you quickly by
Great opportunities abound,
And those who seek with care.
With earnest thot, dismayed at naught,
Are those who stand the wear.
Then work, ambitious mortal work,
Nor cast a look behind;
You gain in strength, tho great the length
Of plans you have in mind.
Be not afraid of good hard work
If you would care to win,
For the good you do, depends on you
And the work that you put in. (L.D.L.)
In the years 1910-11 the attendance was gradually falling
off, due in part to the advancement of the Public High School Chadron
Academy decided to sell the eighty
acres to the state of Nebraska .
The academy building was torn down as they always do old
landmarks and then regret it later on, when it is too late.
In the records about the old Academy Hall (dormitory), it
shows that the lot belonged to Mary Ellen Clark, she had bought it from the
Pioneer Townsite Company for one dollar.
She built a small house on it and then sold it to Maggie Ferguson, wife
of Frank Ferguson, who later became the Congregational minister and Principal
of the Academy. She sold it to the
Academy and that was where the Academy Hall was built.
It seems that the Fergusons had bought several lots in that
block and the one across from it.
I think the lots where the Campus Shop and Harold Clark’s
apartment house now stands was the location of the football field for the
Academy.
The old dormitory building was sold to Charles Naylor in
1910.
A little farther down the hill from the ruins of the old
Academy a new building was erected in 1911 which is now the middle section of
the Chadron State College Administration Building.
At this same time a dormitory building was built for the
college also, which is at present the Faculty Hall. These two buildings became the Northwest
Normal School of Chadron, Nebraska. Now
it is the Chadron State College and consists of many, many new buildings, but
that is another story.
SCHOOL SONG OF THE
CHADRON CONGREGATIONAL ACADEMY
(The Orange and the Black)
1) Let
the blue proclaim Yale’s glory
And
the crimson Harvard’s pride,
Flash
their colors far and wide.
We
will sing a song of Chadron,
Send
the chorus rolling back
O’er
Nebrask’s hills and valleys
Floats
the Orange and
the Black.
(Chorus)
We
will sing a song of Chadron
Send
the chorus rolling back
O’er
Nebraska ’s
hills and valleys
Floats
the Orange and
the Black.
2) We
have come from the prairie cottage,
Cattle range and railroad town,
We press forth with eager footsteps
To the stories laurel crown.
Open wide the doors of Chadron
To the old well proven track,
O’er Nebrask’s hills and valleys
Floats the Orange and the Black.
3) Other
days may bring us honor,
Other doors may open wide
Duty lead to high achievement
Life’s rich fruits with us abide.
But whatever may befall us
We will E’er look fondly back
To fair Chadron in Nebraska
To the Orange and the Black.
(Yell) Chad-Chad-C-H-A-D
Chad-Ron-Academy
Upi-Upi-Upi-Dee
Chadron ! !
!
