SCHOOr. PROGRESS AND THE ACADEMY. 



385 



A meeting of the men most interested in the project 

 was held Saturday evening, November 19, 1796, at the 

 "tavern " of Christopher James (now the Norfolk House). 

 Captain Levi Tower was moderator, and Samuel Brown 

 clerk. The others most prominent were "Squire" Elisha 

 Doane and Captain John Lewis. Their plan was to build 

 a schoolhouse such as other academies of which they 

 knew — -Derby, for example, in Hingham. The land 

 chosen was opposite the old meeting-house, where the 

 Town Hall now stands, part of Captain Levi Tower's 

 field, having fifty-five feet frontage. 



Photo, Airs. v.. v.. EI 



ACADKMY I)i:SK, 1830. 



The building was erected the next year, two stories 

 high, with a porch in front for the stairway. The upper 

 room had an arched ceiling to be used as a hall, while 

 the lower part was divided into two schoolrooms. 



The fall of 1797 saw the enterprise well started. There 

 were two teachers engaged, a preceptor, whose salary was 

 voted not to exceed four hundred dollars a year, and a 

 preceptress at one hundred and fifty dollars. 



The first incumbents mentioned were a Mr. Tilton and 

 a Mrs. Chatelaine. 



The price of tuition was placed at forty-four cents a 



