TOWN OF CORNING. 



263 



of the schools. He entered upon his duties on the 31st 

 of August, 1868, and at once inaugurated a graded school 

 with a full academic course. The first annual commence- 

 ment was held June 80, 1869, at which time four students 

 were graduated and received diplomas. A class of eleven 

 graduated in 1870. It was during this year that Prof. 

 Balcam urged the necessity of providing better facilities 

 for the accommodation of pupils, and advocated the erec- 

 tion of an academy that should be worthy of the growing 

 and enterprising village. At his urgent solicitation a meet- 

 ing was called and held on the 26th of August, 1870, which 

 was attended by the tax-payers of the village. The board 

 of education were authorized to raise by tax $25,000, with 

 which to commence the building, — only nine dissenting 

 votes being cast. The board at this time consisted of the 

 following-named gentlemen : Hiram Pritchard, Samuel C. 

 Robertson, George W. Patterson, Jr., Lewis C. Kingsbury, 

 George Hitchcock, and Charles G. Denison. Such a lib- 

 eral public spirit as was manifested at the meeting greatly 

 encouraged the board of education, and they proceeded at 

 once to carry into effect the wishes of the people. Nine 

 large village lots were purchased on Third Street, Walnut 

 Street dividing them, locating four lots upon one side where 

 the building stands, and five upon the other to be devoted 

 to a park and play-ground. A general plan was drawn up 

 by Prof. Balcam and Mr. Patterson, which was given to 

 Mr. S. F. Eveleth, architect, of New York, who prepared 

 the construction plans. The building was so far completed 

 as to be occupied on the 1st of September, 1873. The 

 cost of its erection was about $70,000. 



We herewith append a brief description of this noble 

 building, of which the citizens of Corning justly feel 

 proud. It is of red brick ornamented with stone, having 

 a very fine outside architectural appearance. The founda- 

 tion is 70 by 100 feet, exclusive of a small wing in which 

 are located the boiler for steam-heating apparatus and closets. 

 The building being located on the side-hill there is a sub- 

 cellar basement in which is the coal-room and the furnace. 

 Above is the basement proper, and is entered from the rear 

 of the building, opening into a reception-room elegantly 

 carpeted and furnished. In the rear are six rooms occu- 

 pied by the janitor and his family. To the right of these 

 is a large corridor, through the centre of the basement, 

 106 by 16 feet, connecting by an arch-way with two other 

 large basement rooms, each 45 by 35, which, being heated 

 by steam, are used for play-rooms during unpleasant weather. 

 From the corridor are halls leading to the closets and into 

 the wing in which is located the chemical laboratory, a 

 room 35 by 30. Ascending one flight of stairs the visitor 

 is ushered into, first, a hall in the tower in which the stair- 

 ways are located, both in front and rear, except that the 

 rear tower only rises to the second story while that in front 

 is 102 feet from the ground to the summit. The outer 

 doors, each having storm-doors, open into the tower halls 

 or vestibules, and these communicate with ante-rooms, 16 

 by 21. From these ante-rooms the school-rooms, contain- 

 ing 60 seats each, are entered. The first and second floors 

 being divided precisely the same, it is only necessary to de- 

 scribe one of them, except the seats are larger as we go 

 from the primary through to the academical rooms. The 



first floor is devoted to the primary and secondary depart- 

 ments. There are four rooms on each floor, 26 by 40 feet- 

 Each room has two wardrobe -rooms, 8 by 8 feet. The two 

 rooms on the east and the two on the west side of the 

 bnilding communicate with each other by large folding- 

 doors. Passing to the third floor we enter the academical 

 room, 39 by 68 feet, and containing 150 seats. From this 

 room the principal is in direct communication with every 

 department both by speaking-tubes and signal-bells. The 

 school-rooms are all furnished with Chase's single desks, 

 iron frames with folding seats, the woodwork all being of 

 fine cherry. The flooring throughout the building is of oak, 

 and all deadened so that the noise of one department does 

 not disturb the exercises of another. Every room in the 

 building contains gas-burners, 100 in all, and the school- 

 rooms, while abundantly supplied with windows, can be 

 darkened by the inside blinds attached to each. The vesti- 

 bules contain seats and are warmed, so that pupils arriving 

 early may be comfortable in the coldest of weather. All 

 the departments are most elegantly finished and furnished, 

 and it is altogether one of the most complete school-build- 

 ings in the State. A large number of volumes and geolog- 

 ical specimens have already been placed in the library and 

 cabinet-rooms which occupy the upper floor of the building, 

 and ascending another flight of stairs we enter the clock- 

 room, where a fine, large clock, with four dials, occupies 

 this story in the tower. Still another flight, and we stand 

 by the deep-toned bell which calls the youth of Corning 

 to these halls, and hourly, day and night, rings out the 

 hours. This bell weighs 2500 pounds, and bears the fol- 

 lowing inscription, cast in the bell : 



"MENEELY BELL FOUNDRY, WEST TROY. 



CORNING FREE ACADEMY. 

 A.D. 1873. 



HIRAM PRITCHARD, 



SAMUEL C. ROBERTSOISr, 



GEO. W. PATTERSON, JR., 



LEWIS C. KINGSBURY, 



GEORGE HITCHCOCK, 



CHAS. G. DENISON. 



BOARD OF EDUCATION. 



JOHN N. HUNGERFORD, Treasurer ; 



GEO. E. EATON, Secretary ; 



H. A. BALCAM, M.A., Principal.'^ 



It would be an act of injustice not to mention in this 

 connection the valuable services of Mr. Gleo. W. Patterson, 

 Jr., one of the Board of Education. From the first incep- 

 tion of the work to its completion and occupancy he gave 

 up all other business, and devoted his whole time and atten- 

 tion to the enterprise. Every piece of timber and every 

 portion of the work was personally inspected by him. His 

 valuable counsel and individual efibrt cannot be estimated 

 pecuniarily. And all this without any other fee or reward 

 than the consciousness of rendering a valuable public service. 



Prof. Balcam remained in charge of the schools till June 

 29, 1876. On the 4th of September, 1876, Prof. A. Gay- 

 lord Slocum, A.B., a graduate of Rochester University, 

 assumed charge, and is the present superintendent and 

 principal of the academy. 



