328 



HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY, NEW YORK. 



elected in 1821. From that time till 1844 there were 44 

 different persons elected to the office, and during the same 

 period there were elected 27 inspectors ; the first of whom 

 were A. Kennedy, Christopher Hurlbut, and George Hor- 

 nell, Jr., and the last were J. K. Hale, Hiram Bennett, 

 and William M. Hawley. In 1843 the Legislature abol- 

 ished the offices of commissioners and inspectors, and created 

 that of town superintendents. At the town-meeting of 1844, 

 Mowry Thacher was elected to the office, being the first 

 superintendent of common schools in the town of Hornells- 

 ville. He had previously served ten years as inspector. 

 The following year Samuel Olin was elected ; then Comfort 

 E. Baldwin (1846), Samuel Olin (1847), Dr. Baldwin 

 (1848-51), Daniel McCay (1851-54), H. A. Patterson 

 (1854), Elon O. Durfey (1855), the last. 



In 1856 the Legislature abolished the office of town 

 superintendent and county superintendent, and provided 

 for the election of school commissioners in each x\ssembly 

 district. The first for this district under the act was Wil- 

 liam S. Hall. He was succeeded by Rev. Horatio Patten- 

 gill, whose successors, in the order named, have been R. 

 Dennis, A. T. Parkhill, Edwin Whiting, W. P. Todd, H. 

 R. Williams. 



PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. 



The public schools of the village of Hornellsville, by a 

 special act of the Legislature, are organized as a graded 

 school and placed under the control of three trustees as a 

 board of education, who hold office for three years, one 

 trustee being elected each year. To the graded school an 

 academic department, subject to the visitation of the re- 

 gents, was added, and the first regents' examination was 

 held in November, 1872. 



The buildings now occupied by the schools are as follows : 



No. (1) one (Park School), which contains the academic 

 department, is on Union Street, opposite the park. 



The building is a substantial brick structure, two stories 

 high, with no basement, and will comfortably accommodate 

 750 pupils. 



No. 1 (Fifth Ward School) is on South Canisteo Street, 

 on the south bank of Crosby Creek. It is also a substan- 

 tial brick structure, two* stories high. The building stands 

 upon a rise of ground, with its main entrance to the east. 

 It is decidedly the finest school building in the village. It 

 will comfortably accommodate 300 pupils. 



No. 3 (Sixth Ward School) is situated on East Main 

 Street. It is also a two-story building, and is the only one 

 of the ward schools built of wood. 



The aggregate value of school property is as follows : 



Buildings and lots $25,000 



Reference library j 500 



Apparatus 700 



Total $26,200 



Teachers. — D. L. Freeborn, Superintendent. 



Park or Academic School. — D. L. Freeborn, Princi- 

 pal ; Miss W. E. Bray ton, Preceptress; Miss Maggie T. 

 Welch, First Assistant; Miss Laura La Croix, Second 

 Assistant; No. 6, Miss Mary Reilly ; No. 5, Miss Fannie 

 Norton ; No. 4, Miss Belle Bronk ; No. 3, Miss Belle Sim- 

 mons; No. 2, Miss Belle Shelley; No. 1, Miss Nellie Spicer, 

 Miss Susie Dunavon. 



Fifth Ward School. — D. H. Hendershott, Principal ; 

 Miss Lizzie Graves, Assistant in No. 4 ; No. 3, Miss Alfa 

 Gays; No. 2, Miss Mary Welch ; No. 1, Miss Yandalia 

 Varnum, Miss Ada Rockwell. 



Sixth Ward School. — Miss Elizabeth Bartholomew, 

 Principal; No. 3, Miss Eva Santee; No. 2, Miss Alice 

 Aldrich; No. 1, Miss Eva C. Stillman. 



Broad Street School. — Miss Eugenia Morris. 



Board of Education. — Alanson Stephens, Esq., A-esi- 

 dent ; Hiram Bennett, Esq., Secretary; Dr. J. W. Robin- 

 son, P. P. Houck. 



PHYSICIANS.* 



John S. Jameson, J. W. Robinson, S. E. Shattuck, M. 

 J. Baker, C. S. Parkhill, S. F. Cridler, C. G. Hubbard, 

 Samuel Mitchell, H. C. Orcutt, W. E. Hathaway. 



LAWYERS.f 



The present lawyers of Hornellsville are Harlo Hakes, 

 Horace Bemis, James H. Stephens, Jr., William E. Bon- 

 ham, I. W. Near, C. W. Stephens, H. Holliday, Wm. C. 

 Bingham, D. L. Benton, Wesley Brown, R. L. Brundage, 

 John M. Finch, Rodney Dennis, J. E. B. Santee, D. M. 

 Page, C. F. Beard, Fay P. Rathbun, J. F. Wetmore, W. 

 W. Oxx, Henry N. Piatt. 



the HORNELL LIBRARY. 



This institution, as well as the building which it occupies, 

 is a credit to the growing and prosperous village of Hor- 

 nellsville. It occupies a capacious room in the Shattuck 

 Opera House, a building which would be an ornament to a 

 city of 20,000 population. Part of this fine building is 

 owned by the association, and affords ample and first-class 

 accommodations for the completion of the plan, as to cabi- 

 nets and collections of art, which the enterprising managers 

 have in view. The history of this library furnishes an 

 example of what may be accomplished in the interest of 

 literature and home culture by the united, energetic action 

 of a few earnest spirits. In the spring of 1868 seven 

 young men incorporated the Hornell Library Association. 

 They had neither money nor books, but they proposed to 

 get both, and to this end they procured and sustained a 

 course of lectures, a masquerade or two was indulged in, 

 festivals were held, and some money thus procured ; more 

 was secured by the issuing of life certificates. The first 

 books were bought June 1, 1868. Now Hornell Library 

 has on its shelves 6000 volumes. 



This library was the first village library established in 

 Western New York, and its remarkable success induced 

 other villages to follow the example thus set. It has main- 

 tained since its organization a successful lecture course, and 

 we find upon its records the names of many of the ablest 

 lecturers in the country, who have from time to time in- 

 structed and delighted large and appreciative audiences 

 under its auspices. During the first four years the average 

 increase of books was 1000 volumes a year. 



The association is composed of 34 persons who own life 

 certificates. They annually elect nine managers, a president, 

 vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. The first board of 



* See Medical Societies, in general history. 



t See Beiich and Bar of this county, in general history. 



