SCHOOL HISTORY: 1877 Common School Report, Pittsburg, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives 02/19/2005 by Judy Banja & Linda Braund Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/ _______________________________________________ COMMON SCHOOLS OF PENNSYLVANIA REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 1, 1877 Harrisburg: Lane S. Hart, State Printer, 1878 ALLEGHENY COUNTY - James Dickson. Ex. Doc.] PITTSBURG. - George J. Luckey. 771 The early history of education in Pittsburg is almost entirely gathered from tradition. Those who wrote about Pittsburg, in the latter part of the eighteenth, and the first part of the nineteenth century, did not omit to speak of schools, and the interest which the people took in the education of their children; but, all their writings are singularly free from any specific account of the names, locations, and character of the schools, established prior to the passage of the common school law, in 1834. We find, however, that in 1777, the Legislature passed the following: "An act for the establishment of an academy or public school, in the town of Pittsburg. 772 PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. [No. 8, SECTION 1. WHEREAS, The education of youth ought to be a primary object of every government; And whereas, Any school or college, yet established, is greatly distant from the country west of the Allegheny mountains; And whereas, The town of Pittsburg is most central to that settlement, and accommodations for students can most conveniently be obtained in that town; Therefore, be it enacted, &c., SECTION 2. That there be erected in the town of Pittsburg, in the county of Westmoreland, an academy or school for the education of youth in useful arts, and sciences, and literature; the style, name, and title of which shall be "The Pittsburg Academy. " - Law Book III, page 167. It does not appear that a building was immediately erected, for while the Legislature had nominally endorsed the establishment of an academy, it provided no means for the erection of a building. We learn, however, from the same source, (Law Book III,) that the following gentlemen were appointed trustees of the proposed academy: Reverends Samuel Barr, James Finley, James Powers, John MacMillain, Joseph Smith, Matthew Henderson; General John Gibson; Colonels Priestly Nevil, William Butler, Stephen Bayard; James Ross, George Thompson, George Wallace, Edward Cook, John More, William Todd, David Bradford, Robert Galbraith, Alexander Fowler, Esquires; Doctors Nathaniel Bedford, Thomas Parker. On the 10th of September, 1787, the Legislature made a grant of five thousand acres of public lands, (which, tradition says, were located in the counties of Mercer, Butler, and Beaver,) for the benefit of the Pittsburg Academy; but, by the neglect of the trustees, nothing was ever realized from this grant. On the 16th of March, 1798, the Legislature appropriated the sum of $5,000, for the relief of the academy, making a condition that ten pupils should annually receive free instruction. It is evident from the above, that an institution by the name of the Pittsburg Academy had an existence, but what its character was is difficult now to determine. In 1819, the trustees of the academy obtained a new charter, changing the name Pittsburg Academy to "Western University of Pennsylvania." The board of trustees formally organized under the new charter, in 1822, and opened the first term in the old academy building, on the corner of Third avenue and Cherry alley, which they continued to occupy, until the erection of a new university building, on Third avenue, near Cherry alley, (date unknown.) The first faculty consisted of Reverend Robert Bruce, principal; Reverend John Black, Reverend E. P. Swift, Reverend Joseph McElroy, and Reverend Charles B. Maguire. The university building, on Third avenue, was burned in the great fire of April 10, 1845, and another was erected on Duquesne way, which was burned in 1849. These frequent disasters greatly discouraged the friends Ex. Doc.] PITTSBURG. 773 of the university, and, for a time, it was thought that the project of sustaining the university in Pittsburg would be abandoned, but, in 1854, a lot was secured at the corner of Ross and Diamond streets, upon which were erected the present university buildings. Through the aid of kind friends, prominent among whom is William Thaw, Esquire, of this city, the trustees have a considerable permanent revenue, and its future prosperity is assured. From the first settlement of Pittsburg, until the opening of the common schools, in 1834, many young men, from eastern colleges, found profitable employment here, in teaching private schools, and quite a number of our present business men came to our city, first as teachers. From the opening of the first public school, in 1834, until the present, private schools have been gradually disappearing from our midst, until few are left, except those supported by the church. In order to show the growth of our common schools, as compared with the growth of our city, I submit the following tables: Population of City. 1796, 1,390 1840, 38,931 1800, 1,565 1850, 46,001 1810, 4,768 1860, 49,217 1820, 7,248 1870, 121,215 1830, 16,988 1877, (estimated,) 135,000 Annual Enrolment. 1856, 6,724 1873, 20,283 1860, 7,608 1874, 21,009 1865, 8,743 1875, 20,483 1870 12,883 1876, 21,488 1871, 13,445 1817, (estimated,) 22,000 1872, 14,072 Prior to 1856, there was no report made of the enrolment in the city schools.