The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-04-05
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.


History Of the Public Schools.
Interesting Statistics, Etc.
Public schools we're frat established il
the city Of Wheeling about tWenty-si1
wears ago. Nearly twenty years prior tc
the organization Of West Virginia as 4
State d the Union, and while the territory
embraced in her limits yet constituted Z
part Of the "0ld Dominion" certain citi'
Iens Of Wheeling, prominent among whom
we're Morgan Nelson, james E. Wharton
and Thomas Johnston, Esqrs, resolved
upon a movement in favor Of a system Of
public schools in the city Of Wheeling
and Ohio county. A petition asking FOL
a special enactment in favor thereof was
extensively circulated and numeFously
signed, and Mr.. Wharton was sent To
Richmond with instructions to secure the
passage Of the Act, which had already
been framed by Mr.. Nelson.
WHEELING AND ONO COUNTY SCHOOL BILL
The movement met with very deter
mined opposition on the part Of citizens
who deemed the measure an uncalled for
innovation upon time-honOred usage, but
the efforts Of those in favor Of general
diffusion Of knowledge were finally
crowned with success. The Wheeling
and Ohio County School bill passed with
but immaterial modification.
A joint county and city Board OF Edu:
cation was organized under this Act, and
as rapidly a. circumstances would justify
school houses were built and schools
opened. The regulations applicable to
county schools could not be made TO APP
ply successfully to city graded schools,
however, and consequently succeeding
Legislature was requested to constitute
the city Of Wheeling an independent
school district. The prayer was granted,
and since February %, lS49, the date Of
the passage Of the act, or rather from the
eth day OF March, lS40, the time OF the
organization OF the first city Board Of
Education, Wheeling has carried on her
schools Independent Of the schools Of the
county or Of the State,
FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL.
The first public school in the city Of
Wheeling was opened in the Third Ward
on the ID day OF October, 1910, under the
principalship OF Mr.. A. j. Halle, and very
soon thereafter schools were organized in
the remaining four wards, with Messrs.
Arthur, Wallace, AEcKelvey and Nc
Mechen as principals, The first Wheel.
Ing Board Of Education, or Board Of
School Commissioners, us ii was then
styled, consisted OF the following gentle
men: First Ward, ThOs. johnson; Second
Ward, VIM. s. Wickham; Third Ward,
Morgan Nelson; Fourth Ward, Richard
W. Harding; Fifth Ward, Henry Echols.
PRIMITIVE SCHOOL HOUSES,
OF tho public school houses first built
in Wheeling but one remains-that OF the
Second Ward. There were five school
houses originally, one in each ward in the
city, each having two main school rooms,
one for boys and one for girls. At that
time Wheeling had population Of about
10000, and the average attendance in the
schools did not exceed 1000. About III.
teen years subsequent to the introduction
Of public schools, the city proper con-
tanned not exceeding $1,000 Inhabitants,
and at that time the enrolment in the
schools was only about 1900. The nc.
COmmodations proving inadeqate for the
number Of pupils IN attendance, additions
were, from time to time, made to several
Of the school buildings, although the nc.
tual number OF schools and school houses
continued the same until the organization
Of the schools under the existing plan, in
1856.
INTERESTING STATISTICS,
The following table willshOw the popu.
lation, enumeration Of the youth and
numbered different pupils enrolled In the
public schools In the years lS72-3-i:
POPULATION or THE cry.