The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-02-10
WAVERLY,

Born--To Mr.. and Mrs. Warren
Rhoades, daughter.
Hon N. c. Mackey, wife and son,
Robert, are at Harrisburg. They at
tended the reception given by Gov
ernor and Mrs. Hastings.
Born-To Mr.. and Mrs. Bert Spencer,
a son.
Mr.. and Mrs. George Perry enter
tained state president of the Patriotic
Order Sons of America A. j. Colborn
and Mr.. Henry II. Koehler, of Scranton,
at tea last Friday evening after the
exercises at the school.
Mrs. Lottie Thompson, of Elmira, is
visiting her parents, Mr.. and Mrs.
Charles E. Lee. at the Waverly House.
George E. Stevens is on a business
trip to Potter county.
The old Madison academy is no more.
but Phoenix-like in it's place has
arisen the handsome and well furnished
Waverly high school, which is second
to none for a place of the size of this
borough.
MADISON ACADEMY.
This institution was Incorporated by
the state Legislature in 1910. The first
board of trustees consisted of Rev.
John Miller, president; Leonard Batch
\
| ford, Thomas Smith, Lemuel Stone,
William Thompson and Nicholas Rey-
nolds. The building was erected in
| 1874 and cost the stockholders about
| So 000 The first principal was Rev. G..
| S. Bailey, the first preceptress was
| Miss Sarah Bunnell who afterward
| married the principal. Dr. Bailey had
| many successors, prominent among
| them was Professor II. d. Walker,
| under whom the school fourished and
was popular drawing its patronage from
| a large scope of territory. In 1875 the
| building was thoroughly remodeled and
repaired at a cost of 81, 800 and Pro-
| fessor Walker was recalled after an
| absence of twelve years, and again
took charge of the school, but it never
again regained it's former status, many
rival schools having been established
in this part of the state.
Since 1878 the Waverly Independent
school district was established, taking
in adjoining parts of North and South
Abingdon, and larger school accommo-
dations being needed, the academy
was leased to the public school board
for term of one year, and they held
possession under said lease during
twelve consecutive years.
Since the repairs in 1875, the fol-
| lowing have been trustees, elected ac-
cording to the charter: DR.. A. Bedford,
president; Norman Phelps, treasurer;
s. S. Kennedy, secretary, and John
Stone, N. c. Northup, William C. Hall,
NJ. w. Bliss and John G. Fell.
Most of these gentlemen being ad-
vanced in years and still retaining a
philantropic interest in the academy
| Iaciral tn 90
before they departed this life. Ac-
cordingly, this matter was discussed
in the board of trustees, and a prop
osition made to the Wavery school
board to pay the debts established
against the institution, amounting tc
about $3.50. and take a twenty years
lease of the building and lot CONSISTING
of one acre of land, originally the gift
of Elder John Miller. Portions of this
debt We're paid by the school bOarC
| from time to time, reducing the same
to $l4O and on September 6, $780, the
| surviving trustees, William G. Hall
| John G.. Fell, NJ. W. Bliss and S. S
| Kennedy, constituting a quorum ac.
cording to the charter, and in accord
ance with the will of the deceased
fathers, signed sealed and delivered
the lease; and Madison academy passed
into the possession of the WaverlN
school board for a term of twenty
years, on condition that the said boarC
should keep the building and premise!
in good repair and keep an insurance O
81, 200 on the building; said insurance
in case the building was burned, to b,
. used for the erection of public schoo
house in the borough of Waverly
School orders We're drawn on the treas
ury for the remaining balance of th
, debt of $14O and accepted by the cred
itors and Madison academy became tn
Wavery high school.
The foregoing events of half a cen
tury ago are important matters in tn
history of Waverly and vicinity, an,
the actors who brought them to pas
are gratefully remembered by tn
worthy and intelligent people of Abing
ton, who speak of them to their chill
dren and grandchildren as the grand
sires and benefactors who laid tn
foundations of our churches, schools
public highways and cemeteries, an
| from whom most of the best familie
| have inherited their lands with tn
| buildings upon them. The best place
| are where the best people live or hav
| lived and the community which pro
duced such men as Elder John Miller
| Jonathan Hall, Lemuel Stone, Deaco
| Jeffry Dean. DIR. A. Bedford, Deaco
Joseph b. Miller, Benjamin Kngh
and many others, is certainly a hghl
honorable community. "They rest fror
their labors and their works do folio,
| them"
. In 1895 the old academy was report
| ed to be unsafe, and the question c
erecting new school house was sprun
upon the district. The citizens by vot
requested that the new house shoul
be placed upon the site of the old acad
emy. The school law of Pennsylvani
would not allow the directors to bull
it on leased ground, and on June ., 1S9
the stockholders of the academy elect
ed a board of new trustees accordin
to the charter as follows: s. S. Ker
nedy. $. Bedford, E. G.. Carpenter, {
: w. Hall, l.. w. Stone, A. G. Smitl
Samuel Wheeling, W. r. Finch an
George Perry. on June the board
trustees was organized as follows
Bedford, president; S. S. Kennedy, SEE
retary C. w. Hail. treasurer; and II
following resolution was adopted:
Resolved, That the trustees of Mac
ison academy do sell to the school di
trict of Waverly borough the propert
known as the school house lot, for II
sum of one dollar.
a deed was properly executed. col
veying the said academy lot to the Wa
verify school district for the sum
one dollar and signed by S. S. Kel
nedy, S. Bedford, e. G., Carpenter,
w. Hail. l., w, Stone, w. r. Fine