Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-07-14
Seven Modern Buildings Including the
High School Steps Taken for Another

Perth Amboy's public school sys-
tenn is one of the best in the State,
but judging from the meagre account
given by history of the foundation of
educational work in this city it would
seem that it had a hard struggle for
existence. In fact when the colony
was first established the colonists
were forbidden to keep any printing
press or allowed TO print any book or
pamphlet without especial leave and
license. This, it was explained,
was because "great inconvenience
might arise by the liberty of printing
in our said Province"
In 1865, in the minutes of the
vestry of st. Peters church is found
the first intimation of a school. The
Rev. Mr.. Mexican, the rector, in
formed that body that a school house
was Immediately necessary as the
Barracks, in which school was her
kept, could not be longer had without
hiring. The vestry approved the
plan and the first school house was
built somewhere near the intersection
of what is now Rector and Gordon
streets. The rector was the teacher.
Several school-masters followed
him, some holding sessions in private
houses. This continued until the
revolution. What followed for the
next twenty or thirty years after that
great struggle is not recorded and
there is no one living to tell about it.
AS the nation began to take roo and
grow. however, the educational system
began to grow and a public school
was established in what is now the
City Hall at City Hall Park and
Market street. There are many res
idents of Perth Amboy today who
tell of their school days spent in that
building. Many of them secured all
of their schooling there. 1t was large,
centrally located and adapted for
school purposes. This continued to
be used for a school house until 1871
when School No. / was built on State
street.
1t is with much humor that the old
er citizens tell of the building of
School No. 1. 1t caused a heated dis
cussion in the town at that time. The
principal objection was the location.
People thought the town authorities
were crazy to go "away out there in
the cealRtry' to build a school house.
roooe.,- xotiidrv 60 away out there,
they said. State street then, in 1871,
was a mere country road. All to the
westward we're broad fields and woods.
The authorities went ahead with the
school, however, and the structure
was built "away out in the country"
Today, with six school houses and a
HighSchool, No. fills but its own little
niche in the system. 1t has eleven
rooms, including the annexes, with a
teacher7 for each, and is the smallest
of the seven.
For a time private schools flour
ished here. They have now all passed
into history, however. Woodbridge
Hall, which for many years passed, has
been used as a tenement house, is sit,
uated in State street opposite St,
Stephens Polish Roman Catholic
church. When this school was at its
best,it was far out of town andwas con
sidered quite a walk down a longdus-
ty country road. Another private school
Of much prominence in its day was
E~agleswood. This was. a military
school and students attended from
many different places. The old
school building is 10Y a part of what
is known as the Pardee Works, for
the manufacturing of tile. The Par
dee Steel works occupy its spacious
campus.
Public School No. ?, was built in
the year 1888, in response to the