Smyrna times., 1929-01-02
NEW EPISCOPAL INSTITUTION
Will Be Erected on the COmegys Farm
Two Miles From MiddletOwn


Two Miles From MiddletOwn
A boarding school for boys to cost
more than $500,000 and to be admins
tered by the Delaware Church School
Association which has applied for a
state charter, will 6e constructed on
the Comegys Farm about two miles
from Middletown. The farm compris-
es $50 acres and has been purchased as
a site for the school by A. Felix du-
Pont. 1t lies between Noxentown and
Silver Lakes and is half mile from
the DUPONT Highway. It has not been
definitely determined what the exact
cost of the school will be. Mr.. dupont
purchased the farm for $4,000. 1t is
estimated the buildings will cost about
a half million dollars. A similar
amount will probably be set aside as
an endowment for the school. Caleb
S. Layton is the legal advisor of Mr..
dupont in the project. The Delaware
Church School Association will be in
corporated by Allen Henry, Walter j.
Laird, and the Rt. Rev. Philip Cook,
Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal
Diocese of Delaware. The school will
be constructed and endowed by Mr.du-
Pont according to an announcement
made by the charter committee. Mr..
DUPONT is vice president of the du-
Pont Company, a vestryman of st.
Johns Episcopal Church, and lives at
eaton" on the Kennett Pike. The
following statement was issued by the
committee:
"More than a year ago Mr.. A.Felix
DUPONT made known to a few friends
his desire to building and endow a
church boarding school for boys in .he
Diocese of Delaware. This matter was
informally discussed among them for
some time and impetus given to the
plan by discussion of it with the head
masters of Church schools at the time
of the General Convention of the
Episcopal Church meeting in Wash
iDgton. All of those consulted ex-
pressed the conviction that there was
the greatest demand for a moderate
price church boarding school for boys
in this section of the East. There are
very few, if any, such schools between
New England and Maryland, and Del
aware appeared to them as a very
suitable and central point for such a
school.
"MrT Theodore N. Denslow, formerly
head master Of Donaldson School,near
Baltimore, had been secured to make a
careful survey Of possible sites and
stury of methods prevailing in Church
schools in the East. He visited prac-
tically every part of the State for a
situation and the Comegys Farm on
Noxentown Lake seemed to offer just
the location desired. 1t is within easy
riding distance Of Wilmington, but has
all the advantages of the country. 1t
borders Noxentown Lake and includes
a point of land extending out into the
lake, with high banks and command
ing view, sufficiently large for the To-
cation of the different buildings.
There are many trees along the lake
and the landscape altogether pleasing
The lake offers opportunity for water
sports for fall, winter and spring. The
open portion of the farm offers abun-
dant space for an athletic field It
lies within easy distance of two high
ways, about a mile from the dupont
Highway. The farm is large enough
to provide all the land necessary for
future developments. Having reached
this decision, Mr. DUPONT took steps
to purchase the property at once.
Very few schools the country over have
a location with as many apparent adj
vantages as this seems to offer. The
committee feels certain it can secure
the services of a head master and fac
ulty which will make this one of the
outstanding schools of the country
and attract students from every sec
ton. While there is no intent to re-
strict the membership to boys of the
Episcopal Church, nor from families
of the Episcopal Church, The purpose
of the school is frankly that of main
tanning one in which the religious ele-
ment in education will be emphasized
and the teaching SO directed as to
train and influence the student body
to become egcient in Christian service
William r CurriS of itfIa Croaly