Smyrna times., 1947-02-06
History Of Smyrna's Public Schools
Traced to 1904
Unique Forms Of Recreation

Free schools in Smyrna date
back almost 130 years, when the
first free school in town was OPEN
ed in a building on Commerce st.
now the residence of William H.
Kenworthey. 1t was started by
the young ladies of the town,
prominent among whom were Mrs.
Ann Spruance, and the Misses
Mary and Ann Patterson. It was
incorporated as the Female Union
Society on January %, 1918, its
object being to educate those who
were unable to pay the tuition at
the then popular private schools.
This institution was continued un-
til the adoption of the public
school system. When Kent Coun-
ty was divided into school districts
according to the act of 1929, Snyr-
ma formed that portion known as
Districts No. 3 and No. 5. Two
frame schoolhouses were erected,
No. being on North Street and
No. being on South Street, now
the site of the residence of Arthur
Noffett. At a later date District
No. " was created out of No. 8
and No. LOT out of No. 5. In 1854,
the frame structure on South st.
was supplanted by a two story
brick schoolhouse much better
adapted to meet the increasing de-
mand upon education, caused by
the rapidly passing popularity of
the private schools.
The school life in those days
would be unrecognizable to the
students of today. John w. Ly-
cett, one of the principles of the
old school reports conditions as
follows: I'm the winter of 1861,
shortly after leaving Pennington
Seminary, I received the appoint
ment as principal of the school in
Essstr;ct No. 5 of Kent County, Del
aware, which school was the larger
one of two in Smyrna. My previ-
GUS experience in teaching had
been confined to short terms in
New Jersey towns, at intervals
during attendance at the Seminary,
so the responsibility of an educa-
tional institution as large as the
Smyrna school then seemed to me
to be, was assumed not without
trepidation. However, I entered
upon my labors with high spirits
and a surplus of hope. At that
time the railroad did not enter the
town, but the traveller had to leave
the train some little distance away,
and an old-fashioned stagecoach,
under the charge of sociable
driver, conveyed him to his destin-
alton. Being young, enjoying ex-
ercise, and moreover, not blessed
with an overabundance of worldly
goods, I took the road, with a few
belongings under my arm and so
made my first appearance in Smyr-
ma sometime previous to receiving
the appointment. The town was
a prosperous business center of a
rich farming and fruit raising dis
trict, and the inhabitants were
mostly well-to-do, intelligent, soci-
BILE and lavishly hospitable.
The schoolhouse was two-story
brick building, situated on South
Street and the senior class of which
I had charge, occupied the second
floor. The lower story contained
the younger pupils, under the i'm
mediate care of young lady
whose name 1 am unable to recall.
In those days each teacher strictly
attended to the charges under his
or her care without much interfer-
ence from the other. When the
youngsters had completed the
course of study on the ground
floor they were marched upstairs
and given into the charge of the
teacher there.
With the enthusiasm of youth we
had high ideals and graded the
pupils into as many grades as was
possible, outlined regular pro-
gram to be followed and formulat-
ed a set of rules for their conduct.
One of the penalties inflicted for
the infraction of a rule was copy
ing of the entire set a given num-
Der of times, and many youth
had the regulation indelibly i'm
pressed upon his memory in this
manner. Let us hope to his lasting
benefit. Some of the rules, which
numbered twenty, are as follows. !.
Scholars will studiously avoid
making any noise with their books,
states, feet, tables, chairs or any
thing else.