Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, Mass.

Title

Hamilton School, corner of Albion and Lake Streets, circa 1894

Description

"Described as an ornament and credit to the Town, the Hamilton School was first occupied by students in 1884. The school alleviated some of the overcrowding of schools, but the Town was still faced with a shortage of primary school space even after the Town's first brick school house was built. As a result, other schools were built in 1892 (Lincoln), 1895 (Warren), 1896 (Greenwood), 1899 (Hurd), 1902 (Franklin), 1918 (Montrose), 1920 (Woodville), and 1924 (St. Joseph's). Plans for the four-room Hamilton school house began in earnest in March, 1883, when Town Meeting voted to appoint a five-member committee to research the purchase of land for the erection of a school house. The committee's report to build a school house for an approximate cost of $15,000 was approved by Town Meeting in May, 1883, with reconsideration of the vote denied at the June Town Meeting. At the same time, Town Meeting voted to move ahead with plans to buy land owned by Lucius Beebe and to name the new school house the 'Hamilton School Building' in honor of Samual K. Hamilton, Esq., Chairman of the School Committee. In addition to the School Committee, Samuel Hamilton also served as a member of the Board of Selectmen, Chairman of the Board of Library Trustees, Town Moderator, Town Counsel, and President of the Wakefield Water Company. He was a member of the Town's General Committee for the 250th celebration, as well as the celebration's sub-committee for Invitations Historical, Literary and Musical Exercises and for the study of a joint celebration between the towns of Wakefield, Reading and North Reading. His political aspirations led him to run unsuccessfully for Middlesex County District Attorney in 1883. The Hamilton School only served the Town until 1933, when enrollment numbers declined. The building was torn down to make room for a parking lot for Transitron (now Harvard Mills)." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.

Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 1998

Photo reprinted from the Proceedings of the 250th Anniversary of the Ancient Town of Redding.

Contributor

Institution: Lucius Beebe Memorial Library

Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department (Wakefield, Mass.)

D'Onofrio, Jayne M.

Coverage

Massachusetts--Middlesex (county)--Wakefield

Date

ca. 1894

Format

image/jpeg

Publisher

[Wakefield, Mass.] : Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department

Subject

School buildings

Hamilton School (Wakefield, Mass.)

Type

still image

Photographs

Original Format

1 picture : b&w

Extent

21 x 21 cm.