The normal school committee, visiting the towns that had expressed interest in hosting a normal school, arrived in Keene on February 20 and spent part of the following day touring Keene, inspecting the schools, and visiting possible locations for a normal school, being especially impressed by the ex-Governor Hale property.
Keene Evening Sentinel
February 21, 1907
Page 3
NORMAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Visits Keene and Looks Over Sites Available for School.
Entertained at Wentworth Club – driven About the City and Shown desirable Locations – Public School Buildings Inspected
The normal school committee of the house of representatives arrived in Keene last evening. The members of the committee were met by Messrs. A. W. Pressler and W. C. Hall of the board of education, and Alderman Faulkner and Councilmen Wright and Tiffin as representatives of the city councils. This committee, assisted by the mayor, looked after and entertained the visitors during their stay in the city.
Last evening the Wentworth Club threw open its clubrooms for the entertainment of the committee and the evening was spent socially, thus offering the citizens an opportunity to meet the legislators and explain the need of having a normal school in this city.
This morning, about nine o’clock, the visitors, together with the entertainment committee, took sleighs at the Cheshire House and drove about the city. The party drove down Main street as far as the pottery, thence back and out Elliot street to the schoolhouse. From here they drove up Water street to the Beech hill reservoir where a bird’s-eye view of the city was obtained, thence down Roxbury and out Lincoln street to the Lincoln school, returning via Roxbury street to the Square. They then drove up Washington street to the Washington and Franklin school buildings, where the visitors were given a chance to inspect both schoolhouses, thence returning by Washington and Vernon streets, the party drove by the high school building and thence passed up School street by the Tilden schoolhouse, to Court street and thence around the Five-Mile drive to West Keene. The route through West Keene covered Hastings avenue, Arch and West streets. The Symonds schoolhouse was examined by the party and the heating and ventilating plants were very interesting to them. Returning to the Square, the party was driven to the common council room where an informal meeting was held.
Chairman Toothaker of the committee asked several questions about the population of the city and the surrounding towns. He also wanted to know the number of teachers going out annually from this section. Mr. Toothaker said that he contended that Cheshire county furnished more teachers in proportion to its population and area than any similar section in the state. He also said that the committee desired definite knowledge concerning the lots and buildings offered for a normal school and also the cost to the state. Referring to the gift of any land he said that was a question for the individual cities to settle, what he wanted to know was the cost to the state if it should be decided to locate a school here.
Chairman Toothaker took this opportunity to thank the entertainment committee and the citizens of Keene for the kindness and hospitality shown him and the other members of the committee. On motion of Clement of Nashua the committee gave a rising vote of thanks to the city.
City Clerk Whitcomb answered Mr. Toothaker’s questions as far as possible, saying that the population of Keene was about 11,000 and that of Cheshire county about 31,300. It was the opinion that a normal school in Keene would benefit about 100,000 persons in Cheshire and surrounding counties. In speaking further Mr. Toothaker asked the number of graded schools in the city proper, Mr. Pressler stating that there were 32 of them.
Representative Madden, who is the author of the bid to locate a normal school in Keene said while he had investigated many sites and found several which seemed to him very well adapted for the school he had not made any definite inquiries as to the selling prices, but he was of the opinion that the cost of the lots could be easily obtained and the committee informed.
Chairman Toothaker said that his committee would not name any particular city or site for the school but they were looking over the ground with the idea of including in their report the essential features of the different locations. In Keene, the speaker said, the only necessary qualification was accessibility to the present schools. This city had not, like many places, any nuisances that would prevent the placing of a school anywhere in the city. He personally was very favorably impressed with the Ex-Governor Hale place as a suitable location, for in a city of this size a normal school should be as near the public schools and as handy as possible.
Alderman Hall spoke strongly in favor of Keene as the ideal place for a school of this kind and gave several excellent reasons. First, Keene is a healthy city and has a splendid water system and as good water as any city in the state. He explained fully the location of the several reservoirs that supply the drinking water. Second, the sanitary conditions of the city are of the best, and our Waring sewerage system helps to maintain these conditions. Third, the class of citizens found here is excellent, there being no tenement districts or dilapidated houses, but many people own their own houses and every house has plenty of ground, light and space. Fourth, the size of the city, it being large enough to secure the advantages of trade, lighting, good plays, excellent church and religious facilities such as are found in the larger cities and still being near the country so that country life is available.
Lawyer Madden called the committee’s attention to the fact that at present between 15 and 18 pupils from Cheshire and Sullivan counties are attending the normal school at Fitchburg and as they are obligated to teach two years in Massachusetts this state loses the benefit of their services. It was also brought out that a normal school at Keene would draw students from Vermont and Warwick and Northfield, Mass.
Mr. Clement of Nashua wished to call the attention of the citizens of Keene to the proposition that this normal school question has now resolved itself into a bidding match between the several cities that desire the school and that there was a chance for the city that made the best bid to get the prize. He said the committee, at this time, was seeking facts to present to the proper authorities
A. W. Pressler made a motion, which was carried, informing the state committee that Keene will furnish the state with as fine a site as can be offered by any city in the state. Mr. Pressler also called the attention of the committee to the fact that Keene will soon be a no-license city, an important point in her favor.
After the meeting was over the visitors paid a special visit to the Hale house and inspected it carefully inside. Returning to the Cheshire House, the party sat down to a complimentary dinner given the visitors and each member of the committee was presented a souvenir of views of Keene. They left on the 2:31 train for Concord.
The members of the normal school committee who visited Keene wee Messrs. Toothaker of Berlin, Blake of Plymouth, Clement of Nashua, Meader of Rochester, Raymond of Boscawen, Garland of Manchester, Thompson of Eaton, Adams of Marlborough, and Kohler of Manchester. Mr. Hillman of Pellman, who is interested in the normal school question, was also here.