Tucked away in the southern Catskills in the early 19th
century, there was a little village called Delhi. It was then and there
that the community decided that it was very necessary to start a school
district in town so that the youth in the area could get a plentiful
education without having to walk in several different directions.
America was not even one hundred years old, yet Delhi was growing old
and big enough to have a school. Land for the new school was escheated,
or ownership of the land reverted back to the state, as "original and
ultimate proprietor."
On April 12, 1819, the plan was passed
for the building to begin, and the first entry in the trustee's book was
recorded on February 28, 1820. The school dimensions were set at 40' by
25' by 22' and the cost of construction was $6,000, which, though not
much by today's standards, was a pretty penny back then. It was well
worth it. Under the direction of John A. Savage, A.B., principal, the
institution opened for scholars.
Latin, Greek, Astronomy,
Natural Philosophy, Natural History, Chemistry, and Mathematics were
taught for a fee of 37 and ½ cents per week per student, and the other
sciences were taught for 25 cents per week. Absence was not accepted,
hence there were no deductions if a student did not attend school the
entire week. Room and board were supplied for $1.25, which was necessary
for students not living in the village. Mr. Savage earned $300-350 per
year, and Miss Fuller, the main teacher of the school at the time,
earned $2.50 per week. Miss Wells was also employed by the school to aid
the teaching effort. Unlike today, vacations consisted of four weeks
starting in late May, two weeks in late August, two weeks in late
November, and two weeks in late February.
Between 1824 and
1836, there were seven different principals: Mr. Fenn, Thomas
Ferrington, Stephen C. Johnson, Robert Telford, W.J. Monthieth, Rev.
Orange Clark, and Ebenezer H. Cressey. For the next ten years, the Rev.
Daniel Shepard took the position of principal. Under his leadership, a
department was opened for young children in 1838, and, in 1840, a
department of common school teachers was started. In 1839, an excellent
teacher, who taught Spanish and his own native language of French, came
to Delaware Academy. He went by the name of Monsieur Laurent La Costa of
France. In 1841, an addition was authorized, and the school was well on
its way to expanding. A contract was made with builder Clinton Thompson
and trustees Adam K. Wheeler, Ebenezer Steele, and Anthony N. Paine. In
1857, there were four teachers at the Academy and 212 students.
By
1865, Rev. Silas Fitch had been principal for a year, and the faculty
had doubled since the school had first opened. Three hundred fifty-three
pupils were attending were now attending this learning institution.
What was known as the "gentleman's boarding hall," or "Academy Hall," to
Delhi residents consisted of a kitchen, dining room and laundry on the
first floor. The second floor or the main floor housed the principal's
family, administrative offices, and a reception parlor, with a
Chickering piano. The third floor was where the scholars resided. These
boys were divided up into two dormitory rooms. The building was heated
by a hot air furnace and had primitive plumbing, and only two or three
bathtubs. If a student were to stay up late studying, it was by the
light of an oil lamp.
In the 1880's, Delaware Academy had in
residence perhaps it's most famous teacher: the Honorable Charles Evans
Hughes. Hughes, who was working on his law degree while teaching at DA,
went on to become Associate Justice of The Supreme Court (1910-1916),
presidential nominee of the Republican party (1916), US Secretary of
State (1921-25), and Chief Justice of The Supreme Court (1930-1941).
Delaware
Academy was leased to the Board of Education of Union Free School
District number 16 on December 4, 1902, by the Regents of the University
on the State of New York in Albany. Part of the Delhi village's grammar
classes were taken to DA. The Academy became part of the public
education system of New York in 1910, under Professor Wood. DA was
officially given the name "Union Free School," but it continued to be
recognized by Delhi residents as "Delaware Academy." During this time, a
playful battle grew between the senior and junior classes with a
"capture the flag" game. One class hid a flag in the belfry and the
other class would have to retrieve it. At one point, however, the
seniors boarded up the door and the juniors chopped down the staircase,
which made the game no longer amusing but destructive. In 1914 $50,000
was needed to be raised to build a new school and $44,000 of it came
from a bid made in July, 1915. A yellow-brick was raised later that year
and it is believed to have been where the post office now stands.
On
November 11, 1918, the bell at what is now the State University of New
York-College at Delhi rang for 24 hours straight in honor of the end of
World War I. In 1919, the first Kalends was printed as a monthly update
of the school and was sold at one dollar for a years subscription of
fifteen cents a piece. Kalends was named by the class of 1920 and means
"the first of the month" or "calendar." Eventually, Kalends became the
yearbook as it is today. The monthly magazine was then given the name
"The Mountain Ear."
Hamilton J. Hewitt and Roland P. Wirths
strongly supported centralization, and, in 1936, it was passed.
Twenty-seven districts in Delhi, Hamden, Bovina, Meridith, Franklin, and
Kortright united. On the Board of Education for High School and Junior
High were Dr. G. P. Schlofer, Amasa J. Seamen, H. Kenneth Adair, and Dr.
W. M. Thomson. In September of 1936 seventh and eighth grades were
brought to DA from outlying districts. On March 25, 1937, three hundred
acres referred to the Sheldon property were purchased by the tax payers
for $15,000. On June 21, 1938, plans were presented in preparation for
construction on the recently bought Sheldon Plot. The total cost of the
school was $808,000, and the government contributed $304,335 toward the
cause. Under the guidance of architect A. F. Gilbert, landscaper Leonard
W. Wheeler and the Andrew Weston Company, demolition of the Sheldon
mansion began in August of 1938. On June 24, 1939, a ceremony was held
during which the cornerstone of the new school was laid in its spot. In
the cornerstone was placed a time capsule, which was a box that
contained several items, including a copy of Kalends, mementos from each
of the school districts in the area, photos of the Sheldon mansion,
photos of the original DA and progress photos of the new school and
pieces of wood from each of the schools that led up to it. The Delaware
Academy band opened, for 1,500 people, the first public event to be held
at DA. They gave a Spring Concert on Tuesday, May 28, 1940. They had
also won the national competition that was held that year. The first
official day of school was September 9, 1940. At that time, the athletic
field consisted of a playground and four tennis courts. A parking lot
was made to hold 250 cars. The building itself had 56 rooms downstairs
and 29 rooms upstairs.
Nineteen ninety-four marked not only the
175th anniversary of Delaware Academy but also 175 years of hard work,
maturation, respectability and pride. For fifty-eight years now, the
latest incarnation of Delaware Academy continues to grow. In fact, the
second 175 years of Delaware Academy will be getting off to an exciting
start with the addition of a middle school, renovations to the high
school and elementary school and the replacement of the A.L. Kellogg
School in Treadwell. DA has touched the lives of thousands of people and
will continue to do so with the support and guidance of the residents
of Delhi and its surrounding communities. We think it best to follow the
motto of an earlier graduating class-"Not in Number but in
Influence!"-and continue to promote the spirit of Delaware Academy. It
does not matter how small or large Delhi may be, it just matters that
the people of this little town can make a difference to somebody,
something, somewhere.
In 2003 and 2004 Delaware Academy received
a number of well needed renovations. The Delaware Academy building was
out fitted a number of upgrades. Some of the upgrade were all new
windows, electrical system, telephone system, PA System, network
infrastucture, heating & ventalation.