The earliest recorded school was the Mattisonia Grammar School,
which was established on July 23, 1767. An unrecorded deed, dated May
25, 1753, which is said to be in the possession of the Old Tennent
Church, states that Aaron Mattison of Freehold gave to the Trustees of
the Presbyterian Church of Monmouth County a plot of ground "for a
consideration of two shillings, six pence current lawful money of the
Province of New York." An original deed for a "great deal of land sold"
is recorded in the Courthouse in Freehold in Book of E of Deeds on page
55, and was apparently sold to Arrie Marteson by John Reid on November
25, 1707, for ten pounds four shillings. It adjoined land belonging to
Benjamin Allen and Captain Anderson known as Clear Brook, which ran
through a meadow near the church during the Revolution. John Reid had
purchased the land from the Indians on July 25, 1696. Some of this same
land came into the hands of David Rhea, John Henderson, and Samuel Ker,
together they gave the land for a consideration of one shilling to the
Trustees of the Presbyterian Church.
The site of the Mattisonia Grammar School
was somewhere in the vicinity of Old Tennent Church-probably on church
property. It is not known how long the school was in operation; however,
the Rev. Charles McKnight’s sons, Charles and Richard were educated
there. They, with others, from the area became prominent in the War for
Independence. Also noted was that Dr. Nathaniel Scudder, was one of the
three men responsible for the school. Dr. Scudder was born in Freehold
Township in 1733 and lived in Freehold most of his life. He was a
graduate of Princeton College in 1751. He later became one of the
trustees of the college. He became a physician and settled at Monmouth
Courthouse. It is said his house, which was of eighteenth century
architecture, stood where the Freehold Borough Municipal Building and
the Railroad Station are today. He was an ardent patriot, writing many
articles against the tyranny of England. He gave up his practice and
became a colonel in the First Regiment of Monmouth during the
Revolution. He was a member of the Legislature for several years, and in
1776 was speaker of the House. In 1777 he was chosen a member of
Congress. He designed the Articles of Confederation. In June, 1778,
during a short recess in Congress he came home and was present at the
Battle of Monmouth. He was shot in 1781 near Shrewsbury, while helping
General David Forman repel one of the many incursions by the enemy. He
was buried with honors in Old Tennent Churchyard.
During the same time period, there was another school that was announced
by Joseph Rue. It was called the Latin School and was held in the house
of Henry Perrine. It was advertised in Collins’ Gazette dated March 14,
1778, and was "where scholars can be accommodated in the best manner
and at the lowest expense."
It is also reported that there was an English and Classical School
taught by the Rev. Andrew Fowler, the rector of St. Peter’s Church.
However, additional information could not be found. The next reference
to a school at this time was known as the Old Log Schoolhouse.
It stood on the byroad (now Barkalow Avenue) leading from the main road
to the Old Baptist Cemetery, south of the mansion on the Covenhoven Farm
(Clinton House-Moreau Farmstead). General David Forman, of
Revolutionary War fame built the schoolhouse. He was also known as Black
David because of his swarthy stature and to distinguish him from
Sheriff David Forman. General Forman gave General George Washington one
of his own horses when Washington’s was shot from under him during the
Battle of Monmouth. This school was maintained by General Forman as a
select school for the education of his own children and neighbors who
chose to avail themselves of this privilege. It operated for many years.
Judge Charles A. Bennett attended it between 1825 and 1830 when it was
then the only public school in the vicinity of Freehold. Scholars from
Blue Ball (now Adelphia), Mounts Corners (now West Freehold), and other
neighborhoods also attended this school. The school has also been known
as the Ancient Baptist Burying Ground Schoolhouse.
In 1779 Ellis records show another school that was opened by Rev. John
Woodhull, pastor of Old Tennent Church. It was billed as a classical
school. This was the only school of its kind in this part of the state,
and became quite popular. Many important men were trained here. Garret
A. Hobart, 26th Vice President of the United States, S. Berien who later
became Attorney General of the United States; and George Ord,
biographer of the life of Alexander Wilson, the Ornithologist, attended
this school. Alexander Wilson was a friend of John A. Audubon and
published several volumes of his "American Ornithology" between
1766-1813. After Wilson’s death, his friend, George Ord, edited two
additional volumes of his works.
The Georgia Schoolhouse is one of two still
standing today. It is located on the corner of Georgia Road. and Jackson
Mill Road and is owned by Freehold Township and maintained by the
Freehold Township Historic Preservation Commission. The Georgia
Schoolhouse was originally located on 40 acres of land. The land was a
grant from King George III of England to the Board of Proprietors of
East New Jersey for education purposes. This area of Freehold Township
was known as ‘Georgia’ at that time. According to the late Andrew J.
Conover, Esq., a teacher for Freehold Township, the land was then deeded
by the Board of Proprietors of East New Jersey to James Parker on April
17, 1795, for the erection of a school for the inhabitants of Georgia.
There were two other school buildings that preceded the present
structure. The first school was erected about 1808, the second in 1842
the third in 1862 after a fire destroyed the structure. This building
was last used in 1935 as a full time school. Laura Southern Barkalow
Donovan taught special classes here until the 1950’s. Mrs. Donovan was a
student at the school starting in 1901. She finished her eighth grade
education here and advanced to Normal School to receive her teaching
certificate. She then returned to the school and remained it’s teacher
until 1935 when the school districts of Freehold Township were
consolidated and all teaching was done from the new West Freehold School
on Route 537.
The East Freehold School was built in 1843 on
Denise’s Corner on Dutch Lane Road. We now know this area as the East
Freehold and Dutch Lane Road intersection. The original schoolhouse was
moved across the street in 1843 and a second floor was added. It is now
privately owned. It accommodated 70 pupils. A second school was built
and was formerly known as the Dutch Lane school, it became known as the
East Freehold School in 1878. It served the population of the eastern
end of the Township. Most students that graduated from this school went
into teaching. The school had 50 different teachers and was closed in
1936.
The Paradise Grove School was built in 1825.
It was sometimes called the school at Clayton’s Corner. It is now owned
by the Township and houses the headquarters for Municipal Alliance. It
was located on the Strickland Farm at the intersection of Elton-Adelphia
and Jackson Mill Road (Clayton’s Corner).
Another school now vacated was The Out Lot on
the Hendrickson farm. The farm was located on the road leading from
Stillwells Corner to West Freehold. The year was 1850 and many
inhabitants of Freehold and their descendants were educated here.
In the same area of the Township was the Thompson’s Grove School,
which was located on the Burlington Path. Built in 1847 some of its
students were Miss Lydia Parker, Edmund Parker, Elizabeth and James A.
Parker. Mrs. Leslie McClurg, Mrs. Henry Hance, Mrs. William Lykes, Viola
Ely and Mrs. Edward McChesney. Teachers included William Mount, Julia
Nevius and a Mr. Carpenter.
The only other schoolhouse that still stands today is The West Freehold School.
Erected in 1847, it is located on Wemrock Road. The acre of land on
which it stands was originally part of the 143-acre Walker-Combs
Hartshorne farm. Ownership of the farm and land can be dates as par back
as 1686. In 1832 the chain of title came to Rulif R. Schanck. It is
written that Mr. Schanck conveyed one acre of his land for the school to
the Trustees, Samuel Conover, John H. Mount, and William N. Thompson
for a fee of $25.00. The original name of the school was The West Freehold Seminary and Collegiate Institute.
It was also called the Old Schanck School. The current and lasting name
was The West Freehold School. It was in continuous use from 1847 to
1936, when it was closed for the consolidation of the school districts
of Freehold Township.
There were eight school districts in the Township. They were:
• East Freehold District #6
• Freehold District #7
• Paradise District #8
• Georgia District #9 (later named Pleasant Grove)
• Siloam District #10
• West Freehold District #11
• Thompson’s Grove District #12
• Aumock District #13
We find evidence that these districts were educating approximately 500 students per year toward the end of the 1800’s.
Schools in New Jersey were all private until 1816 when legislation
establishing the "public" school concept was adopted. This legislation
directed the State Treasurer to invest $15,000 in United States bonds,
the income from which was to be used in furthering the cause of
education. By 1830 the school fund amounted to $228,611. The Legislature
then began to plan for a regular school system. It took until 1867 to
get the school system established.
Teachers were accepted by certificate of scholarship, signed by a
principal or committee of a school, leading man of a town or pastor of a
church. There was no formal examination given. About the year 1847
teaching licenses began to be granted by town superintendents of
education. The Superintendent for Monmouth County was Dr. Samuel
Lockwood. Teachers were engaged for one year. Their pay would depend
upon the number of pupils, and somewhat on the teacher’s popularity in
the town. They usually lived in someone’s home in the area. Their board
was $2.50 per week. Parent’s had to pay for each pupil depending on what
subjects were taken. In 1836 the cost of tuition would be from $2.00 up
to $6.50 per quarter. In the early days of education most girls
received very little education. There was a misconception by parents
that girls were incapable of "book learning." Instead they were taught
embroidery and home skills. This concept began to change by the
mid-1800. According to an article in the Red Bank Register dated June 4,
1914, the average cost of educating one pupil was $29.57.
As in all one-room schoolhouses, the teacher taught all eight grades.
Students’ ranged in age from four to twenty-five. As time went on even
night school was taught so that parents could benefit from education.
Subjects taught and used for grading purposes were:
• Time (attendance)
• Deportment (behavior)
• Spelling
• Defining
• Reading
• Penmanship
• Arithmetic
• Geography
• English Grammar
• Modern History
• Composition
• Algebra
• Natural Philosophy
• Botany
• Some schools also taught Latin and French
All subjects were used in the final grade for each student. Attendance
and deportment were a very important part of the student’s final grade.
However, in the attendance records there was a column labeled "weather"
for consideration of student’s attendance. Some students had to travel
miles to school and had no transportation. Therefore, if weather
conditions were too bad they would have been given special consideration
for their attendance or lack thereof. Also listed on attendance records
was the occupation of the father of each child. Some of these were,
shoemaker, farmer, laborer, wheelwright, blacksmith, shipbuilder, ship’s
carpenter, carpenter, seaman, butcher, innkeeper, druggist, and
harnessmaker.
Students went to school for the whole year. They were only allowed time
off to help with the harvest. The school year started in September and
ended in August of the following year. The children had to bring their
own books from home for studying until the public schools supplied some
materials. They used slates to write on, as paper was not supplied and
was not readily available until the twentieth century. Lessons were
written on the blackboards positioned around the classroom.
The classrooms were set up with the very young children sitting in front
of the classroom and the older students in the back. The older children
helped the teacher educate the younger ones. Spelling matches were
popular as were the repeating of mathematical and geographical tables.
The school day opened with a daily reading from the Bible and a prayer.
Every pupil was expected to have a Bible, and it was used for the first
reading exercise of the morning. One of the older boys were responsible
for starting a fire in the stove during cold weather. The boys carried
the wood in for the stove each day. They also fetched the water from a
neighbor’s house. The school day was eight hours long. The boys went
outside at recess while the girls remained inside doing embroidery or
cleaning.
At the end of their schooling, students were given a certificate,
similar to the diplomas issued today. If they wanted to continue their
education, they would go to a "Normal School," which was the equivalent
of high school and than on to college if they could afford it.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Recollections" by Rev. George W. Clark, D.D.-from Pamphlet File
"Schools" in Monmouth County Historical Association Library &
Archives
"Schools in Early Days" article from Red Bank Register-Aug. 5, 1903
"The Early Schools of Freehold, N.J. and Vicinity 1667-1928" written by Lillian Lauler Wilbur-c.1969 Schuyler Press
"A Century’s Progress in Educational Values in Freehold" lecture given
before the Woman’s Club (under the auspices of the Education Department.
of Freehold High School) by Lillian F. Lauler-March 15, 1944