The first school in town, of which we have any account, was taught by Joseph Grillingham. This was about 1815, and the building occupied as the schoolroom was located in the northwestern part of the town, now the site of the residence of Chris Straus. A. A. Hume attended this school, and from him we learn that one means of punishment resorted to by the master, Mr. Gillingham, was the dunce block, which he required the disobedient to mount and hold in his or her mouth a raccoon's tail. Another of the very early teachers was a Mr. Young, a New Englander. A school was taught in the old log court house by Samuel Huston, Samuel Harvey and Chester Alden. Mr. Huston was teaching school in the village as late as 1824, at which period school was held in a log schoolhouse that stood on the corner of Second and Union streets, now the site of A. Dunkin's residence. The building was subsequently replaced by a schoolhouse constructed of brick. A Mr. Williams taught in the log schoolliouse about the year 1825. This was the only schoolhouse in the village at the time, and it is said that the attendance was large. Mr. Williams was succeeded by John Warner and he by a Mr. Chestnut. Mr. Chestnut was followed by Abraham Simpson. In 1835, Peter Smith was teaching in this house. He is said to have been an earnest teacher and to have devoted much time to the cause of education. Later teachers were William Webb and Elias Lewis, the former having taught a number of years. Subsequently, a frame schoolhouse was built on the corner of Oak and Fourth streets. In 1848, James Jones taught in this house, and in 1849 and 1850 Peter Peetrey. The schools at this period were partly kept up by public money and partly by subscription. High street was the dividing line between the two schools, those residing south of this street generally attended the Union Street School and those living north of the street attended the Oak Street School. After the adoption of the Union school system by the citizens of London in 1852, the academy building, erected a few years previous to this date, was used in connection with the Union street building for the Union schools. We should have stated above that one of the early schools was held in the old Methodist Episcopal Church building.
London was organized as a single school district April 3, 1852, under what was known as the Akron school law. At a meeting of the qualified electors of the district, a vote was taken upon the adoption or rejection of the law in the district, which resulted in the vote standing fifty-nine for, to fifty-five against such law. On the l9th of the same month, the first election for Directors was held and resulted as follows: Dr. D. E. McMillen and A. F. Reed for one year each; John Jones and A. F. Freeman, two years each, and J. H. Merrill and A. A. Hume, for three years. A. A. Hume was elected President, and T. F. Freeman, Secretary. The first Board of School Examiners was appointed by the Board of Education May 3, 1852, and was as follows: R. A. Harrison, H. W. Smith and A. T. Reed. The records of that year show that William D. Hinkle, of Lebanon, Ohio, afterward one of the most noted educators of Ohio, agreed to act as Principal for $500 per year, but on the 21st of August, W. E. Pearce, of Oberlin. was employed for $450. The first annual session of the union schools commenced Monday, September 20, 1852, in the East Ward Schoolhouse and the academy. The following rate of tuition for non-resident pupils was decided upon for the year; in primary department, $2 for twelve weeks; in secondary department, $2.50 for twelve weeks; in high school, for English branches, $4 for twelve weeks, and $5 for the Latin and Greek languages. The school year was divided into three terms, the first beginning September 20 and ending December 21; the second term beginning January 3, 1853, to continue twelve weeks, and the third term commencing April 4 and closing June 24. September 20, the Board adopted Ray's arithmetic and algebra. James Sampson was the assistant male teacher for the first two terras of the year, when he resigned; salary, $30 per month. Miss J. E. Turner, of Urbana, was the assistant female teacher, at a salary of $165 per year. Among the teachers for the first few years of the London Public Schools, were Mrs. E. W. Cozzins, $200 per year; Miss E. C. Pease, $25 per month; Miss C. Chandler, $25 per month.
Mr. Pearce remained Principal of the schools until January, 1854, when he was succeeded by David Donaldson, whose salary was fixed at $35 per month. He only taught during the one term, when he was succeeded by William P. Gibson, whom the board employed, together with his wife, for one year of forty-four weeks for $900. In September, 1856, J. H. Drew and wife were likewise employed at the same rate for the ensuing year. They were again employed for the school year of 1857-58, at a salary of $900, but Mrs. Drew being unable to fill the engagement, the board employed Miss C. Clark, who assisted Mr. Drew, receiving $275 for the year, and Mr. Drew $625. In April, 1858, Mr. Drew resigned the position of Principal, and the unexpired term of the year was taught by C. W. Finley, at the same salary. Mr. Finley's successor, commencing in September, 1858, was John McGaffey, at $60 per month. His successor was John B. Lotspeich, who resigned the position in the spring of 1859. J. D. Stine was then elected Principal to serve for two months, a1 $65 per month, and $70 per month for the remainder of the year. Mr. Stine resigned November 4, 1863, and was succeeded by J. M. Thomas, at $600 per year. The Principal for the year 1864-65 was H. T. Wheeler, assisted by his wife, the salary paid the two being $1,200. They taught the following year, and were paid $1,500. The following items concerning the schools up to this time we give from the records of the Board of Education, thinking they may be of interest to some: In 1852, the schools were supplied with Holbrook's apparatus; the tax levied that year on the taxable property for the district for the carrying on of the schools, was three and three-quarter mills on the dollar. In September, 1853, the board decided to adopt Pineos grammar. In 1858. Cornell's geography was introduced to take the place of Colton and Fitch's, then in use; also McGuffey's reader, in place of the Normal reader. The tax levied for school purposes in 1853, was two and three-quarter mills on the dollar; in 1854, two and one-half mills; in 1855, two and three-quarter mills; in 1856, two and three-quarter mills; in 1857, two and one-half mills; in 1858, two and one-half mills; in 1859, two and one-half mills; in 1860, two and one-half mills; in 1801, two and one-quarter mills; in 1862, two and one-quarter mills; in 1864, fourteen mills.
During the year 1852, under the new system, numerous changes took place in the Board of Directors. Other than those named above, as elected August 19, 1852, the following-named gentlemen were on the board during that year: R. A. Harrison, James Smith, William Gould, J. Q. Lotspeich and John Rouse. In 1863, Dr. Coblentz and W. S. Shepherd, as members of the board, first agitated the subject of a new schoolhouse, and on the 4th of January, 1864, at a called public meeting, committees to procure a site and plan for building were appointed. Alter considerable marching and counter-marching on the part of the board, a contract for a building from a plan made by Anderson & Hanaford, of Cincinnati, was let to Edwin Bird on the last day of March, 1806, at $36,500. Of the members of the School Board who stuck by the people in their demand for the new schoolhouse. Dr. Coblentz and Jacob Peetrey are entitled to special mention for their services. As Secretary of the board, Mr. Peetrey was of invaluable service, and as Treasurer, Dr. Coblentz performed his duties faithfully and honestly. Their labors were free of charge. The site selected for the new school building was on Back street, where four acres of ground was purchased of Toland Jones for $1,500 in the spring of 1865, and during the following spring the present substantial and elegant sehoolhouse was in process of construction.
The building is of the Norman style of architecture, built of brick with stone basement, of four rooms, two of which are supplied with slow combustion monitor furnaces, the heat from which warms up the entire building; the other two rooms are for the children to play in during stormy weather. In the first and second stories are eight school-rooms capable of accommodating seventy-five scholars each. Every one of these rooms is 25x37 feet, with sixteen feet ceiling, and each is supplied with a cloak room with seventy-five hooks, speaking-trumpet, cold and hot-air registers, and upward and downward ventilators to purify rooms; while for light, each has four large windows, 12x4 feet. The Superintendent's room is in the second story, and here speaking-tubes from the different rooms concentrate, with an indicator on each. The third-story is devoted exclusively to the large hall for exhibitions, etc. This hall is 54x77 feet, with twenty-two foot ceiling; four hot and four cold registers, with proper facilities for carrying off foul air. The ceiling is beautifully frescoed, while plenty of light is furnished by the cluster of five windows on the east and west sides, and double windows at short intervals. The stage is 20x54 feet, and the hall will comfortably seat 800 people. There are two towers to the building, nineteen feet square and one hundred feet in height to the top of railing. These towers furnish the only entrance to the different stories, and from them a grand view of the surrounding country is obtained. The entire cost of the building was $50,000. The taxable property in the district was $100,000, and the population 2,000 persons. The dedication of the building took place on the evening of June 21, 1867, with an exhibition given by the school consisting of the opening by prayer, followed by singing, declamations, essays, etc., winding up with the fairy play of "Cinderella."
On the completion of the new building, the people decided to have a graded school. Although the schools had gradually assumed that form before, there was a lack of system and proper classification. At this time, a high school was established, and a course of study adopted, requiring three years for its completion, which, but with little change, was as follows:
Freshman Year—First Term—Latin, Grammar and Reader; Algebra; Arithmetic; Physical Geography; General History, elective.
Second Term—Latin, Grammar and Cæesar; Algebra; Botany, twice each week; Physical Geography, three times each week; General History, elective.
Third Term—Latin, Grammar and Cæsar; Algebra; Botany (pupils are expected to analyze one hundred plants); Natural Philosophy; General History, elective; Exercises in Composition and Declamation, weekly throughout the year: Biography; Course of Reading selected by the Superintendent.
Junior Year—First Term—Latin, Cæsar and Grammar; Algebra; Natural Philosophy; General History, elective.
Second Term—Latin, Cicero's Orations and Grammar; Geometry, English Literature; General History, elective Book-keeping, elective.
Third Term—Latin, Virgil's Æneid; Geometry; Chemistry; Natural History, elective; Literary Exercises, semi-monthly; Spelling and Reading once a week throughout the year; Course of Reading, selected by the Superintendent.
Senior Year—First Term—Latin, Virgil's Æneid; Geometry; Chemistry; Moral Science, elective. Second Term—Astronomy; Trigonometry and Mensuration; Arithmetic; Reading; Spelling.
Third Term—Astronomy; Geology; Grammar, English; Geography; Writing; Literary Exercises, semi-monthly; Course of Reading, selected by the Superintendent.
The above course, with some modifications, is pursued by the High School of 1882.
The Grammar Schools are divided into four grades, designated respectively. A, B, C and D Grammar Schools.
The Primary Department is divided into four grades, designated respectively, A, B, C and D Primary Schools, and each grade is subdivided into two divisions.
Pupils entering the public schools at six years of age can, therefore, with proper diligence, graduate from the High School at seventeen years of age.
The following named text-books are used in the schools: Appleton's Readers, McGuffey's Spellers, Harvey's Grammar, Harkness' Latin Grammar, Harkness' Introductory Latin Book, Harkness' Latin Reader, Harkness' Cæsar and Cicero, Eclectic Geographies, Cornell's Physical Geography, Alden's Citizen's Manual, Quackenboss' History, Lockyer's Astronomy, Steele's Physiology, Cooley's Chemistry, Wood's Botany and Plant Record, Steele's Geology, Hill's Rhetoric, Ray's Algebras, White's Arithmetics, Carter's History, Rolfe and Gillett's Philosophy, Davie's Legendre, Wayland's Moral Science, English Literature, Hooker's Natural History, Mayhew's Book Keeping, Payson Dunton & Scribner's Copy-books.
The first-class graduated at the London High School was in 1873. It was composed of Annie Burnley, Sallie Biddle, Alice Richmond, Jonas Bagnall and Peyton H. Acton. The last named gentleman completed the course of study in 1871, but was given a diploma with the class of 1873. Since that year, the number of graduates each year have been as follows: 1874, 6; 1875, 11; 1876, 10; 1877, 7; 1878,9; 1879, 11; 1880, 12; 1881,20; 1882,19.
At a meeting of the graduates, held May 14, 1875, the Alumni Association of the London Public Schools was organized with a membership of eleven, the first officers being Peyton Acton, President; Miss Sallie Riddle, Vice President; Miss Jennie Burnley, Secretary, and George Lilly, Treasurer.
A school for the colored children was organized in 1865, and has been maintained since that time. The school was opened in the building still standing near the Colored Baptist Church, on Fourth street, then occupied by that denomination as a place of worship. The school was conducted for three years by lady teachers. During the school years of 1869-70 and 1870-71, Squire J. A. Hume taught this school, at $60 per month. Mr. Hume was succeeded by the present incumbent, S. B. Norris. who took charge in the fall of 1871, and has since successfully conducted the school. His salary has ranged from $45 to $60 per month. In 1872, two lots were purchased by the Board of Education, located on Center street, of John Dungan, James Watson and others, for $530, and thereon was built a neat one-story brick schoolhouse for the use of the colored school, which has been carried on in the same since the completion of the building, in 1873.
The commodious High School building, heretofore described, in the course of a few years was not of sufficient size to accommodate the rapidly increasing numbers that daily flocked to its doors, and in 1874 a second building was erected on the same grounds for the use of the schools. The new building contains four rooms, each 28x30 feet, and is occupied by the primary department. The grounds around these buildings were set out with the beautiful shade trees now decorating them in the spring of 1868, by S. P. Davidson. The varieties were larch, Lombardy poplar, charter oak, savin, Norway spruce, Scotch pine, cedar, linden, sycamore, cypress, linn, mulberry, ash, wahoo, white walnut, dogwood, hackberry, red-bud, elm, sugar-tree, maple, willow, water beech, ironwood—whole number of trees, 215.
It was our purpose to show in a tabular statement the development and progress made in the schools of London from the year of its organization into a separate school district to the present time, but not being able to go back of 1864, we give from that date only the following table:
| 1864 | 1870 | 1882 | |
| Number of pupils enumerated | .... | 742 | 1198 |
| Number of pupils enrolled | 436 | 510 | 680 |
| Average daily attendance | 227 | 333 | 493 |
| Number of teachers | 7 | 9 | 13 |
| Number of school rooms | 5 | 8 | 13 |
| Number of grades | 7 | 8 | 11 |
| Number of weeks in session | 40 | 38 | 38 |
| Amount paid teachers | $2700 | $4653 | $7400 |
We append a list of the Superintendents since 1867. Mr. McClintock resigned February 1, 1872, on account of poor health, and Mr. Harford resigned November 1, 1875, for the same reason.
| Superintendents | Terms | Salary |
| Warren McClintock | 1867-68 | $1500 |
| Warren McClintock | 1868-69 | $1700 |
| Warren McClintock | 1869-70 | $1700 |
| Warren McClintock | 1870-71 | $1700 |
| Warren McClintock | 1871-72 | $1700 |
| D. T. Clover | 1871-72 | $1700 |
| D. T. Clover | 1872-73 | $1200 |
| W. M. Harford | 1873-74 | $1200 |
| W. M. Harford | 1874-75 | $1400 |
| W. M. Harford | 1875-76 | $1400 |
| E. J. Godfrey | 1875-76 | $1400 |
| E. J. Godfrey | 1876-77 | $1200 |
| John W. MacKinnon | 1877-78 | $1100 |
| John W. MacKinnon | 1878-79 | $1200 |
| John W. MacKinnon | 1879-80 | $1200 |
| John W. MacKinnon | 1880-81 | $1200 |
| John W. MacKinnon | 1881-82 | $1200 |
| John W. MacKinnon | 1882-83 | $1350 |
The present Board of Education is H. Toland, President; E. R. Watts, Secretary; Philip Speasmaker, Treasurer; S. W. Durflinger, R. R. Cowling and R. H. McCloud. The Board of Examiners is Jonathan Arnett, S. W. Durflinger and George E. Ross.
The London Academy was established by a stock company, incorporated by an act of the Legislature passed March 12, 1845. The academy building was erected the same year upon grounds deeded to the Trustees of the institution by Richard Cowling. The first Principal of the school was a Mr. Ross, assisted by Miss Sarah A. Norton. Among others who taught in this school, when it was known as an academy, as Principals or Assistants, were a Mr. Cooper, Dr. J. M. Christian and A. H. Guy. The tuition per quarter was for the primary branches, two dollars and a half; common branches, three dollars; higher branches, four dollars; mathematics and languages, five dollars. The institution did not pay, and when the union school system was adopted the board took possession of it. The building was transferred to Richard Cowling, who in 1868 sold it to Chris Soulke for $100. Mr. Soulke tore it down and erected with the timbers and frames several small dwellings.