Carthage:
On the 3rd day of November, 1828, Eli West, Thomas Hastings, and Lewis Becker met as school commissioners at the house of the latter, for the purpose of dividing the town into school districts. Twelve districts were formed at this time, of which the village of Carthage ranked as No. 3. The schoolhouse, of stone, octagon in form, and furnished in the old orthodox style with "all around seats" in amphitheatre form, was situated on School Street about 12 rods from the junction with State Street, on the northeast side, and was built by Hodkins & Auburn.
Nearly contemporary with the building of the district schoolhouse, a private schoolhouse was taught by Mr. Arby Leonard in a small frame building that stood on State Street, just above the site of the former Elmhirst Hotel. This interesting old structure stood for many years on the corner of Spring and Water streets where it was occupied as a dwelling. It was moved twice.
Mr. Leonard was succeeded by Harrison Miller, who in 1842 erected an academy on the site later occupied by the high school and now covered by the Elks Club on Fulton Street. The building erected by Mr. Miller was known as the Carthage Academy, who occupied it for one year, succeeded by the Rev. Orin Wilbur who operated the school got two years. Then the property passed into the hands of the Mary, Harriett and Sarah Hooker, highly educated and accomplished ladies who ran a very successful school. After several other ownerships, the school was purchased by the trustees of the Union Free School.
A nice frame building with a gothic roof, spire and well lighted rooms took the place of the old stone schoolhouse in 1852, and continued to serve the district until the school population outgrew its capacity. In 1866, the population voted to become a Union Free School and also voted to purchase the Academy property for the consideration of $4,000.
The new school entered at once upon a career of prosperity, which continued up to the memorable 20th day of October, 1884 when the building was entirely consumed in the Great Carthage Fire. Rooms were secured in the Methodist Episcopal church and the Bones block on State Street and with a fortnight the children were gathered together and work was resumed. Plans for a school building were submitted and adopted at a meeting in June of 1885. The new building was fully completed and ready for occupancy September 13, 1885. The cost, including furniture, apparatus &c., was $29,000.1
taken from "History of Jefferson County," Hough, F. B.; "The Growth of a Century," Haddock, J. A.
