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Twigs and Branches
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County SeminaryThe consitution of 1816 of the State of Indiana, supplemented by a genral seminary law in 1824, provided for county seminaries. When Bloomfield was laid out as the new county seat in 1823, and platted into blocks and lots, as "Seminary Block" was set aside on the site of the present grade school building (1959), one block west of the public square.   The old County Seminary Building, completed in the mid 1840's, was a two-story structure 20 by 60 and contained two rooms down and two rooms up, separated by a long hall way from north to south. But was never used, so it is stated, as a County Seminary. It has been said that the building was and for a used for series of years was used as a residence by Ruel Learned and others, and as a Masonic Hall before and was not occupied continuously for the purpose until about the time the old brick schoolhouse of 1836 was disused, or perhaps two or three years before. It was used for school purposes in the early 1850's. The records show that in about 1854, or perhaps 1853, the Methodists of the town obtained control of the building, and established what became known as the "Bloomfield High School". Rev. M. Forbes, who, with one or two assistants, taught something of a denominational school. They set up a course of study to give them the stadning of an Academy. Printed circulars were struck to advertise the merits of the high school-really an academy. One or two other Principals had charge of the institution, one of them being Rev. Mr. Keith. In 1857, the building and grounds seem to have reverted to the county, as J. R. Baxter, in the autumn, became Principal of the school, with which event the denominational character terminated. About 1857 the ground reverted to the county at which time J. R. Baxter was placed in charge of three assistants. Among the subjects taught under Superintendent Baxter were geometery, highr mathematics, Latin and Greek. They kept the high school, or select high school, or academy-, up to the high state of excellence established by the Methodists. He commenced in his room with seventeen scholars, and ended with about thirty, each of his assistants having about the same number. A few students from abroad boarded in the town and attended. The following April, the school gave a public exhibition in the church, a large crowd being present. Declamations were delivered and compositions read, and a school paper was read by its editors, Emma Ritter and Eliza Vanslyke In 1863 Bloomfield bought the building and grounds and set it up to take care of its own school system. At this time, Mr. Edwards taught a district school in the town. Among the teachers who taught in the seminary building, before or after Baxter's school, were Henry Vanslyke, Anna Wines, Polly Lester, Mitchell Bond, Joseph Scott, Susan Cavins, one or more of the Cavins boys, Aseneth Downing, Ivan Eveleigh, Joseph Eveleigh and many others. Public money paid part ot the expense of these schools; this was true when Mr. Baxter taught, at least. This proves that the schools were not wholly select, but were, to a certain extent at least, open to the children of the Bloomfield district. The present brick building eas constructed about 1877 at a total cost, it is said of $8,000.  It is probable that a part of the old seminary building was incorporated in the newly-constructed building. |
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