Along with rapid population growth following the Civil War, Nyack’s educational system grew in leaps and bounds. Nyack’s weekly paper, with a hint of boosterism, stated 150 years ago that Nyack schools were among the very best in the state. The newspaper touted the fresh air in well-ventilated rooms, spacious grounds for exercise, clear wholesome water, experienced teachers of cultural refinement, and inclusion of all religious denominations.
However, education in Nyack was not limited to the public school system. During the 1870s, the town was home to two private colleges and several private elementary schools, which also played a significant role in local education.
A Brief History of Nyack Schools up to the 1870s
According to Rockland County historian Frank Green, the first school at Nyack, built in 1800, stood on Main Street near a reservoir on the Nyack Brook. Constructed of unhewn logs, with clay stuffed between the logs, the school contained seats and desks made from rough slabs taken from the nearby sawmill. The seats had no backs.
In 1806, the school moved to a new location on Broadway a few feet south of the post office then located a block north of where it stands today. The two-floor building burned down in 1827, and then rebuilt to a height of a single floor.
In 1837, the school moved to Depew Avenue near Liberty Street where it would remain until demolished in 1979 (classes ended at the school in the late 1960s). A new building on the site in 1851 became the core of what later became known as the Liberty Street School, first mentioned as such in a 1929 newspaper article.
Meanwhile, a group in Upper Nyack, organized School No. IX . Jacob Voorhis, George Green, and John T. Demarest became the first trustees. In 1845, William Palmer donated land for a new school building on the south side of Old Mountain Road a short distance east of Midland Avenue. N. G. Spencer, the first teacher, earned $25 quarterly. In 1884, the school moved to a new lot on north Broadway next to Highmount Avenue. The new Upper Nyack School opened in 1885 at the end of School Street.
Was school attendance compulsory?
Attendance was not compulsory at the public school until 1874. Wealthier families could afford tuition, however lower income families usually put children to work. In the early 1870s, the local Board of Education for Union District 4 (Nyack) of Orangetown reported that 638 pupil attended school handled by 11 teachers or 58 pupils per class. Nine foreign students were listed separately. School was in session for 43 weeks; however, average attendance was 355 per day, just slightly over half of the total student body. Truant students resulted in a loss of school revenue for the state paid $2.40 for each student in regular attendance.
In 1874, New York State passed its first compulsory education act that required every child between the ages of 8 and 14 to attend school at least 14 weeks a year, eight of which must be consecutive. Families could be fined $1for a first offense with subsequent penalties $5 each. Non-attendees could be sent to truant school, although the state law provided no budget for truancy officers. No business could hire children of this age during school hours.
Many opposed the act. An op-ed in the Rockland County Journal argued against enforcing the act because the act might be unconstitutional anyway. The newspaper argued against a mandate, instead, suggesting local schools provide their own attendance controls. The article mentioned that a larger school would be necessary with more students. If children were forced to private or parish schools, they would need to be funded by the state.
1870s Curriculum
The 1874 compulsory education act mandated that students learn reading, spelling, writing, English grammar, and arithmetic. History and geography supplemented the three “Rs”. Most students left school at 14, those who remained learned science, higher math, and possibly languages. Young students learned by performing memorization and recitation exercises as well as frequent copying.
Teachers
In 1872, the Nyack Public school principal was the popular H. W. Sherwood, He lasted two years, then went into the Baptist ministry. Miss Francis Parmenter served as Principal of the primary grades aided by Misses Matilda Osier, Ella Webster, and Addie Berthoff. The grammar department staffed by Misses Sheppey, Tozer, and Sprot hosted talks by Dr. Beecher on Cosmogony, or the origins of the world.
School personnel 150 years ago. Photos courtesy of the Nyack Library
Two years later, the school implemented the Normal School System first implemented in New York State in 1844 wherein specialized schools trained teachers. The method is simple, teachers learned the subjects they were to teach and the way it should be taught. The new Nyack School Principal, M. R. Cook, implemented a policy in which all teachers passed an exam at his hands ensuring efficiency and competency.
Miss Ellen Wilson handled the primary grades at West Nyack school (central Nyack in those days). The West Nyack school came under the same district as Nyack Public School. Some 120 West Nyack thus avoided a 1 mile or more walk to school.
Teacher’s Association
The Teacher’s Association, an organization of local teachers met regularly. In 1871, the group met at the Piermont school and listened to and discussed a class drill on reading by Isaac Borts. M. R. Clark demonstrated a lesson longitude and latitude. W. M. Peck demonstrated the ‘Baseball System’ for learning spelling.
Rockland Institute (formerly the Rockland Female Institute)
Nyack had two colleges in the 1870s. The Rockland Institute started by Albert Wells, former principal of the Newburgh Academy, and the Peekskill Academy, a military school for men, in 1876 replaced the Rockland Female Institute. The Rockland Female Institute, a boarding school for women, opened in 1856 in a large 4-story building along the Hudson River in South Nyack. The original plan was to follow in the footsteps of the Mount Holyoke Seminary, the first women’s college in America. Misfortune followed the school, and it closed its doors in 1874 due to poor real estate investments.
Albert Wells renamed the school the Rockland Institute. He hired Miss J. E. Johnson, the former principal of Wells College in Aurora, NY as principal. Noted Nyack composer and teacher, Grenville Wilson, who also taught at the Rockland Female Institute, ran the music department. The school lasted only a few years before it too closed.
The magnificent building served other purposes. During the summer months, it became a four-star resort hotel and in 1899 it became the Hudson River Military Academy run by Captain Joel Wilson.
Rockland College (formerly Rutherford College)
A second college, originally a Military Academy run by Christopher Rutherford in 1858 continued until Rutherford died in 1870. In 1876, W. H. Bannister re-opened the school as Rockland College. The coed school, located at the head (westernmost section) of Sickles Avenue across from Oak Hill Cemetery, contained a full business curriculum for men and arts for women.
The college lasted until the 1890s when it became Overlook Academy, a men’s college incorporated under the Regents of the University of New York. The school burned in a dramatic 1914 fire when the fire departments were impeded by heavy snowfall.
Nyack Home Institute
Nyack had numerous private schools over time. In the 1870s, Mr. & Mrs. D.P. Lee ran the Nyack Home Institute (later Lee’s Home Institute) on Clinton Street (now called Marion Street), between First and Third Avenues. The school was coed and had both boarding and day school privileges.
Haeselbarth School
Miss Mary E. Haeselbarth ran a day school for villagers known for the quiet healthfulness of its location at the home of William Haeselbarth, her father, located on the northeast corner of Sickles and Midland Avenues. The land was once a grove of hickories and oaks, many of which were left in the backyard, making an ideal playground for children. Miss Haeselbarth was known for her firm yet pleasant manner. She had about 20 students enrolled.
Frost Private Day School
A third private school open in the mid 1870s was run by Milton Frost, a graduate of Yale college and for several years head of the English and Classical department at Peekskill Military Academy. Frost opened a coed private day school in the former Clarendon Hotel on Piermont Avenue near Clinton Avenue. Students at all levels were taught English, math, philosophy, and classics as a thorough preparation for college.
Educational Groundwork for Future Generations
Nyack’s educational landscape 150 years ago was a dynamic mix of public and private institutions that reflected the community’s growth and values. While the town embraced new educational standards and compulsory attendance laws, it also faced challenges. The diverse range of schools—from the public Nyack School to private institutions like the Rockland Institute and Haeselbarth School—demonstrated a commitment to providing varied educational opportunities for all children. This period of educational evolution laid the groundwork for future generations.
Mike Hays lived in the Nyacks for 38-years. He worked for McGraw-Hill Education in New York City for many years. Hays serves as President of the Historical Society of the Nyacks, and Vice-President of the Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center. Married to Bernie Richey, he enjoys cycling and winters in Florida. You can follow him on Instagram as UpperNyackMike.
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by Sun River Health. Sun River Health is a network of 43 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) providing primary, dental, pediatric, OB-GYN, and behavioral health care to over 245,000 patients annually.
