Nomination for Howe School

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form OMB No. 1024-0018 RECEIVED 2280 APR 3 0 2002 MAT REATIONAL PARK SERVG PLACES 634 This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in How to Complete the National 1. Name of Property historic name Howe School other names/site number Howe High School, Old Howe School 2. Location street & number. 390 Boston Road city or town. Billerica - vicinity state Massachusetts _ code MA county Middlesex 3.

State/Federal Agency Certification -_ not for publication _ code_017 _ zip code_01821 April 25, 2002 Signature of certifying official/Title Brona Simon Massachusetts Historical Commission, Deputy State Histric Preservation Officer State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property - meets does not meet the National Register criteria. ( See continuation sheet for additional Comments.) Signature of certifying official/Title Date State or Federal agency and bureau 4. National Park Service Certification 1, hereby certify that this property is: V entered in the National Register - See continuation sheet determined eligible for the National Register - See continuation sheet - determined not eligible for the National Register - removed from the National Register - other (explain): Signature of the Keepe rattaik Anduus Date of Action 6/11/2002 Howe Schoo Name of Property 5.

Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply) - private x public-local - public-State - public-Federal (Check only one box) x building(s) _ district _ site - structure - object _Middlesex, Massachusetts County and State Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Contributing Noncontributing 1 buildings _ sites _ structures _ objects Total (Ener WA of prepeaty i not par lr propl yropery ising ) n/a 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Education: school 1 Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Recreation & Culture: museum Commerce/Trade: warehouse Z.

Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Greek Revival/Italianate Materials (Enter categories from instructions) foundation granite walls brick roof slate other Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) See 7 of continuation sheets. NPS Form 10-900a (Rev. 10-90) Jnited States Department of the Interio Vational Park Service OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Howe School Billerica (Middlesex), MA Section number 7 Page1 The Howe School is a two-story Greek Revival brick building on the east side of Boston Road, north of the Billeric jommon. Built in 1852 with land and money donated from the estate of Dr. Zadok Howe, it has served the town' educational needs for a century.

Except for changes to chimneys, fencing, landscape, and the addition of a rear fire escape, the school has seen only a limited amount of exterior alteration since 1852. (See Figures 2 and 4.) The section where the school is located remains relatively residential. Diagonally across the street is another former public high school, Howe High School. Built in 1914, it is currently used as the BillericaTown Hall. The present Billerica Memorial High School is behind the Town Hall, with access from Boston Road. To the south is a retirement community called Danforth Village, built in 1995. To the north and across the street are large 19*-century single-family homes. The Old Howe School stands in the middle of its lot with paved driveways both to the north and south of the building, ending in a parking lot at the bottom of an incline. The rectangular building is approximately 62' x 40'.

The foundation consists of large rectangular granite blocks with basement openings on the north and south facades, and solid granite on both sides of the front entrance on the west façade. On the east, there is brick to the ground except for one large granite block as a door sill. Basement openings originally consisted of four rectangular-paned wood windows with granite lintels (Photo 1) The north and south facades are identical with common bond brick with two stories of five symmetrical bays with 12/12 wood windows. Ten windows on the top floor of both facades have been replaced recently to replicate the previously existing windows. (Photos 1 and 2) It is doubtful that those replaced windows would have been original, but there were 12/12 windows in the Hazen History of Billerica (1883) photograph (Figure 2).

Lintels and sills are brownstone on the west, north, and south facades, and granite on the east façade. The top story window lintels are part of a brick frieze that rises to a dentiled cornice that continues under the eaves around the building. (Photo 3) The east façade or rear of the building shows the full four stories, basement to attic. The one attic window is currently boarded up and the remaining four windows are the same dimensions as the north and south windows. The rear window sash has been altered and all have different configurations. A metal fire escape has been installed beginning at the upper left hand window. It blocks what was once an exit from the basement and this exit has been bricked in. At the northeast corner a second door opening with a granite lintel and sill remains functional, although it now has a replacement door.

The dentiled brick cornice and frieze continues around the building under the open gable and creates returns to give the effect of an open pediment. The major change to this elevation has been the addition of an exterior brick chimney that Soeaks lope of the roor: f i mposilble po feil f) The Hazern photo i/ there were a so ws wroi nneys hine norinaçade.J The west façade is the main entrance to the building. Raised brickwork creates four pilasters across the front, with the brick on each side of the entrance continuing past second floor windows through the entablature to create an arch over the attic window. Second floor paired windows and the attic window are arched with raised arched hooded lintels on all three windows. This decorative element of arched and hooded windows along with the dentils is a feature of Italianate architecture.

A brick fascia and dentils complete the entablature. Under the windows is a two piece granite band with the words "Howe School" engraved into it. (Photo 4) (continued) NPS Form 10-900a (Rev. 10-90) Jnited States Department of the Interio Vational Park Service OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Howe School Billerica (Middlesex), MA Section number 7 Page 2 The front entrance has had the most changes. Three granite steps still lead to the front entrance and the original rownstone still surrounds the entry in a traditional Greek Revival style, though it is deteriorating.

All that remains of the current dor has ave- paned sidelents and an tree paned ate 20% Centu.y ovestibule has been paneled and the The entry original slate roof remains slate, although it has been replaced in kind due to general failure and the patching and puncturing needed for the various ventilation systems to be installed throughout the building's history. Currently, there is one chimney on the center peak toward the front of the building and a metal vent toward the back. (Photo 1) This metal vent appears in the Hazen photo of the school (Figure 2) and in the graduation photo (Figure 4), and could possibly be the original Emerson ejecting ventilator. The interior was not spared from alterations as the exterior has been. The first floor, now housing the Billerica Food Pantry, was not available to photograph except from outside the glass door.

Plywood paneling, dropped ceilings, recessed lighting, and interior drywall were added when the building housed the Superintendent of Schools. This is still evident in the food pantry. Originally, there were two sets of stairs to the second floor. The one on the south remains, while the one on the north has been cut off and blocked in on the second floor. The remaining staircase has elaborate turned spindles with a railing and newels at every turn of the stairs. It remains unpainted. The stairs are well worn but are original. Along the walls is painted tongue-in-groove wainscoting. (Photo 5) Two right turns on the stairway conclude at the arched windows facing Boston Road. Decorative arched wood moldings frame the windows.

A wall and doorway between the windows separates the hallway into two rooms (separate boys and girls entrances), with remnants of coat hooks still evident on the walls. The paneling from the stairwell is continued into the hallway. What had once been the main classroom on the second floor has been divided into one large room on the south side and three smaller rooms on the north. The walls of one of the small rooms have been decorated with pictures and artifacts of old schools. The other two small rooms are used for storage, and the larger room contains artifacts and papers that will be used in the Billerica Museum. Remnants from the occupancy of the Superintendent of Schools include dropped-panel ceiling lights and plywood paneling over original plaster and wainscoting.

However, some original elements remain such as window and door moldings, coat hooks, an air vent cover and wood flooring. The window moldings are very wide on the right and left sides of every window to allow for interior shutters. Once opened, the shutters would be turned outward to rest against the moldings. These interior shutters no longer exist. The attic staircase is unfinished, although the walls have been plastered to the top of the staircase. The attic walls have the west-facing arched attic window. The roof rests on three 2" x 6" cross beams which have been placed into north and south-running horizontal wood plank walls. Each plank is approximately six inches wide by six feet long, and both north and south walls run the length of the building. Two square beams are notched into the cross beams and run east/west approximately one foot above the plank walls.

Trusses are 2" × 4"'s and span the roof at twelve foot intervals. They are mitered at the peaks, and hold up (continued) NPS Form 10-900a (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Howe School Billerica (Middlesex), MA 7 Page3 the horizontal wood plank roof. The trusses slope to the top of the brickwork on the north and south facades of the building, which is the attic floor. The two interior plank walls appear to be free-standing and are probably original since theersize, shape, and color match the wood of the inside of the roof. The floo of the attic is also wood, with boards of Access to the basement is provided by two staircases on the opposite ends of the first floor front hallway.

In the center of the basement is a wall of horizontal planking and stud beams similar to the ones in the attic. This wall and beams surround four painted granite pillars, and appear to support the first floor. The inside of the foundation is painted brick and dry-laid fieldstone. The ceiling is plaster over lath. No cross beams are evident. On the north and south sides are bricked spaces with cast- iron doors, evidence of previous heating systems, possibly connected to the earlier chimneys. The basement was originally used as a toilet facility for students, and some stall sections remain. Asking a teacher permission to "go to the basement" was a common euphemism for using the bathroom in New England schools until at least the middle of the 20th Century. A temporary heating system of propane was recently installed due to the failure of the last furnace.

Pipes were placed through the wall on the north façade, but the bricks will be replaced when a more permanent system is installed. The Howe School, at first glance, is a remarkable example of mid-19th Century Greek Revival architecture, virtually intact since 1852. This is evident from its symmetrical facades, rectangular massing, gable entrance, pilasters, lintels and sills, cornice, and entablature. However, on closer examination, signs of the coming importance of Italianate design is visible in the decorative dentils, arched and hooded windows with wrought-iron balustrade (now removed), and the raised brick arch over the third story window. While the interior has suffered more alterations than the exterior of the building, most changes have been cosmetic and can be reversed, by removing plywood, dropped acoustic ceilings, and room divisions of dry-wall.

The Howe School has been an important piece of the architectural character of Billerica since 1852. Archaeological Description While no ancient Native American sites are located on the school property, sites may be present. Four sites are recorded in the general area (within one mile) in a variety of environmental settings including riverine, stream and the periphery of wooded wetlands. Environmental characteristics of the property represent some locational criteria (slope, soil drainage, distance to wetlands) that are favorable indicators for ancient sites. The property is well drained with a level to moderately sloping surface. The nearest wetlands, however, are located over 1000 feet from the school property. The Concord River, a tributary of the Merrimack River lies approximately one-half mile west of the school.

Given the above information, the size of the parcel (approximately one acre) and impacts related to school construction and paving, the potential for locating archaeological resources on the school property, either prehistoric or historic is low. No historic landuse has been identified for the school property prior to construction of the school building in 1852. (end) NPS Form 10-900a (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Howe School Billerica (Middlesex), MA Section number 8 Page1 The Howe School, originally Howe Academy, built in 1852 on Boston Road in Billerica, Massachusetts, is a two-story late Greek Revival brick school house with some Italianate features.

It is a rare brick Greek Revival school house with an unaltered exterior condition, and has had a long, and continuing history as an educational facility. Beginning with a generous bequest in Dr. Zadok Howe's will of May 1851 for a young men's college-preparatory academy to its present use as a food pantry, it has had a prominent place in Billerica life. As the future home for the Billerica Museum, it will continue to remain central to the community. Billerica, Massachusetts, in the early 19th Century was primarily a farming community, northwest of Boston. Originally larger than its present size, sections of Billerica were used to form parts of the towns of Bedford, Wilmington, Carlisle, and Tewksbury.' By this time, the town already had a distinguished history due to its citizens' participation in the conflict for independence from England.

Most Massachusetts towns in the first decades of the 19th Century divided themselves into small school districts, with each district erecting its own school building. An example is the neighboring town of Carlisle, which was divided into six school districts. Between 1818-1840, five of the districts got a new school. According to town historian, Henry Hazen, Billerica nad squadrons previous to the district system. The town eventually took over all school management from the districts "seeking more harmonious and efficient management."3 It appears that early "public" school buildings were more functional than comfortable for students and teachers. Very few of these early buildings have survived because they were small and simply constructed. Early Private Schools in Billerica The Howe School was not the first private academy in Billerica.

The first was Pemberton Academy, established by the distinguished first principal of Phillips Academy in Andover, Mr. Pemberton, teacher to James Madison and Aaron Burr. For both boys and girls, the Academy survived for 14 years, sending many young men to Harvard and distinguished A second private school was established by Bernard Whitman and his sister Bathsheba. In 1820, it became Billerica Academy with many distinguished trustees including Dr. Zadok Howe. However, "it lacked the pecuniary foundation needful for permanence and its career closed in 1836."5 Reverend Mr. Stearns ran the third private school in Billerica. His classes were conducted in the vestry of the Congregational Church where he was pastor. ® As with most early school buildings and instructional sites, none of these buildings had the physical permanence and monetary backing that the Howe School would have.

(continued) 'Hazen, Reverend Henry. History of Billerica 1653-1883. Boston: A. Williams and Co., The Corner Bookstore 1883. Reprinted by Howard A. Doyle, Cambridge, MA 02139. 1973. pp. 217-225. 2 Bull, Sidney A. History of the Town of Carlisle. The Murray Publishing Company, Cambridge, MA 1920. pp. 55-57. 3 Hazen, p. 256 * Hazen, p. 257 5 Hazen, p. 257. 6 Hazen, p. 258 NPS Form 10-900a (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No.1024-0018 Howe School Billerica (Middlesex), MA Section number _ 8 Page 2 Dr. Howe and His Vision Dr. Zadok Howe (1777-1851) came to live in Billerica in 1816. He was born in Bolton, Connecticut to Zadok and Rachel Howe, who also had two other sons and a daughter.

After an apprenticeship as a watchmaker, he attended Dartmouth College, earning a medical degree in 1809. Records show he started practicing medicine in 1802, before he graduated By the time he moved to Billerica in 1816, he had had 14 years of medical experience from previous practices in Concord New Hampshire and Franklin, Massachusetts By all accounts, Dr. Howe was respected far and wide for sound judgement and surgical skills, and for articles in many medical publications. He held positions of responsibility with medical societies, such as the Presidency of the Massachusetts Medical Society in 1847.

His last will and testament designated the use of the "Everett" lot (which he had purchased for this purpose) and the appointment of six trustees "for an academy for the education of youth...The school is not intended for the admission of small children, but for instruction in the higher branches of English education and such other studies as are required of young men preparatory to entering College." During the first trustees meeting, a second paper of Dr. Howe's was read to those present, stating "I hope that the Trustees before proceeding to build, will procure an accurate plan of the school house from a scientific Architect... I should prefer the taste of a good Architect to that of any board of Trustees... In as much as it is desirable the building should be an ornament to the village.

I should apply to the Boston School Committee to recommend a suitable architect for the purpose and abide by his taste."? Frederick Emerson The man from the Boston School Committee who became the consultant was Frederick Emerson (1789 - 1857) Emerson was from the branch of the Massachusetts Emerson family who emigrated to Ipswich from Lincolnshire, England. Over five generations the family moved from Ipswich, to Haverhill, to Hampstead, New Hampshire where Frederick was born on November 28, 1789. The Hampstead Emersons, one of three original founding families, were very prosperous, running a cider and corn mill and a spring for medicinal water. Frederick does not appear to have attended college, but he taught school and was a member of the Boston School Committee from Ward 5.

He was also noted for writing "The North American Arithmetic" textbooks, and for the invention of a ventilation system specific to the needs of schools. Public school education had been a hotly debated subject in Boston and most of Massachusetts since the 1830's. One early issue was the education of free blacks. It was through the efforts of Emerson and Alderman Samuel Eliot that the City Council designated funds for a new school building for free blacks "not far from the African Church" ® One city in Massachusetts that installed Emerson's ventilating systems was nearby Lowell. The 23rd Annual School (continued) T "Billerica". Magazine published in Billerica, August 1914, "Life of Dr. Zadok Howe". 8 Schultz, Stanley K. The Cultural Factory: Boston Public Schools 1789 - 1860. Oxford University Press, 1973. P 169. NPS Form 10-900a (Rev.

10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Howe School Billerica (Middlesex), MA Section number 8 Page 3 Committee Report for 1848 discussed "the continual improvements that are made in the mode of warming (school) uses, and the increased importance which is attached to having a pure atmosphere to breathe... Emerson's ventilat as been put up in all (school) houses that have been erected during the year and also in several older buildings Known today as the Father of Public Education, Horace Mann was quite a controversial figure by the 1840s. His new ideas stressed first engaging a child's interest, and then getting him to do his work.

He believed in kindness over discipline.1° When he became the Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education, he fired the more traditional schoolmasters, one of whom was Frederick Emerson. Emerson held a grudge which only worsened when Mann refused to continue use of the "North American Arithmetic" texts in the schools. Emerson charged that Mann had previously promised his endorsement and the disagreement continued into the House of Representatives.2 By the 1850s, Frederick Emerson, from a prominent New Hampshire family, was a member of the Boston School Committee, involved in educating free blacks, a textbook author, a former school master, and was publicly involved with Horace Mann. Additionally, as the inventor of a school ventilation system, he was a likely choice as consultant for the proposed Howe Academy.

Henry Barnard and School Architecture In School Architecture; Contributions to the Improvement of School Houses in the U. S.. Henry Barnard wrote: "to make an edifice good for school purposes, it should be built for children at school, and their teachers, for children differing in age, sex, size, and studies, and therefore requiring different accommodations; for children engaged sometimes in study and sometimes in recitation; and at all times supplied with pure air to breathe; for children to occupy it in the hot days of summer and the cold days of winter ..."13 Barnard included the ventilation system of Frederick Emerson in his book. In his plan, Emerson used two ventilators - an Ejector and an Injector - one to withdraw impure air and the other to introduce fresh air.

"These ventilators are not dependent on a vane, but perform their office without changing position." Each injecting ventilator was mounted on a tube, or ventiduct, which went through the building roof into the room below, and into the furnace. Cold air coming in would warm before entering the room. The ejecting ventiduct was across the room from the stove and went from ceiling to floor. It had openings at each end for air to get out. The ejector could function by itself, but Emerson recommended using both parts of his system. According to Barnard, "he enforces his views on this point by refusing to allow his ventilators to be put upon any school house that is not by some means supplied with fresh warm air."14 (continued) 9 "23rd Annual Report of the School Committee of the City of Lowell", Year Ending 12-31-1848. Lowell: James Atkinson, City Printer, 1848. p. 12. 10 Katz, Michael.

The Irony of Early School Reform: Education Innovations in Mid-19th Century Massachusetts. Beacon Press, Boston 1968. p. 140. 1' Schultz, p. 147. 12 Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston 02215. Correspondence between Loren Norcross and Horace Mann concerning Frederick Emerson and the Boston School Committee, March 1846. 13 Barnard, Henry, LLD. Superintendent of Schools in Connecticut. School Architecture; or Contributions to the Improvement of School Houses in the U.S. Cincinnati: Publisher H. W. Derby & Co.. New York: J. C. Derby, 8 Park Place. Boston: Phillips, Sampson & Co. 6th Edition. 1854. p. 7. 14 Barnard. p. 144. Howe School Name of Property 8. Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) x A Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. - B Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. x C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. -D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) Property is: _A owned by religious institution or used for religious purposes. _ B removed from its original location.

_ C a birthplace or grave. _ D a cemetery. _ E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. _ F a commemorative property. Middlesex, Massachusetts County and State Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions) Education Period of Significance 1852 - 1952 Significant Dates 1852. Dedication of building 1891 Became town high school 1896 Interior altered Significant Person (Complete if Criterion B is marked above) n/a Cultural Affiliation N/a Architect/Builder Bean, Daniel G _G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years. Narrative Statement of Significance (Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) See continuation sheet 8.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) See continuation sheet 9 Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data: - preliminary determination of individual listing (36 xState Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested - Other State agency - previously listed in the National Register - Federal agency - previously determined eligible by the National - Local government Register - University - designated a National Historic Landmark - Other _ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey Name of repository: # - recorded by Historic American Engineering Record #. NPS Form 10-900a (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 Howe School Billerica (Middlesex), MA Section number 8 Page4 Barnard was interested in more than ventilation systems for schools. His book included details of what buildings should look like - from desk details to what trees to plant in the school yard. One of his examples of a floor plan for an intermediate school has separate staircases for girls and boys with closets under the stairs. There is still evidence of this layout in the Howe School today. While none of the engravings in his book are copied exactly in the Howe School, Barnard's Example #4 is strikingly similar (see Figure 1).15 While no plans exist proving that the Howe School used Emerson's ventilation system, a photo of the school from Hazen's History of Billerica (see Figure 2) shows part of an exhaust system behind the left chimney that resembles Emerson's ejecting ventilator (see Figure 3).

The most important issue addressed by early educational reform in regard to the Howe School had become how school architecture could affect children and their ability to learn. There were two visible and vocal education advocates in New England. One, again, was Horace Mann, who in his 1846 Report from the Secretary of Education wrote "In 1837, not one third part of the Public school-houses in Massachusetts would have been considered tenantable by any decent family, out of the poor house, or in it." 16 The other was Henry Barnard whose book on school architecture was so widely used it went through six editions from 1841 to 1854.

He became concerned with school architecture because "go where he would in city or country, he encountered the district school-house, standing in disgraceful contrast with every other structure designed for public or domestic use." Barnard's book describes problems in various states, then addresses how to solve some of the problems. Mann wrote in the Introduction to School Architecture that he (Barnard) "embodied the result of much observation, experience and reflection, in a manner so systematic and practical as to meet the wants of all who may have occasion to superintend the erection, alteration, or furnishing of school houses."18 By the third edition of School Architecture in 1848, Barnard republished his original essays and was able to add plans and descriptions of school houses actually built under his direction in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts.

Also included were numerous furnace and ventilation systems, including the one invented by Frederick Emerson, "which is acquiring very general use in that city (Boston) and its vicinity."19 Emerson died on April 26, 1857 in Boston from consumption. It is interesting to speculate that his concern for breathing pure air was a direct result of his own illness. Greek Revival Schools in Massachusetts Throughout the 1830s, 40s, and 50s, education and school buildings became topics of great importance in Massachusetts, spurred on by men like Henry Barnard and Horace Mann. Just as the need for schools grew in Billerica, other Massachusetts towns also began building schools as populations expanded. Greek Revival architecture, popular in the eastern United States at this time, became a style easily adaptable as school buildings.

While many of these school buildings no longer exist, many of them were respected in their communities and remain today in various incarnations. The Massachusetts Historical Commission inventory lists 47 existing Greek Revival school houses. Many of these are not brick, others are smaller than two full stories. A few were built as town halls but became schools. Some have been altered beyond recognition. (continued) 15 Barnard, pp. 238 - 239. 1 Barnard. p. 16. 1 Barnard, p. 7. 18 Barnard, p. 6. 19 Barnard, p. 144. NPS Form 10-900a (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Howe School Billerica (Middlesex), MA Section number 8 Page_5 Of 43 files that were examined, four schools stand out as being of similar quality and massing as the Howe School.

The first one is in Haverhill, built in 1856 by Joseph R. Richards. It is built into a hill, and the slope has the building start at the Revivd story and expanding to three. It has detaling that mixes ltalianate and Romanesque elements with Greek The second building is in Shirley. It is brick, 2 1/2 stories with a gable-end entry with brick dentils and brackets, and was built in 1855.?' The third building, in Shrewsbury, is brick, 2 stories, built in 1830. It has entrances on both the gable end and the side, with brick pilasters, a recessed entry and a defined entablature.? The fourth school is in Lowell. Built in 1848, it is the Colburn School, designed by architect Jacob Graves. The entrance is on the long side, but it has brick dentils in the entablature, a circular window and recessed rectangular panels ?

The Howe School is not the only existing 19th Century two story brick school building in Massachusetts. However, it remains in a condition unlike most other schools - unaltered. Its detail is not unique, yet it is a striking building in its design making it significant architecturally. Building the Howe School The architect selected to design the Howe Academy was Daniel G. Bean of Lowell24 Little information is available about D. G. Bean. Born in 1808 in Solon, Maine, by 1851, he had an architectural practice in an office on Fletcher Street in Lowell. He designed the J. C. Ayres Building in Lowell in 1852, and by 1853, his practice had moved to 48 Central Street in Lowell into offices previously occupied by prominent Lowell architect James Rand. There were no other city directory listings for him, and the Massachusetts American Institute of Architects has no information about him.

Bean died on July 17, 1863 of phlebitis, in Lowell. 25 The Building Committee of the Howe School consisted of Billerica Selectman William H. Odiorne (executor of Howe's will), G. H. Whitman, and James R. Faulkner - three of the seven trustees of the school. Although the Trustees of the Howe School organization still function, with new members appointed as needed, no correspondence is known to exis etween Emerson or Bean and the Trustees which would shed light on how Bean and Emerson were selected. Frederic Emerson was probably chosen by the trustees due to his visible activities in Massachusetts as an educator and ventilator inventor. As for Daniel Bean, he might have been known by a wealthy Billerica citizen, Joshua Bennett, through a connection with the J. C. Ayres Building in Lowell, but this could not be verified. Records do exist to confirm that work began on June 17.

1851 with blastina and lavina of the foundation bv Beniamin Heald. a resident of Billerica and future Selectman26 , and construction by Mr. Brackett, a contractor.? (continued) 20 Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey File HVR.253. 21 MHC Survey File SRL. 198. 22 MHC Survey File SRW.2. 23 MHC Survey File LOW.1222. 24 Billerica Magazine, August 1914. 25 Lowell Sun, "Obituary for D. G. Bean", July 18, 1863. 26 Hazen, p. 307. 27 Billerica Magazine, August 1914. NPS Form 10-900a (Rev.

10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No.1024-0018 Howe School Billerica (Middlesex), MA Section number 8 Page_6 As the school was being built, trustees were incorporated, by-laws were adopted, and regulations were written: "applicants must be 12 years old, and have two certificates, one of vaccination and the other of'moral and orderly behavior.' Preparation was required in "writing, reading, arithmetic, orthography, grammar, including parsing, and some progress in elementary geography."28 The Howe School Opens On May 31,1852, exercises were held for the dedication of the Howe School, with prayers, songs, addresses, and the reading of Dr. Howe's will. When classes began, there were 52 pupils, more girls than boys, enrolled under principal William C.

Grant and his assistant Elizabeth Rogers.?9 It is now believed that Dr. Howe did not anticipate the desire by girls to continue their education when he specified in his will that the school be for boys. At the end of every school year, medals and awards were given out for special efforts and a party or "social levee" took place after the presentations. In 1866, the first formal graduation took place, with three students. By 1872 there were 634 students, 365 girls, 269 boys. Figure 4 is an undated photo, probably from the 1870's, showing both male and female graduates and teachers. "Of the fifty state academies, this is the eighth best endowed, and nearly free ($2.00 room charge). Neighboring towns are deeply interested in its standing and advantages. Bequests for their children amount to $33,000.

Several families combining might by turns, transport scholars, saving board and affording healthful recreation, or board can be had near the seminary. The parents are earnestly desired to keep their sons and daughters, continuously at the academy three years to complete the course of A directory compiled in 1897 lists all graduates, their birth, marriages, occupations, and deaths where available Students came from all over Massachusetts and a few neighboring states, just as Dr. Howe had envisioned. Many of these students became respected citizens of their towns, and many of the girls became teachers in the growing Billerica school system. 31 One of these graduates was Charles Kolrausch, Class of 1862. He was a state legislator from 1891-97, a town selectman for five years, and spent 36 years as the town meeting moderator.

His brother Matthew, class of 1877, was involved in the family woolen mill. He invented and patented a scouring and fulling machine. Other graduates include Moses Parker, Class of 1856 who went on the Harvard and medical school in Vienna and France. He was a surgeon in the Civil War and later became one of the Howe School trustees. Annie M. Page, Class of 1866, was assistant principal of the school from 1871-75. Joseph Talbot, Class of 1884, was part of the Talbot Mill family from North Billerica, where he (continued) 29 Billerica Magazine, October 1914. 30 3rd Catalogue of Howe School, Billerica, Massachusetts with the Dedicatory Address delivered May 31st 1852. Lowell Massachusetts: Stone & Huse, 21 Central Street, Book Printers, 1872. p. 28. 31 Catalogue of the Officers and Students of the Howe High School of Billerica, Massachusetts. Jones, Albert M., Principal. June 1897. pp. 36-65.

NPS Form 10-900a (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No.1024-0018 Howe School Billerica (Middlesex), MA Section number 8 Page7 served as Treasurer and assistant superintendent of the company. John Elliott Bowman went on to Boston University School of Theology and became a Congregational minister. He is responsible for compiling the definitive list of burials in the Billerica Cemetery (1686 - 1898) still used by the New Hampshire Genealogical and Historical Society in Concord and finding the oldest headstone, of John Rogers (1686). The Howe School continued privately until 1891. That year, the State Legislature enacted special legislation (Chapter 246, Acts 1891) requiring towns with family size above a prescribed number to provide a free High School program.

Billerica could be exempted if the Howe Trustees allowed town children to attend without tuition. This was done, with the Trustees maintaining direction of the school until 1897. At that time, the Howe School became Howe High School. By the early decades of the 20th Century, it became obvious that the Howe High School was too small to remain the town high school and the new Howe High School was erected diagonally across Boston Road from the old school and dedicated on December 8, 1916. Although the Trustees are still active, the building now remains in the hands of the Town of Billerica. After this time (1916), the old Howe School building met whatever need the town had for grade school space. For example, for many years it housed only the 5th grade students. Eventually, it held offices for the Superintendent of Schools.

Today, the first floor of the school building houses the Billerica Food Pantry. When a suitable relocation site is made available to them, the Billerica Museum Committee will restore the building as a museum of the school and the town. Its importance lies also in how this building is a piece of the fabric that makes up the history of education in Massachusetts. The influences of Henry Barnard and Frederick Emerson, men at the vanguard of combining health and education with school design, resulted in a country school that was exceedingly modern for its time. The Howe School today represents the combination of a 19 century school building in its original form with its future use as a museum, reflecting the changing educational needs of the citizens of Billerica. (end) NPS Form 10-900a (Rev.

10-90) United States Department of the Interio National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Howe School Billerica (Middlesex), MA Section number 9 Page 1 9 - BIBLIOGRAPHY Barnard, Henry. Commissioner of Public Schools in Rhode Island. School Architecture; or Contributions to the Improvement of School Houses in the U. S. New York: A. A. Barnes & Co., Cincinnati: H. W. Derby & Co. 3rd Edition. 1849. Barnard, Henry, LLD. Superintendent of Schools in Connecticut. School Architecture; or Contributions to the Improvement of School Houses in the U.S. Cincinnati: Publisher H. W. Derby & Co.. New York: J. C. Derby, 8 Park Place. Boston: Phillips, Sampson & Co. 6th Edition. 1854. "Billerica". Magazine published in Billerica, July 1914, August 1914, October 1914 "Life of Dr. Zadok Howe" Blake, Mortimer. History of the Town of Franklin.

Published by committee of the town, 1879. Brown, Abram English. History of Bedford. Published by author: Bedford, MA 1890 Bull, Sidney A. History of the Town of Carlisle. The Murray Publishing Company, Cambridge, MA 1920. Catalogue of the Officers and Students of the Howe High School of Billerica, Massachusetts. Jones, Albert M., Principal. June 1897. Chandler, Seth. History of Shirley - Early Settlement to 1882. Published by author, 1883. Emerson, Frederick. "Communication to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences". Boston: Charles Stimpson, 106 Washington Street, 1848. Emerson, Frederick. The North American Arithmetic, Part First for Young Readers. Philadelphia: Hogan & Thompson, Hazen, Repineted by HowaistA. DoBel Craa 1ri6ge MA 02039. 1 97 Wiliams and Co., The Corner Bookstore 1883. Inglis, Alexander James, PhD. The Rise of the High School in Massachusetts.

Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City, 1911. James, Jane Emerson. The Haverhill Emersons. Revised and extended from the original composition by Reverend Charles Henry Pope. Copyright 1983. Katz, Michael. The Irony of Early School Reform: Education Innovations in Mid-19th Century Massachusetts. Beacon Press, Boston 1968. Lowell City Directories. Editor, George Adams. Lowell: Oliver March, Merrill & Straw, Boston: Damrell and Moore Printers, 1849, 1851, 1853, 1855, 1859 (continued) NPS Form 10-900a (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No.1024-0018 Howe School Billerica (Middlesex), MA Section number 9 Page2 Lowell Registry of Deeds, Book 18, Page 271, 1848. Lowell Sun, "Obituary for D. G. Bean", July 18, 1863.

Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston 02215. Correspondence between Loren Norcross and Horace Mann concerning Frederick Emerson and the Boston School Committee, March 1846. McMullen, Edith Nye.Inthe Cause of True Educationby Henry Bernard & 19th Century School Reform. Yale Press, New Haven & London. 1991. Noyes, Henrietta Elizabeth. History of the Congregational Church of Hampstead, New Hampshire, 1752 - 1902. Boston, Massachusetts, George B. Read, 4 Park Street, 1903. Noyes, Henrietta Elizabeth. Memorial History of Hampstead, New Hampshire, Volume 1. Boston, Massachusetts, George B. Read, 4 Park Street, 1899. Schultz, Stanley K. The Cultural Factory: Boston Public Schools 1789 - 1860. Oxford University Press, 1973. rd Cataloque of Howe School, Billerica. Massachusetts with the Dedicatorv Address delivered Mav 31st 1852. Lowel /assachusetts: Stone & Huse.

21 Central Street. Book Printers. 1872 Tilden, William S. History of the Town of Medfield 1650 - 1886. George H. Ellis, publisher, Boston 1887. "23rd Annual Report of the School Committee of the City of Lowell", Year Ending December 31, 1848. Lowell: James Atkinson, City Printer, 1848. Two Hundredth Anniversary of Hampstead, New Hampshire, printed by Rush-H-Service 1949, Plaistow, New Hampshire. (end) Howe School Name of Property 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property - ca. one acre, Middlesex, Massachusetts County and State TM References See continuation she lace additional UTM references on a continuation she 1.19 313620 4714460 Zone Easting Northing 3. Zone Easting 2. 4. Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting -See continuation sheet Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) See 10A of continuation sheets.

Boundary Justification See 10B of continuation sheets. (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) 11. Form Prepared By name/title_Debra D. Fex, consultant, with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC organization Massachusetts Historical Commission street & number 220 Morrissey Blvd _ date April, 2002 telephone 617-727-8470 city or town. Boston _ stateMA _ zip code_02125 Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: Continuation Sheets Northing Northing USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's locatio sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resource Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property.

Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) - Assessors Maps (2) Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name Town of Billerica street & number _ 365 Boston Road _ telephone - 978-671-0942 city or town Billerica state MA _ zip code 01821 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate prnperties for iting er detereine tiniitis forisfirege to litp rapt, iss, ad ded (e u.s.c. 47 stnes. Response to this request is required to obtain a Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form.

Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.0. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503.NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) NPS Form 10-900a (Rev. 10-90) Jnited States Department of the Interio Vational Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 10 Page 1 OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 Howe School Billerica (Middlesex), MA Verbal Boundary Description' A parcel of land situated in Billerica aforesaid on the east side of the main street leading from said Everett dwelling house, to the house of William Blanchard, containing one acre more or less bounded as follows, viz beginning at the stake by the wall two rods and one foot from the north side of said Everett's old barn, thence running in a northerly direction by said wall eight rods to a stake, thence easterly twenty rods to a stake and stones, thence westerly twenty rods to the bounds first mentioned The parcel is shown on the current Billirica assessors map as plate 51, lot 24 See attached Billerica assessors map for year ending 1997, revised 7.1.98: plate 51, parcel 24 10B - Boundary Justification The boundary description includes the entire lot on which the building now stands.

(end) PHOTOGRAPHS and figures Photographer: Debra D. Fox, October 1999 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Looking northeast, west and south facades Looking west, north facade Looking west, east façade Interior, first floor stairway Looking east, west façade Figure 1 Howe school and graduates, undated Figure 2 from Henry Hazen's History of Billerica "Emerson's Ventilator," from Barnard, School Architecture 'Lowell Registry of Deeds, Book 18, Page 271, 1848. Fiqure 1 Howe School 8 oradvate. HOWE SCHOOL. Fiqure 2 Erom Hen HIsT. -azen f BilleiLa Howe 5choo FIGURE 1. FIGURE 2. Ejecting Ventilator. Injecting Ventilator. A. B. C. Chilson's Furnace. The Boston School Stove. Emerson's Ejector. Cold or fresh air ducts. Warmed air ducts. Impure air ducts. Smoke flues. The letters on the plans correspond to those in the section. d. Cold air ducts. Smoke flues Elevation of Verstiducte.

3 Emevson's" Ventlator from Barnard, School Arch 3rd.ED (NPS Form 10-900- United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number - Page OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 SUPPLEMENTARY LISTING RECORD NRIS Reference Number: 02000634 Date Listed: June 11, 2002 Property Name: Howe School County: Middlesex State: Massachusetts none Multiple Name This property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places in accordance with the attached nomination documentation subject to the following exceptions, exclusions, or amendments, notwithstanding the National Park Service certification included in the nomination documentation.

Patuick Andus Signature of the Keeper June 11,2002 Date of Action Amended Items in Nomination: Section 8: Statement of Significance The property was nominated under criteria A and C but only education was listed as an area of significance. "Architecture" is hereby added as an area of significance to accurately reflect the Greek Revival styling of the property. The Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Office was notified of this amendment.

DISTRIBUTION: National Register property file Nominating Authority (without nomination attachment) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Howe School NAME: MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Middlesex DATE RECEIVED: 4/30/02 DATE OF 16TH DAY: 6/01/02 DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: REFERENCE NUMBER: 02000634 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 5/16/02 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 6/14/02 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: OTHER: N PDIL: N PERIOD: PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: Y NATIONAL: COMMENT WAIVER: N VACCEPT RETURN REJECT 66/11/02 DATE ABSTRACT/ SUMMARY COMMENTS : N N N RECOM.

/CRITERIA AuCept AEC REVIEWER Fattics Anduus TELEPHONE DISCIPLINE Histerian DATE 6/11/2002 DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR ./N SCHOOL SPLED LIMIT LOOKING Northeast, West and South Facades Howe School, 390 Boston Rd, Billerica, MA Photo taken October 1999, Negatiue with Photags Debra D. Fox, Photographer Photo | Looking West, North facade Howe School, 390 Boston Rd, Bullerica, MA Photo taken October 1999, negative with phogrpr Debra D. Fox, Photographer Photo 2. Looking west, east facade Howe School, 390 Boston Rd, Billerica MA Photo taken October 1999, negative with photographer Debra D. Fox, photographer Photo 3 BILLERICA MUSEIM tooteng soot, lnto rinstor fet eterca un Photo taken October 1999, negative with photographla Debra D. Fox, photographer Photo 4 east, west tacade Looking chool, 390 Boston Ra, Billevica, MA. Photo taken May 2000, negative mith phetogr.

Debra D. Fox, photographer Photo S RECEIVED 2280 APR 3 0 2002 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts Historical Commission April 25, 2002 Ms. Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service Mail Stop 2280, Suite 400 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20240 Dear Ms. Shull: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Howe School, 390 Boston Road, Billerica (Middlesex), MA The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. The owners of the property were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30 to 45 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment. One letter of support has been received.

Sincerely, Detoy freahed Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission Enclosure CC: Debra Fox, consultant Alec Ingraham, Billerica Historical Commission Peter Coppinger, Billerica Board of Selectmen Robert Norman, Planning Board Chair 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 (617) 727-8470 - Fax: (617) 727-5128 www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc BUBB ORPORAREO BOARD OF SELECTMEN TOWN HALL 365 BOSTON ROAD BILLERICA, MASSACHUSETTS 01821 (978) 671-0939 FAX: (978) 671-0947 Peter M. Coppinger, Chairman Michael S. Rosa, Vice Chairman Robert M. Correnti, Secretary James F. O'Donnell, Jr. Ellen Day Rawlings RECEIVED 2280 Ms. Betsy Friedberg, Director National Register Massachusetts Historical Commission 220 Morrisey Boulevard Boston, MA. 02125 APR 3 0 2002 ET RESAETEA AESRERANRES January 8, 2001 Dear Ms.

Friedberg: The Board of Selectmen from the Town of Billerica would like to take this opportunity to inform you of our support in listing the Howe Building on the National Register of Historic Places. The Town of Billerica is a community rich in history and the Howe Building has played an important role for over 140 years. By placing the Howe Building on the register it will recognize the significance it had in shaping the history of this Town and the Commonwealth. It would also be a proper tribute to Dr. Zadok Howe, a renowned surgeon of his time, who donated the land and funded the building construction through his last will and testament. The Board hopes to restore and preserve the building as a museum of the school and Town's history showing the Town's support and appreciation for what Dr. Howe initiated in 1852.

We ask that you approve the nomination and assist the Town to recognizing another important piece of its history. Petim.com Sanhehuente obert, M. orrehti, Secretary Ellen Day Rawlings lufau Pauly Sincerely, Tichae Phoa Michael S. Rosa, Vice Chairman BF RECEIVED JAN 10 2001 MASS. HIST. COMM America's Yankee Doodle Jown