On Display in the State Library

From kindergarten to college, students in the Commonwealth are heading back to school! With that in mind, this month we're sharing two circulars associated with public schools in Dorchester in the 1800s – visit us to see “Rules and Regulations to be observed by the Teachers of the Public Schools in Dorchester” (1810) and “Order of Exercises at the Dedication of the Building and Installation of the Teacher of the High School” (Dorchester, 1852).

Dorchester was annexed into Boston in 1870, but when these two circulars were issued it was a separate town that had been founded in 1630. Its educational history dates to that period, too – the Mather School, which is the oldest public elementary school in North America, was established in Dorchester in 1639. The school was named after Richard Mather, a Congregational minister who had emigrated to Dorchester from England in 1635. The original Mather School was a one-room schoolhouse, and though the building has changed over the years, the Mather School is still in existence as an elementary school serving students in grades K through 5.

171 years after the founding of the Mather School, the displayed circular (above) was issued to teachers in Dorchester’s public schools. The notice is divided into ten rules or guidelines, with a notation that it was “first passed on August 26, 1805; with amendments and additions, June 27, 1810.” The regulations include instruction to begin the day with a devotional, which books are recommended for each grade, the school schedule, relationship between the School Master and School Committee, and how to assess if children are ready for school, as follows:

“Children are not to be admitted to the Schools, till, they are able to stand up, and read words of two syllables, and keep their places."

On the back of the circular is a handwritten notation of “Mr. Lemuel Crane” and “5 School District,” who we assume was recipient of this notice. A brief search of Lemuel Crane revealed an entry in the Hyde Park Historical Register on the Butler School, which was founded in 1786 and listed a Lemuel Crane as assisting with the endeavor. Since Hyde Park was part of Dorchester at the time, we can speculate that this was the same Lemuel Crane who received the public school circular. The article went on to say that Lemuel Crane also served as a Representative for the 5th District in the General Court. You can read the full article on the Hyde Park Historical Society’s website (pages 9-12).

Jumping forward in time, we are also displaying a circular from the dedication of Dorchester High School, which occurred on December 7, 1852. The program for the dedication was as follows: remarks from the Chairman of the Building Committee, a reply and address by the Chairman of the School Committee, a prayer, a hymn sung by the pupils, an address to the pupils, a poem, another hymn sung by the pupils, and finally an introduction of the teacher followed by remarks from the teacher. That sounds like a long program, so we hope that there were also some refreshments on hand for the attendees! Take a close look at the image to see the content of the two hymns.

Last year, we marked the beginning of the school year by displaying the rules and regulations for Quincy Public Schools, published in 1835. You can read about that circular, and the textbooks that were displayed alongside it, here. And be sure to visit us through September 28 to see these Dorchester circulars on display in our main reading room. Happy back to school!

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian

Chocolate in the Commonwealth

One of my favorite things in life just so happens to be chocolate, so you can imagine my delight when I came across the library’s 1899 edition of the title Cocoa and chocolate: a short history of their production and use while I was perusing the library’s shelves.  It was published by Walter Baker & Company, which operated factory buildings in locations such as the Lower Mills Village on the Neponset River between Dorchester and Milton, Massachusetts.  It’s an interesting book that educates the reader on how chocolate is made—or at least in the late 19th century—and also tells the story of the company, describing itself as “the oldest and largest establishment of its kind on this continent” with its origins going back as far as 1765.  Baker’s Chocolate did not become a household name until after the death of John Hannon in 1779, when the company was known as Hannon’s Best Chocolate.  Ownership switched over to James Baker in 1780 and then to Walter Baker in 1823, who rebranded the company under his name.  The company stayed within the Baker family until it officially organized under state law in 1895; in 1898 the company was incorporated through an act of the legislature.

For more information on the company and chocolate production in Massachusetts, check out the in depth online exhibit entitled “Sweet History:  Dorchester and the Chocolate Factory” created by the Bostonian Society: http://www.bostonhistory.org/sub/bakerschocolate/

Other related titles by Walter Baker & Co.:

• An earlier (c.1886) edition:  Cocoa and chocolate : a short history of their production and use
• A later (1904) edition that, like the 1899 edition, includes additional information about the company: Cocoa and chocolate: a short history of their production and use
• The chocolate-plant (theobroma cacao) and its products (1891)

Kaitlin Connolly
Reference Department