[Pennsylvania County Histories]

J ed and duly paid for, and the school con¬ tinued under control of the Trustees un¬ til April 1, 1842, when it was leased to 1 the Public School Directors and has been j used as a public school for the 52 years ' which have siuce elapsed. In the meantime the Trustees continu | ed to meet semi-annually and kept up their corporate existence with uo special ^ Date, - actiye functions, except the preservation [of the trust, until July 3,1880, when by !a decree of Court of Common Pleas No. HGLMESBURC. 1, made by Judge Biddle they were em¬ powered “ to divert the income arising from the trust property now in their hands, to the maintenance of a free pub¬ [a Week’s Happenings in the Bur, lic library in Lower Dublin Township,” &c. ONE HUNDRED YEARS A COR- On July 12, 1880, the subscribers to ! the Holmesburg Library, which had been FQRATIOI'C : jin active existence since February, 1867, by an instrument in writing conveyed all their rights in the property of the Centennial Celebration at Holmes- same to the Trustees ol the Lower bttrg, by the Trustees of tlte I.owtr Dublin Academy, 1109 volumes were Dublin-Aeademy.- • • 1- • thus transferred, and September 18, 1880, the library was re-opened under the name of “ The Thomas Holme Free Li¬ Wergive below-an account of the cele¬ brary, of Holmesburg,” with 81 appli¬ bration ofthe one hundredth anniversary cants for books. Mr. J. Howard Mor¬ of the Trustees'of the M^bwer " Dublin rison, then a young law student, was Academy as a corporation. The history I placed in charge as librarian, and it is of that body-is', in brief, as follows :. We currently reported that he read the whole take the account from Mr. Willits’ man¬ library through in the two first years of uscript book, “ A History of the Lower his incumbency. He has continued to Dublin Academy,” &c. hold the position up to this time, though Thomas Holme, Surveyor General of for a number of years past the active du¬ Pennsylvania under Wm. Penn, Who ties of the position have been ably per¬ drafted the plan, for, and laid out the formed by his deputy and brother, Edgar City of Philadelphia, died in 1695, and B. Morrison, who is actively engaged also is interred in the“ Old Crispiu Buryi’ g in reading through the whole list of Ground,” near Rowland’s station on the books. Bustleton Railroad, formerly a part of his “Well Spring Plantation,” where a monument was erected to his memory by the Trustees, in 1864. By his will dated October 10, 1694, he left £4, for educational purposes. The bequest remained dormant for 28 years, when, in 1723, his heirs, set apart the lot of ground now the Academy property, containing three acres, for a school, in lieu of the £4 in money On this a log school house, still in existence, was con¬ structed. In 1793 a meeting of citizens was held in that building aud a petition prepared and signed asking tor a charter for the Academy, and on January 23, 1794, the Governor of Pennsylvania signed the said charter creating the cor¬ poration for school purposes, known as “ The Trustees of the Lower Dublin Academy,” naming therein the original trustees and giving them power to per¬ petuate their corporate existence by filling all vacancies occurring in the Board from time to time. The corpora¬ v VC LIN CRISPIN. tion proceeded to raise money by means of a lottery, duly authorized by the i The library has been recently thorough¬ Legislature, and in other ways, and the ly overhauled all the useless and .worn stone building,now in use. was construct¬ out books thrown out, leaving an effec- '-V ,\ * i 'jilm ' •' -,|V***, " ' ' ; THE LOWER DUBLIN ACADEMY. tive v >1- The Trustees of the Lower Dublin umnes._ Mr. Morrison, who has examin¬ Academy met In the Library Room of ■ ed into the statistics of the subject, says, the AthenrSuta on Tuesday, January 23 that it is entitled to be considered one of at 6 o’clock. The entire Board was the best free libraries, for its size, in • present as follows: President, B frank¬ America, taking into consideration the lin Crispin; Vice President, Andreas chaiacter of the bookson its shelves and Hartel ; Treasurer, Edward Thomas; the business it .does—-oyer 6000 volumes VSecretary, George S. Clark, and Messrs. being taking out every year. Joseph A. Johnson, Joseph Cartlege, It is but fair to say that the endow¬ Joseph H. Brown, William’ Rowland, ment of the Library by the Trustees of Jr., Jonathan Rowland, Jr., Amos C. the Lower Dublin Academy, is to be at¬ : Shallcross, Henry V. Massey and Geo. tributed mainly to the influence and ef¬ Morgan. Mr. Massey announced the forts of the late Dr. James Burd Peale, death of Mr. Alexander Brown, formerly who was a trustee of the Academy and a trustee and President' of life Board,and the President of the Old Library, and moved the appointment of a committee that its subsequent success is largely due to prepare a suitable minute in relation to the able management of its librarian,. thereto. The chair appointed. 'Messrs. Hon. J. H. Morrison. I .Massey, Thom as....agd.., .Morgan the B. Franklin Crispin, who is a lineal j committee. The chair placed before the descendant, in the sixth generation, of! Board a communication from Mr. Wm. Thomas Holme, the founder of the trust, W. Brown stating that he (Mr. Brown) .t :• is President of the Board, a position held with Mr. Then. M. Allen and Mr. Geo. by his father the Hon. Benja,min Cris-1 S. Clark, had been directed by the pin, tor 26 years up to the time of his, Holmesburg Educational Society to pre¬ death in 1864. Mr. Alexander Brown, sent the Thomas Holme Free Library of Torresdale, who died receutly, was the wi h a. Century Dictionary which was immediate predecessor of the present pre¬ now on the table before them. On mo¬ sident* tion the Board gratefully accepted the gift and directed their secretary to re ■■ turn tlieir thanks to the Educational stanuing until he began his remarks, tie Society through its committee. This spoke fluently for about fifteen minutes dictionary cost $60 and is said to be the and was listened to with close interest most comprehensive work of the kind in and liberally applauded. Mr. Weed re¬ existence. mained until the close of the evening The Board directed that the old min¬ and said that he never felt better in his ute book containing the records of one life. hundred years should be no longer used, Remarks w-ere also made by Vice Pres and the secretary was authorized to pur¬ ] ident Hartel, Chairman Shallcross, Dr. chase a new one. He was also directed Neel, and Messrs. Jonathan Rowland, to place on the minutes of to-day an ‘Gentry, Orth, E. M. Thomas and others. account of the proceedings at the cen¬ Mr. Charles E. Scott, of Bristol, made a tennial celebration to take place in the very witty and entertaining speech, evening. -■ j which created much merriment. At 10 The Trustees, with their invited guests, "^j o’clock, on motion duly passed, the then went to the Green Tree Hotel, chaiiman adjourned the meeting and the where a dinner had been provided, as occasion closed. follows: The following invited guests were pre¬ sent, in addition to the before named MENU, trustees: Dr. N. T. Jerman, Dr. C. J. Blue Points, (Lewis, Dr. H, A. P. Neel, of Tacony ; Chicken Soup, j Hon. J. Howard Morrison, Rev. S. F. Roast Turkey, j Hotchkin, and Messrs. Joseph Weed, Bermuda Potatoes, Celery, Wm. B. Wilson, Robert B, Saul, William French Peas, Cranberry Sauce, Uf Castor, Alfred V. Gentry, Thomas Shall¬ Salted Almonds, cross, Charles E. Scott, James M.Stokes, Fried Oysters, Chicken Salad, Oyster Fred. C. Orth, George T. Mills, William Patties, (Clark, B. Frank Rowland, John Este Ice Cream and Cakes, Keen, Sereck R. Fox and Edward M. Crackers and Cheese, Fruits, Coffee. Thomas, of Torresdale. The entertainment was under charge The following invited guests were una¬ of Amos C. Shallcross, Esq., chairman of voidably prevented from being present : the Committee of Arrangements, and Rev. Dr. Millett, Mr. Lardner Gibbon, the expense was met by the Trustees in¬ Dr. I. Pearson Willits, Mr. Andrew Mc- dividually. Monagle, Mr. George A. Castor and Dr. | At the conclusion of the dinner, the Joseph J. Sowerby. I presiding officer, Mr. Crispin, in a few appropriate words, welcomed the guests ' and stated that the occasion was to cele¬ brate the one hundredth anniversary of From,... the signing of the charter of the corpor¬ 4 ation by Governor Mifflin on January 23, 1794. A brief historical paper was then read . by Mr. GeorgeS. Clark, entitled “ One Hundred Year* of Corporate Existence. ’ Date, Then followed: “ The Thomas Holme Free Library,” by Hon. J. How¬ ard Morrison, of Fraakford. “ Books,” by Henry Y. Massey, Esq., of Torresdale. “ Village Life in Suburban Philadel¬ phia,” by Mr. Wm. B. Wilson. “ Education in Philadelphia,” by Mr. The Consolidation Act’d Thomas Shallcross, ofByberry; Member Anniversary. ofthe Board of Public Education. J Mr. Shallcross, at the conclusion of his remarks, gave a splendid recitation of “The One Hoss Shay,” by Dr. Holmes. / “ The Holmesburg Improvement Asso- sociation,” by Dr. N. T. Jerman. Ex - Mayor King Talks “ Mr. Willits and his Book,” by Rev. S. F. Hotchkin, Rector of St, Luke’s Church, Bustleton. “ Youth,” by Dr. Clarence J, Lewis. He Carries Local History at “ The Future of Holmesburg,” by Mr.

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