HISTORY SAYRE SCHOOL Www^W^S^Ww^^^^^^^^^Wm

HISTORY OF SAYRE SCHOOL By J. WINSTON COLEMAN, JR. www^w^s^ww^^^^^^^^^wm A Centennial History of Sayre School Sayre School has long been one of the outstanding in stitutions for the education of women in Kentucky, and owes its existence to the munificence of David A. Sayre, of Lexington, after whom it is named. Mr. Sayre had come to this city from New Jersey in 1811, when quite a young man as an apprenticed silversmith. From absolute pov erty he had, by thrift and economy, become a banker as early as 1829, and subsequently amassed a large fortune, a considerable portion of which was devoted to the use of public institutions connected with the Presbyterian Church, of which he was a member. He became interested in edu cational matters and determined to establish a first-class school for girls, whose benefits should be as widely dis tributed as possible. Mr. Sayre purchased a large lot and two-story brick building from George W. Sutton at the northwest corner of Mill and Church streets, which he dedicated to the cause of female education; and here on November 1st, 1854, the School was organized under the care of the Reverend Henry V. D. Nevius, pastor of the Walnut Hill Church and Prin cipal of the Walnut Hill Seminary, in Fayette County, six miles east of Lexington on the Richmond Road. The newly-organized School was called Transylvania Female Seminary, and students were received shortly after it opened its doors; the Reverend Nevius bringing with him some of his former pupils from the country school. On November 17th, a meeting was held in the ofiice of George B. Kinkead, Esq., and the following gentlemen: General Leslie Combs, Rev. R. G. Brank, Judge George B. Kinkead, Richard Pindell, David A. Sayre, Henry Bell, Judge George Robertson, J. C. Butler, Madison C. Johnson, Dr. Robert Peter, A. T. Skillman, M. T. Scott, Dr. J. M. Bush, Col. H. T. Duncan, Dr. E. L. Dudley, Hon. John C. Breckinridge, J. M. Ferguson, W. A. Dudley, Rev. Stephen Sayre School Yerkes, Prof. S. M. Letcher and the Rev. John D. Matthews were constituted Trustees of the Transylvania Female Seminary. David A. Sayre was chosen Chairman of the board, and the Rev. Nevius and his wife were formally elected Principal and Assistant-Principal of the new School. Four days later, on November 21, 1854, The Kentucky Statesman announced the School's opening and terms of tuition: "TRANSYLVANIA FEMALE SEMINARY This seminary is now open for the reception of pupils. The buildings in the most convenient part of the city have been purchased and fitted up, both Dwelling House and School Room, in the best style for Educa tional purposes, under an endowment of a citizen of Lexington. The trustees have appointed .the Rev. H. V. D. Nevius and Lady as Principals of the Seminary. It is under their special management, and they are the main in structors. Mr. Nevius has removed his school from Walnut Hill to Lexington because of the uncertainty of retaining permanent possession of the premises at that place. The object of this institution is to afford to Young Ladies a liberal and finished Education in all those branches of useful and elegant learning which con tribute to the accomplishment of the female sex. Competent assistant teachers will be employed as the number of pupils increases. Globes, maps, and apparatus for the illustration of the sciences will be furnished. Professor Klarenaar has full charge of the Musical Department. As an instructor he has given full satis faction. Mons. St. Mars gives lessons in French and Drawing. He is known in Lexington as a Superior Teacher and a Gentleman of intelligence and taste. Sayre School Arrangements are made for the delivery of lectures by scientific gentlemen, to the pupils, and the Ladies of the city. About twenty boarders can be well accommodated. EXPENSES Tuition in Natural, Mental and Moral Phil osophy, Ancient Languages, Mathematics, Chemistry, Geology, Astronomy, History, Rhetoric, Belles Letters, &c., per session of 5 months . $20.00 Tuition, in lower branches $15.00 Board, Washing, Lights, &c $60.00 There is no extra charge of any kind except the following, viz.: Instrumental music $25.00 French language $10.00 Drawing (the crayons and best materials all fur nished) $15.00 One-half to be paid in advance, the balance be fore the close of the session. Pupils are charged from the time of their entrance to the close of the session. No deduction is made for absence except in case of protracted sickness. The current broken session will terminate at the end of January. The next session will commence on February 1st. DAVID A. SAYRE, Chr'm Bd. Trustees" Three weeks later, the Trustees resolved that the name of the School be changed to the Sayre Female Institute, in consequence of the fact, that the term "Transylvania" had been appropriated by another institution for female education in Lexington. The School continued to occupy the old Sutton residence, the former Bank of the United States, through the fall of 1854 and the spring of 1855, with a limited number of boarding pupils and a considerable enrollment of day scholars. Sensing the need for larger quarters for the growing girls' seminary, David A. Sayre purchased for fifteen thou- \ 'SIP?' 1 J.V L' L) _fl Jr' 0 "JiAT j; iJ '. £i it I* ft ' ftffi ' '.•y/-*,.'!"* I //^ /< AN KAHLY DIPLOMA oi- .S.WHL i"i;M \LK. I.VSTITUTE, 18G8 /Sayre School sand, nine hundred dollars, on September 27th, 1855, from Edward P. Johnson, the "stage-coach king" of Kentucky, his fine residence on the east side of Mulberry (Limestone) Street, in down-town Lexington. This property, facing Second Street and known as "Johnson's Grove," consisted of five acres of ground, two houses and a fine ante-bellum brick mansion, three stories high with cupola. Earlier in the city's history. Colonel George Nicholas, Revolutionary War Officer, had built his residence on this "out-lot No. 11," and subsequently it had passed to the ownership of Thomas Hart, Jr., brother-in-law of Henry Clay and a leading hemp manufacturer, who erected a hemp-house and rope- walk on the Walnut Street side of the lot. On October 1st, 1855, the Sayre Female Institute was removed to the Johnson Mansion on Limestone Street, after considerable repairs, additions and alterations had been made to suit the needs of the School. The faculty was composed of an efficient corps of teachers, and the opening attendance was large; the school had every pros pect of success. "An Act to Incorporate the Sayre Female Institute, in the City of Lexington," was passed by the Kentucky Leg islature, on March 10th, 1856, with some of Lexington's and Kentucky's most distinguished citizens among its in corporators, which included the Hon. John C. Breckinridge, Dr. Robert Peter, William A. Dudley, David A. Sayre, Richard Pindell, Judge George Robertson and Hon. Madi son C. Johnson. Under the charter, written by John C. Breckinridge, Sayre Female Institute had the power "of conferring diplomas, and doing all the usual acts of incor porated colleges," and gave to David Sayre the power to ap point the Trustees who were to be selected yearly, two- thirds of whom were to be members of the McChord, or Second Presbyterian Church in the city of Lexington. The school term for the year 1856 ended on June 30th, with nine graduates—the first class to graduate after the School opened: Misses Amelia Hale, Virginia E. Taylor, 6 Sayre School Jane Bell, Margaret Letcher, Priscilla Clark, Virginia Ham ilton, Patty Poston, Margaret Goff and Caroline Simpson. Under its Constitution, adopted July 9th, 1856, the school year consisted of forty-two weeks, divided into two sessions of twenty-one weeks each. There were three de partments—Primary, Academic and Collegiate; the last two embracing three years. The classes in the Academical Department were styled respectively. First, Second and Third. Those in the Collegiate Department were Junior Middle and Senior. The Principal, who was elected on a year-to-year basis, was required to be a member of the Presbyterian Church. On July 16th, the Reverend Nevius was elected Prin cipal for the ensuing year; he in turn leasing the School, his salary to be $800 per year if the total tuition from student fees amounted to $3,000, and if not, then on an 8/30 basis. Professor Nevius was assisted by several well- qualified teachers, one of whom was Dr. H. W. Junius, a graduate of Leyden University, in Europe. During the spring of 1857, "a study and lecture room 30 by 50 feet" was built, "which was elegantly provided with new phil osophical apparatus, globes, books, maps and one of [Mil ton] Barlow's planetariums, a valuable aid and allurement to the study of astronomy." "This new building," com mented the Kentucky Statesman, "was on Friday [April 3rd] evening last opened with an address by Governor Morehead and other appropriate exercises. The whole cost of the buildings and improvements have been about forty thousand dollars." Professor Robert Peter, one of the board members, gave his usual course of lectures "with full ex periments in chemistry." For the school year 1857-1858, Professor Nevius' sal ary was fixed by the board at one-third of the gross receipts derived from tuition, but he was required "to teach free from charge four meritorious pupils," and "to keep the house and grounds in such repairs as it takes to properly merit the institution." His salary for the year amounted to a little over seven hundred and fifty dollars.

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