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Weiser Academy

Page 2 (of 6)

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The girls had to plan the meals, buy the vegetables from a Chinese gardener’s wagon, bake all the bread, pies, cakes, and it took a lot of time from our studying.

“Once in a while when some plan went wrong and we found ourselves short of dessert, we hurried out to a good neighbor who lived near, Mrs. Gilbert Tracy, who would sell us canned fruit from her cellar. His extra work of housekeeping took much of our valuable study time, and often we had a book propped up where we could see its pages as we passed by, open to a Latin declension, or such.

Accidents sometimes happened. Once I put the measured coffee in. the tea kettle instead of the coffee pot. But on the whole things went well, considering what a large family we had, besides Mrs. Tracy, I Recall especially Mrs. Herman Haas, who lived just across the street from the hotel. She did so much for us, was so interested in the school, helping with the entertainments and music, and was indeed a big sister to us all.”

The Founders and Friends of Weiser Academy had every reason to be encouraged and gratified with the progress the institution had made and the bright prospects for the future.

The academy had three terms in the second year. To keep up with its rapid growth, the corps of teachers has been doubled making it four professors.

During the winter term, there were classes in Latin, Greek, English literature, English grammar, history, geography, bookkeeping, orthography and penmanship as well as music.

All regular students, with the approval of the faculty, could receive piano lessons twice per week, free of charge.

Classes, sleeping and study rooms for about 20 young ladies at an expense of only $2.50 per week for room, board, fuel and light. A portion of this charge may be paid by doing housework, and some of the young men found table board at the academy dining room for $2.00 per week. Rooms could be procured in private houses at reasonable rates. Tuition was $10.00 per term of 12 weeks, $1.00 per week for those entering late.

“When the academy girls wanted to go shopping, they had to walk one mile to New Town on a sidewalk full of holes. One more stubbed toe or wrenched ankle and the academy girls vow they will get a hammer, saw and nails and go marching out in a body to repair the board sidewalks between East and West Weiser, the walk is full of…

Scan 5

…holes and in a bad condition, but the men don’t seem to want to fix. And so it will probably have to be the girls.

Realizing that the academy needed much money and materials to build school, Rev. Paddock went east to arouse the interest of that part of the world in the needs of the West.

This story appeared in the Syracuse Post in the state of New York:

Dr. Paddock is a Westerner, as typical as can be found, long, lean, and lank but bubbling over with enthusiasm in his work. He was dressed in a short sack of genuine Western texture and cut. Upon his forehead always hangs a stray lock of hair that bobs about in a most interesting sort of way when he walks. He stepped upon the platform bearing a large blackboard, and before he had fairly set it down, he had completely captured the attention of every person present with “I just brought this along to let you know where we are at.”

Upon the blackboard was a crudely drawn map of Idaho and the territory around it. Then the Westerner began to talk; he couldn’t talk fast enough to tell his story, and he couldn’t make enough of those deliciously awkward motions. The gathering simply burst into an avalanche of applause as he continued, “Why, our land out there is just flowing with milk and honey. These wise men from the East are always talking and boasting about ancestry. Why, brethren, talk about ancestry, we’ve got hundreds of ranchmen out there who get onto a Western horse, and the gospel is spread all over a thousand acres of territory. We’re doing a grand work out there, all the same, and we’ve got to have people that mean business right at our backs. But bless you, brethren, we’ve got to have an academy at Weiser, and if we can get a little help, we’ll have it right away.

When he stepped off the platform, he was greeted with a most rousing ovation. Thrones of delegates gathered about the man, eager to shake hands with him and congratulate him upon his platform triumph.

Students the second year were Bert Lee, Carl Jefferson, Dora Harp, Lillie Spoor, Albert Reavis, Darsy Burley, Della Hanthorn, Anna Hopkins, Emma Lee, Pansy (Eledice) Pappock, Curtis Burley, Edna Reavis, Cora Mickey, Alva Stewart, Will Sommercamp, Ray Wol Chester Wertz, Linnie Perkins, Anna Hanthorn, Charles Fuller, Lulu Hitt, Will Anderson, and Roy Burley.

Faculty – Prof. Shiack, Rev. Upton, and Miss Miriam Lee

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Miss Dora Arie Hard of Boise City, who has been attending the academy the last two years, had reached her graduation day and read an essay on “Heroines and Heroine Worship.” Rev. Upton then presented Miss Hard her well-earned diploma, complimenting her on being the pioneer graduate of the school.

In 1896, Rev. H. A. Lee, who had taken a homestead on the North Bench above Weiser, donated 80 acres, which is now the Weiser Golf Course, to the academy.

Who was Herbert A. Lee? He was a Sunday school organizer, and his territory was the Weiser section of Idaho. On his homestead, he dug a well and built a small stable for his one horse that he used in his work. The folks were used to seeing him drive around with that lone horse hitched to a two-wheel cart. He traveled most everywhere that his horse could go.

Mr. Lee was married and had three children, the oldest, Miriam Lee, who was an excellent musician and who gave private lessons in the town and a class at the academy. His only son, Herbert P. Lee, was early nicknamed by his boyhood friends as “Horse Power.” In one account, it stated that Herbert taught at the academy; another one stated he had nothing to do with the academy and that he sold insurance.

Those interested in the academy decided that the school should be put on a permanent, non-profit footing since Rev. Paddock was successful in getting donations, and if the school was incorporated, he could get even more donations.

Thus, Rev. A. G. Upton went to Boise to find out what should be done in the matter. January 2, 1896, the academy was incorporated as the Weiser College and Academy with the following named as faculty, Rev. E. A. Pappock, Rev. A. G. Upton, Dr. J. R. Numbers, John W. Ayers, of Weiser; Dee Harp, Rev. R. B. Wright and H. A. Ayers of Boise; A. Adams from Indian Valley, Idaho; Rev. H. W. S. Hawker of Salt Lake City, Utah; and E. W. Metcalf of Elyria, Ohio.

Dr. Upton was chosen president, and Rev. Paddock, chairman of the board of trustees. Dr. J. R. Numbers, vice president; H. A. Lee, secretary; Rev. Upton, treasurer.

“The second annual commencement of the Weiser Academy on June 25, 1836, was an occasion of very great interest.” Rev. A. G. Upton preached the baccalaureate sermon.

The trustees held their first annual meeting with nine of the members present. The most important business was the vote to proceed, when possible, to erect a girls’ dormitory and one or two cheaper buildings, not to exceed $8,000.

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Thursday afternoon, a large company wended their way in carriages and on foot to College Hill (present golf course) to witness the laying of the cornerstone of the first Academy building. The Stars and Stripes flying from a pole nearby the building site indicated that the aim of the school was patriotic as well as Christian. Short addresses were made on behalf of the trustees by Rev. E. A. Paddock, and on behalf of the faculty by Rev. A. G. Upton, after which Miss Mariam Lee placed the stone in position. Next came the naming of the building. Prof. Stiack made a few introductory remarks, and then the students in concert, having a little before been admitted to the secret carefully guarded from everyone else, named the building Mariam Lee Hall in honor of their greatly loved Lady Principal.

The second academy year has passed, and “the sweetly-dressed, deliciously-looking and gratifying intellectual young men and women stood on the stage and entertained Weiser with a sample of the results and progress of the schoolwork they have been engaged in.” They were Jessie Richmond, Marguerite Watson, Emma Lee, Miss Hirt, Miss Harp, Curtis Burley, Ray Wolre, and Mr. Jefferson.

The music was evidence of the high-grade work done in this department by Anna Hanthorn, Lennie Perkins, Dorothy Hard, and Della Hanthorn.

Where did they get the money to construct this new building? From E. W. Metcalf, father-in-law of a friend of Rev. Paddock. The exact amount is not known. One source says $8,000 in cash; another source says $8,500.

While in Chicago in the summer of 1896, Mr. Mr. E. A. Paddock made an advantageous deal with some of the World’s Fair buildings at Chicago. A carload of that material arrived in Weiser and will be used in erecting the wooden buildings of the Weiser Academy and College.

The extensive heating plant for the Weiser Academy arrived in October.

“The Philomathean Society at the academy had an interesting meeting—a continuing story. Miss Lee wrote the first chapter, which she read at the meeting. The following chapters will be written and read by the student members of the society at each meeting. The development of the plot of the story will be watched with interest.

Continued on Page 3 (of 6)

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From Fern Coble Trull’s book “From Grubbing Hoe To Model T”

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