Bishop Scott Academy
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Bishop Scott Academy was a school located in
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
in the U.S. state of
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
. Affiliated with the Episcopal Church, the school was named for the
Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
Thomas Fielding Scott. The school opened in 1870 to educate young men in good citizenship and prepare them to enter the ministry. Later a military department was added to the school before the academy closed in 1904. The school organized the first
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
team and held the first football game in the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
in 1889.


Prior schools


Trinity School for Boys

The academy was related to an earlier attempt by Scott to found a diocesan school. The Reverend William Richmond had started a school at Yamhill in 1852. Bishop Scott moved Richmond's school to present-day
Lake Oswego, Oregon Lake Oswego ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County, with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Population in 2020 was 40,731, an 11.2% increase since 2010, making it the ...
, where Scott had purchased 70 acres that included a school building dating to 1850. Here Scott established the Diocesan School for Boys. Bernard Cornelius, a graduate of
Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...
, was appointed in 1856 by Scott as principal over 17 boarders. A primary department opened in 1858, and the school was renamed Trinity School for Boys. The school offered "both religious and secular education". Cornelius resigned in 1860, and the school closed for two years. In 1862 it reopened under leadership of the Reverend Michael Fackler. Although Cornelius returned to the reigns in 1863, he could not halt declining enrollment. Trinity school closed in 1866 and the trustees sold the property.Corning, Howard M. 1956. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. Funds and property were provided to Scott's successor, Bishop B. Wistar Morris, to establish another school, but located in
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
. The land comprised 38 city lots along 19th Street, between Couch and Everett Streets in Portland. The donors were Captain George H. Flanders and his sister, Mrs. Caroline Couch (wife of
John H. Couch John Heard Couch ( ; February 28, 1811 – January 19, 1870) was an American sea captain and pioneer in the Oregon Country in the 19th century. Often referred to as Captain Couch, he became famous for his singular skill at navigation of the ...
). Morris laid the cornerstone on July 5, 1870.


Bishop Scott Grammar and Divinity School

The newly completed Bishop Scott Grammar and Divinity School opened as a boarding and day-school for boys on September 6, 1870, under principal Charles H. Allen. Comprising three storeys above a basement, the building housed 2 classrooms, recitation rooms, a parlour, library, 16 rooms for boarders, a suite for the principal and his family, and its own chapel, called Saint Timothy's. Although the total costs amounted to $15,000, no debt remained. A year after opening the school had a new head master: Professor R. W. Laing, M.A., L.L.D., assisted by the Reverend George Burton. By 1873 the property was valued at $30,000, after the addition of the chapel, school rooms, and the dormitory. Costs were defrayed from tuition fees of $150 per annum, and interest from an $7,000 endowment—the proceeds from the sale of the Oswego property. Eighty pupils attended school, thirteen down from the previous year, drawn from Oregon, Washington, California, Utah, Alaska, and British Columbia. The faculty comprised three teachers: Junior Master, William M. Barker; Primary Master, Mr. Grant; and Senior Master, Rev. A. N. Wrixon. As chaplain, Burton conducted services "in the large schoolroom of the Grammar School" at 10.30am, and Sunday School at 2pm in August. At the start of Christmas Term on 1 September, Rev. Burton, now rector of Trinity Parish, was ensconced as head master. As it had been since 1870, the school was still administered directly by Bishop Morris. Subjects included modern languages, music, singing, drawing, chemistry, and penmanship. Oregon's superintendent of education found that the grammar school's "philosophical and chemical apparatus
ere Ere or ERE may refer to: * ''Environmental and Resource Economics'', a peer-reviewed academic journal * ERE Informatique, one of the first French video game companies * Ere language, an Austronesian language * Ebi Ere (born 1981), American-Nigeria ...
unsurpassed in the State", and mentioned that the school library contained 1,500 books. The school had replaced almost all its faculty by 1874, and added women to the staff for the first time. Laing and Barker continued, alongside the new head master and chaplain, Rev. D'Estaing Jennings, M.A. Miss I. A. Buss was added as "Preceptress" (female teacher), and Matron Maria Emery had been appointed. A military tone was introduced, in the form of Drill Master R. R. Anderson and the organization of the Bishop Scott Cadets. Drilling was viewed not only in terms of military preparedness, but as a form of exercise. On 8 November 1877 the grammar school was heavily damaged by fire. Before fire almost destroyed the library and equipment, the enrollment stood at 43 day pupils and 40 boarders. Joseph Wood Hill was the new principal when the rebuilt school opened on the same premises in September 1878. Burton had been deposed by Bishop Morris in May that year. The new building was smaller than the one it replaced, although "admirable" and "of superior architectural character", to fit in with the homes in the surrounding area. Hill was a native of Westport,
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, having attained a BA from
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
earlier in 1878. He had responded to an address that Bishop Scott gave to a class at Yale.
Noah Porter Noah Thomas Porter III (December 14, 1811 – March 4, 1892)''Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University'', Yale University, 1891-2, New Haven, pp. 82-83. was an American Congregational minister, academic, philosopher, author, lexicographer ...
, Yale's president, recommended Hill for his character, teaching experience, and maturity. After his appointment, Hill studied medicine at Willamette University's College of Medicine in Portland, graduating as an MD in 1881. At college he rowed, and became a member of the
Gamma Nu Gamma Nu Literary Society () is a collegiate literary society for male students at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois, United States. History The Gamma Nu Literary Society was founded in the fall of 1897 at Illinois College. At the time ...
fraternity. Only five boarding pupils attended the school at the start, and there were "less than twenty pupils, all told". Hill leased the school building from the bishop, and later from the board of
trustees Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...
that had been appointed when Oregon became a separate
diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
in 1889. Echoing the beliefs of Bishop Scott in the value of private over public education, Hill modelled the school after the private boarding schools on the east coast, like the one that he himself had attended. He filled the initial faculty vacancies with Yale graduates, such as John W. Gavin and English teacher Allan Elsworth. At the same time he did subsidize from his own pocket those students for whom the $300 annual fees were a hardship. Hill spent his vacations visiting exemplary private schools throughout the United States, and gradually became convinced that military discipline was essential for the Academy. In 1886, he declared that pupils should wear uniforms. Illustrating the amount of control the principal was granted by Bishop Morris, Hill renamed the school the Bishop Scott Academy in 1887. A military department was added, and the Academy became the first school on the West Coast to adopt military discipline. Hill had an armory built that measured 5,000 square feet—"the largest indoor space in Portland" for some time. Although intended as a drill hall, the armory was also used for dances, which Hill believed would provide cadets with a graceful posture. In order to promote military training, the federal government loaned weapons to schools which employed a qualified officer as military commandant. Hill appointed Lieutenant Colonel F. E. Patterson in 1887 as instructor in mathematics and
military tactics Military tactics encompasses the art of organizing and employing fighting forces on or near the battlefield. They involve the application of four battlefield functions which are closely related – kinetic or firepower, Mobility (military), mobil ...
. Consequently, the steamship ''Oregon'' brought
Springfield rifle The term Springfield rifle may refer to any one of several types of small arms produced by the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, for the United States armed forces. In modern usage, the term "Springfield rifle" most commonly ref ...
s and "two 3-inch rifled field pieces and carriages" in 1890 to the Academy "from the
Benicia arsenal The Benicia Arsenal (1851–1964) and Benicia Barracks (1852–66) were part of a large military reservation located next to Suisun Bay in Benicia, California. For over 100 years, the arsenal was the primary US Army Ordnance facility for the W ...
, California". Academy cadets could now learn how to use
light artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and led to heavy, ...
. In 1891 the Academy became the first school permitted to sit Yale University's entrance examinations without direct supervision of Yale faculty. The uniforms for the intake of 234 students that year were supplied by Thomas Kay Woolen Mills' store in Salem. Gavin organized the first
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
team in the Northwest at the Academy, which held the first football game in the Northwest in 1889. Gavin had learned to play while studying at Yale. Until that time,
rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
had been the preferred form of football at the school. Like many institutions across the
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, the school was badly affected by the economic depression that followed the
Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States. It began in February 1893 and officially ended eight months later. The Panic of 1896 followed. It was the most serious economic depression in history until the Great Depression of ...
. Hill recalled that he had 70 pupils by June 1893; but in September only 12 returned when the school re-opened. The principal's own financial state also suffered due to the Panic, his investment in real estate, and the general contraction of the Oregon economy. Hill tried to deflect the impact by assigning the lease of the school to the diocesan secretary, thus placing the Academy out of the reach of his debtors. He also transferred some of his properties to his wife. Desiring to further formalize the military aspect of the Academy, Hill asked for a serving officer to be assigned. Accordingly, the federal War Department appointed Captain W. A. Kimball in 1895. The
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
now in effect controlled the Academy's military section. When the
Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
broke out, 30 alumni from the Academy served, fourteen as
commissioned officers An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...
. The school also became the first in the Pacific Northwest to implement the
Sloyd Sloyd (Swedish ), also known as educational sloyd, is a system of handicraft-based education started by Uno Cygnaeus in Finland in 1865. The system was further refined and promoted worldwide, and was taught in the United States until the early 2 ...
system of instruction, with Hill personally contributing financially to the purchasing in 1895 of the required equipment. After 23 years of service, Hill retired in 1901 after a disagreement with the school's board of trustees. Some of the trustees had argued that the diocese should operate the school. They said that the diocese had acted outside its legal limits in granting a lease to Hill. Not wishing to become an employee of the diocese, Hill departed on amiable terms. His first wife, Jessie K. Adams, died in 1901. Hill married Laura E. MacEwan, the widow of the Academy's chaplain, that same year. Originally a
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...
, Hill shifted allegiance to the Republican party in 1896, due to his support for the
gold standard A gold standard is a backed currency, monetary system in which the standard economics, economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the ...
. A
Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
, Hill obtained the
Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...
degree of the
York Rite In Anglo-American Freemasonry, York Rite, sometimes referred to as the American Rite, is one of several Rites of Freemasonry. It is named after York, in Yorkshire, England, where the Rite was supposedly first practiced. A Rite is a series of ...
. He started the
Hill Military Academy Hill Military Academy was a private, University-preparatory school, College preparatory military academy in Portland, Oregon, Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 1901, it was a leading military boarding school in the Pacific Northwest ...
elsewhere in the city, and later became an agent for President William Howard Taft. Arthur C. Newill, who had read
classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...
at
Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...
,
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, was appointed as Hill's successor. The Academy's enrollment declined after having reached 234 in 1901, and under financial pressure the Diocese closed the school in 1904. Subsequently, several unsuccessful attempts were made to revive the Academy in
Yamhill County, Oregon Yamhill County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 107,722. The county seat is McMinnville. Yamhill County was named after the Yamhelas, members of the Kalapuya Tribe. Yamhill Co ...
. For example, in June 1913 ''The Ontario Argus'' announced that "the Bishop Scott Grammar School for Boys" would reopen in September, north of Yamhill.


Faculty, 1870-1904

* Right Rev. B. Wistar Morris, D.D. - Rector, 1870-1904 * Dr. J. W. Hill, B.A., M.D. - Principal, Mathematics and English, 1878-1901 * Samuel W. Scott, B.A. (Yale) - Head Master, 1888, 1889, 1890;
Classical Languages According to the definition by George L. Hart, a classical language is any language with an independent literary tradition and a large body of ancient written literature. Classical languages are usually extinct languages. Those that are still ...
, Bookkeeping, 1886; Mathematics, 1897 * John W. Gavin, B.A. (Yale), - Classical Languages, 1886, 1890; Head Master, 1892, 1894, 1898 * Colonel James Jackson (1833–1916),
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
winner - Military Science and Tactics, 1898-1900 * Captain William A. Kimball (U.S. Army) - Military Science and Tactics * Colonel F. E. Patterson, O.N.G. - Commandant, Mathematics and Military Tactics, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892 * Captain Joseph A. Sladen, M.A. (U.S. Army) - Professor of Military Science, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892 * Captain G. C. von Egloffstein (German Military Academy) - Resident Commandant, Modern Languages, 1888-98 * Harry C. Briggs - Resident Commandant, 1896 * Rev. W. L. MacEwan - Resident Chaplain, 1886-1901 * Mrs. Inez Martin - Matron, 1898 * Rev. John E. Simpson - Resident Chaplain, 1897-98 * Dr. George F. Wilson (Late Capt. & Asst. Surgeon, U.S.A) - School Physician, 1886-94 * Mrs. E. F. Berger, Preparatory Department, 1886, 1888, 1890 * Mrs. S. M. Buck, Primary Department, 1886, 1888 * Miss Jeanne Blodgett, Elocution, 1886, 1888, 1890 * Dr. Henry N. Bolander,
Modern Languages A modern language is any human language that is currently in use as a native language. The term is used in language education to distinguish between languages which are used for day-to-day communication (such as French and German) and dead clas ...
, 1883-98 * Mrs. I. L. Crosby - Shorthand and Typewriting, 1896-1898 * Allan M. Ellsworth, B.A. (Yale), 1886, 1890, 1894, Latin, Science; vice-principal, 1892, 1894 * Harold B. Fiske, B. S. A. - Geography, Arithmetic, 1892 * E. Grenier - French, 1892 * George G Guernsey, B. A. (Yale) - Mathematics, Science, History, 1886 * Nielson Hagerup (Christiana Art School, Norway) (b. 1864-d.1922) - artist, Drawing and Painting, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892 * Sara D. Harker - Primary Department, 1896-1898 * Mrs. J. W. Hill - Preparatory Department, 1896-1898; Primary Department, 1894 * Walter A Holt - Assistants Academic Department, 1886, 1888, 1890 * Hopkins Jenkins - Assistant: English and Mathematics, 1896 * E. Neele Johnston - Assistant: English and Mathematics, 1896 * Mrs. L. E. MacEwan - Music, 1894, 1898 * William A. Montgomery, B. A. (Wesleyan) - English and Elocution, 1892 * Miss H. Z. Sampson, Shorthand and Typing, 1886, 1890, 1892, 1894 * W. S. James - Penmanship, 1886 * Eugene L. Schaefer, M.A. (Moravian College) - Physical Science, Mathematics, Mechanical Drawing, 1892, 1894 1898 * G. M. Schuck - Music, 1886 * Jason Smith - Assistant: English, 1886 * Eugene Stebinger (Stuttgart Conservatory) - Piano, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892 * Joseph Stebinger (Stuttgart Conservatory) - Violin, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892 * E. F. Thayer (Rochester), Commercial Department and Pemanship, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892, 1894 * E. Thibeau, Modern Languages, 1886, 1890 * James White, B.A. (Toronto), 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892 * Miss Katherine Wilson - Dancing, Deportment, 1892, 1894 Note: Incomplete list; dates refer to when individuals are mentioned in biennial reports of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Oregon.


Alumni

* Harold Benjamin Fiske (1871-1960), U.S. Army Major general * Franklin F. Korell (1889-1965), politician * Clifton N. McArthur (1879-1923), politician * Benjamin Wistar Morris III (1870–1944), architect *Adolph D. Schmidt (1886-1947), brewer, hotelier * Loyal B. Stearns (1853-1936), politician *
Walter L. Tooze Walter Lincoln Tooze, Jr. (February 24, 1887 – December 21, 1956) was an American attorney and politician in Oregon. He served as the 66th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court and as a state district court judge. Born in Oregon, he was vetera ...
(1887-1956), politician *Frederick Eugene Trotter (1873-1939), physician *
Cal Young Cal Marcellus Young (June 25, 1871 – January 30, 1957), sometimes known as "Mr. Eugene," or "Mr. Lane County," was an American college football coach and a pioneer of Eugene, Oregon. He was the first head football coach at the University of Ore ...
(1871-1959), first head coach of the
Oregon Ducks football The Oregon Ducks football program is a college football team for the University of Oregon, located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision, FBS and is a member of the Big Ten Co ...
team, student from ca. 1886-1891 and teacher (2 yrs., incl. 1892) at the school


References

{{Authority control Education in Portland, Oregon Educational institutions established in 1870 Educational institutions disestablished in 1904 Defunct schools in Oregon 1870 establishments in Oregon 1904 disestablishments in Oregon Sloyd