  Denison Daily Cresset Holiday Edition Saturday, January 15, 1876 pg. 1 DENISON PUBLIC SCHOOL Without Exception the most superb Public School Edifice in the State of Texas The following description was carefully prepared by Gen. J.B. Van Petten: The Denison Public school was built by Keohler Keffer and is located west of the centre and business part of town although several business have been built near the new school as well as houses. With the basement it is 3 stories tall. It faces the east with a frontage of 55 feet, with two projections, 2 feet 16 inches by 16 feet 8 inches. In depth it is 60 feet with a projection in the rear of 12 by 18 feet. It has a tower in front 15 by 16 feet and 55 feet high, which is capped with an ornamental iron railing. The building has a beautiful mansard roof with dormer windows which is surmounted by the same kind of ornamental railing which adorns the front tower. The deck, flat part of the roof, is covered with the best metallic roofing, and the mansard with the best of roofing tin, painted on both sides. There are four rooms in the basement: a lecture room or museum, 24 by 25 feet; a janitor's room, 10 by 14 feet; a furnace and fuel room, 24 by 37 feet; and a school room, 36 by 57 feet for pupils of the primary department. The basement is built to grade with heavy rubble stone, the lower courses of which are firmely embedded in cement which make the walls free of dampness. Above the rubble stones are courses of limestone, one foot in depth and five feet in height. The height of the basement from floor to ceiling is 9 feet. There are four school rooms on the first floor, each 25 by 27 feet with both front and rear entrances. The height of the first floor is 14 feet. The second floor is divided into two wardrobes 7 by 18 feet, two school rooms 50 by 40 feet each, and an office or recitation room in the rear projection 15 by 16 feet. The height of the second story is 15 feet. The walls in all rooms between the doors and windows are covered from the wainscotting to a suitable height for blackboards with Pierce's liquid slating. The front tower is used for entrance and stairways. The front corners and the corners of the tower, the window and door caps and sills are made of magnesium limestone, projecting over the brickwork. The building, excepting the school room in the basement, is heated with Reynolds' largest wrought iron furnace, which is adapted for both wood and coal. Especial attention has been given for ventilation with ample provision for fresh air and for escape of foul air. There were used in the basement about 650 perches of stone and nearly 300,000 bricks in the building. There is a whole block for a play ground. The cost of the building and furnishings was $15,000. The principal of the school is Prof. J.B. Van Petten. In the 1876 school year the aggregate enrollment is up to 650 while average daily attendance is 400.  Educational Institute History Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |