I opened up my Boston Sunday Globe to the Metro Section and immediately noticed a story on the origins of public education in Massachusetts. The story begins:
"Boston is the birthplace of education in America -- or so the history books say. But the letterhead on Dedham's public schools begs to differ.
Those are fighting words to Boston Latin School, which ferociously defends its distinction as the nation's oldest public school, founded in 1635."
I immediately said to myself, "Dedham? Rehoboth?" and started searching for Dorchester in the article. It was nowhere to be found. Apparently Rehoboth (in 1643) and Dedham (in 1644) voted to have a tax to support public schools, which is the basis of their claims for being the birthplace of public education. But what about Dorchester? Dorchester established the first free tax supported public school in the Commonwealth in 1639. The Dorchester town records state the following for 20 May 1639:
"It is ordered that the 20th of May 1639, that there shalbe a rent paid
of 20ls yeerely foreur imposed upon Tomsons Iland to bee payd p euy
p'son that hat p'prtie in the said Iland according to the p'portion that
any such p'son shall fro tyme to tyem injoy and posesse there, and this
towards the mayntenance of a schoole in Dorchestr this rent of 20ls
yeerlyl to bee payd to such a schoolemaster as shall undertake to teach
english latin and other tongues and also writing...."
I suppose one could argue that the Dorchester school wasn't supported by "general taxation" because the town records say the "rents" from Thompsons Island paid for the school. By my reading of the town records, the "rent" was actually a proportional property tax. By 1641 the town recognized that collecting the 20 pounds rent from the approximately "six score" people who held title to land on Thompsons Island was a difficult task. On 7 December 1641 many of those land owners gave the land back to the town of Dorchester and agreed "that from henceforth the said Iland in the same shallbe wholy and foruer bequeathed and given away from themselues and the heires vnto the Town of Dorchester aforesayd for and Towards the maintenance of a free schoole in Dorchester..." The Town then voted that no more than ten renters should be allowed on Thompson's Island in order to faciliate the collecting of the rent, which would support the school.
Furthermore, in 1645 the town reaffirmed its committment to public education by declaring that the schoolmaster "shall equally and impartially receive, and instruct such as shall be sent and Committed to him for that end whither their parents be poor or rich not refusing any who have Right and Interest in the School." [ed. note: language in the preceding quote was modernized] Out of this guiding principle evolved the idea of free public education for all.
The Mather School currently on Meetinghouse Hill in Dorchester honors Richard Mather, the Minister of First Parish in Dorchester. Mather provided the impetus for the creation of the free school in 1639. Boston Latin was not a free public school when it began, so while Boston Latin may lay claim to being the oldest school in the state, it is not the oldest free public school. I'm not certain how "public" Boston Latin was in any case, while the above quote from the 1645 Dorchester town meeting could still be put over the door of every school in Boston. And Roxbury Latin--as soon as I go through the Dorchester town records to prove there has been a school in continuous existence in Dorchester since 1639 I'm coming after your "oldest continuous school" claim.
It looks as if Rehoboth will have to change its sign promoting itself as the birthplace of public education and Dedham will have to change the letterhead for the school district. And just think, I cleared up this issue before having my second cup of coffee.