Shortly after Milton became a town in the early 1800s, public schools, as well as some private ones, were established to educate the town’s children.
According to Milton School Days by Jack Williams, some of Milton’s early schools are the Lincoln School, which was located on Lincoln Street, Pollock School on Columbia Ave., Curtain School on Hepburn Street, the former Junior High School on Turbot Ave., Washington School on Arch Center Street, and lastly Grant School on Lower Market Street.
In 1834 Milton began to establish its first public school and elected its first school board, according to Milton School Days. The school board then established rules and expectations for teachers, including what subjects they should teach. Required subjects included reading, spelling, writing, math, geography and history as well as “sewing and fine needle work.”
Milton’s first school budget for the 1834-35 school year totaled $797, with $530 of that for “teachers’ salaries,” according to Mr. Williams.
After fire nearly destroyed Milton in 1880, student discipline emerged as a serious concern, according to Milton School Days, with vandalism especially common. “In many cases the out house of the school became the target of many pranks,” wrote Mr. Williams.
To respond to these issues, the school board established rules for students. These included that students must sit in assigned seats, could not use “profane or indecent language” and could not be absent more than”six half days” in a month without an excuse. Students were also required to buy their own books and supplies, according to Milton School Days.
By 1901, Milton’s high school curriculum included familiar subjects like English, math and history, but also Latin, Greek, German and bookkeeping, according to Mr. Williams.
The first high school was the Washington School, which was the oldest building in town at the time since it was built right after the 1880 fire. The building later burned in 1914 and was rebuilt, before it became the Central Grammar School and was renamed to the Millward School in 1960. It was then torn down in 1975-76 because of damage from the 1972 flood, according to Valley Girl Views, a local history website.
Construction on the current high school on Mahoning Street began in 1954 after land was purchased for $35,000. Labor strikes slowed the project, which was finished in 1956, according to Milton School Days.
The junior high school on Turbot Avenue (now Rockwell Center) was renovated at that time as well, according to Mr. Williams.
High School Aide Mr. Matthew Edinger, a lifelong Milton resident and Milton alumni, said that he knows of several artifacts that remain from Milton’s educational past. These include plaques located outside of the guidance offices, and also a corner stone not yet placed in our school along with the panther statues located in the cafeteria.
Other reminders of the past include the Central Grammar School brick arch, located by McDonalds. There is also a stone commemorating the Grant School in the exact spot the school was, said Mr. Edinger.
