Mrs. Herold’s SchoolBack in 1916, a Mrs. Herold started a school of her own in Salisbury, Maryland. This was in an era when the county school system had already been established and education was offered to everyone for free. Mrs. Herold had different ideas. She was ahead of her time in starting a private “for pay” school. Now there are many options.
Her private school offered grades from kindergarten through elementary and offered “high school preparation classes”. It was a private school and tuition was required of the attendees. The financial end of the school provided her with an income and insured that the students would get a better than average education. By the parents paying, they made sure they got their money’s worth and the children’s noses were certainly kept to the grindstone. Mrs. Herold had only the finest teachers. Bertha Adkins, a prominent Republican, taught there for a time. When the school closed down in the late 1940’s, she went on to become the Undersecretary of Health, Education and Welfare under President Eisenhower.
Many of Salisbury’s leading citizens passed through Mrs. Herold’s School. Some are still around to tell tales of their school days. When Mrs. Herold passed, it became a home again. Stanton Adkins, of E. S. Adkins, and his wife, Ellen, lived there when they were first married. They lived on the first floor and an apartment was made out of the second floor and rented. The house has since been restored to a single family residence. Mr. Adkins was related to Mrs. Herold on his mother’s side of the family.
One of the students was a local named Jack Elderdice. One day when he was in kindergarten, he showed up at his home farther up N. Division St. When his mother inquired why he was home he informed her that he had “excaped”. I’m sure he thought it was much more of an accomplishment than did his mother.
The house that once was Mrs. Herold’s School at 325 N. Division St. is presently for sale by Long & Foster Realtors. I’m sure that a ‘’walk through” can be arranged by contacting Loudell Insley at Long & Foster. It would be interesting to see what a private school of the past looked like. And since she attended the residence at the end of its use as a school, she could point out where everything used to be.
The school remained open at least until the early 1950's as I attended there in 1951-52. Some of the other kids there at that time included Henry Hanna, Dale Adkins,and Johnny Long. Salisbury was so safe in those days that Johnny and I were allowed(at age 5!)to take the city bus from N. Division St to our homes on Camden Ave and Middle Blvd by ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAnother very interesting story, George.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyable, keep the "Historical Comments" coming, Mr George.
ReplyDeleteI went to Miss Harolds as 5 and 6 year old in the early 50s. It was then a pre-school program. I remember her although I do not think she was well at the time. I remember Frankie Moore and maybe Miss Bailey as teachers. Fondly remember being in the band. I actually took a city bus home with others to the Pinehurst Ave area...Mr. Kiminey(?) was the bus driver.
ReplyDeleteGeorge,
ReplyDeleteFormer Senator Paul Sarbanes was a student at Mrs. Heralds or so I have been told,