1843 – Letter on illustrated stationery from a young man at Brockport Collegiate Institute in New York describing the school’s architecture, coursework, and entertainment
Brockport, New York: 1843. Envelope or Cover. This three-page stampless folded letter written on a partially-printed bifold sheet measures 15¾” x 9.75” unfolded. The printed Brockport Institute letterhead at the top of the page measure approximately 6.5” x 4”. It was written by Charles A. Fuller at Brockport to his friend, Henry R. Straight in Washington, New York. It is datelined “Brockport Jan th 8 1843” and bears a circular Brockport postmark in blue along with a manuscript “18 ½” rate marking. In nice shape.
The academy was established in 1835 when village leaders partnered with a Baptist group to open an academy that would provide education above the grammar school level and prepare those who wanted to attend college for the task. It was rechartered as the Brockford Collegiate Institute in 1841 after Baptist funding collapsed and the village took complete ownership of the school. Following the Civil War, it became one of New York’s first State Normal Schools (Teachers Colleges), and, with time, evolved into SUNY (State University of New York) Brockport.
The superb illustration features the four-story school building and manicured grounds with students or instructors walking along well-maintained paths. The image is titled, “Brockport Collegiate Institute, Monroe County, N. Y.”
The letter reads in part:
“Our schoolhouse you have a drawing of in this letter it is built of stone four stories high two hundred feet long seventy wide consisting of about one hundred and eighty students of which one hundred are Gents and eight Ladies we have seven teachers four men and three Ladies.
“We have no school on Saturdays nor Wednesdays PM except spouting [speech, rhetoric, and/or debate] and Composition. The Village is beautiful My brother lives in Main Street and a beautiful track it is and there is everything going on . . . that ever was in one place Lectures of all kinds of subjects in the evenings all sorts of Musick Dancing school sleighrides Parties other things to humorous to mention but we have one dangerous thing the Small Pox is raging . . . with Great Speed. . ..”
. Very good. Item #010811In the 1840s, smallpox was still an endemic threat in New York, especially in communities along the Erie Canal that were rapidly expanding due to an influx of immigrants.
At the time of listing, nothing similar is for sale in the trade. Nothing similar has appeared at auction per the Rare Book Hub and ASBA. OCLC suggests that similar items may be held by the SUNY Brockport Archives.
An exceptional image of the school.
.Price: $250.00