Among the treasures available to view in the new exhibit at Delaware
County Historical Society is a trove of artifacts used in early American
education.
One of the 13 displays in “Another Glimpse of Delaware County’s History”
is dedicated to teaching and learning as evident by the tools, tomes and
even a hornbook shown in the case.
“Another Glimpse of Delaware County’s History” was kicked off at
Delaware County Historical Society’s Open House and Annual Meeting
Sept. 25. This exhibit also includes a special section dedicated to
celebrating “The Year of the Mill” in the Record Room.
Nestled in the exhibit’s education display are several books, including a
collection of McGuffey readers, with a pictorial primer and a parent-teacher
guide, a “Manual of Geography” and a handbook.
McGuffey readers, known by their “Eclectic” titles on the cover, were
intended for children in first through sixth grades from the mid-1800’s to the
mid-1900’s.
William Holmes McGuffey was one of 11 children born to a Washington
County, Pa. farmer. With a passion for learning and education, he
graduated Washington College in 1826.
McGuffey drafted the Eclectic Readers, which were widely used to teach
reading and writing in many one-room schools across the country.
Besides the basics of English, a large focus of lessons in early America
were centered on morality. For example, one of McGuffey’s Golden Rules
was “Never be afraid to do good, but always fear to do evil.”
Another example can be seen in a line in a 1909 Little Learner’s Paper on
display. It reads, “Love helps us to see good things in others, and not
faults.”
Here in Pennsylvania, education was helped crafted into shape by Dr.
George Smith, the first school board president of the Upper Darby School
Board. A man of multiple talents from farming and botany to medicine and
politics, Smith was chairman of the State Senate Education Committee and
drafted the final version of the Free Public School Act. Passed in 1836, the
legislation designated free public education for all children and provided
state funding for local districts.
To learn more about early American education techniques or about the
happenings of Delaware County Historical Society, please visit the home of
DCHS at 408 Avenue of the States, in Chester or go online at
padelcohistory.org. The telephone number is 610-359-0832.
