Bishop Scott Academy was a school located in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

in the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. Affiliated with the Episcopal Church, the school was named for the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Thomas Fielding Scott. The school opened in 1870 to educate young men in good citizenship and prepare them to enter the ministry. Later a military department was added to the school before the academy closed in 1904. The school organized the first

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

team and held the first football game in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

in 1889.

Prior schools

Trinity School for Boys

The academy was related to an earlier attempt by Scott to found a diocesan school. The Reverend William Richmond had started a school at Yamhill in 1852. Bishop Scott moved Richmond's school to present-day

Lake Oswego, Oregon Lake Oswego () is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County, with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located about south of Portland and surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town w ...

, where Scott had purchased 70 acres that included a school building dating to 1850. Here Scott established the Diocesan School for Boys. Bernard Cornelius, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, was appointed in 1856 by Scott as principal over 17 boarders. A primary department opened in 1858, and the school was renamed Trinity School for Boys. The school offered "both religious and secular education". Cornelius resigned in 1860, and the school closed for two years. In 1862 it reopened under leadership of the Reverend Michael Fackler. Although Cornelius returned to the reigns in 1863, he could not halt declining enrollment. Trinity school closed in 1866 and the trustees sold the property.Corning, Howard M. 1956. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. Funds and property were provided to Scott's successor, Bishop B. Wistar Morris, to establish another school, but located in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

. The land comprised 38 city lots along 19th Street, between Couch and Everett Streets in Portland. The donors were Captain George H. Flanders and his sister, Mrs. Caroline Couch (wife of John H. Couch). Morris laid the cornerstone on July 5, 1870.

Bishop Scott Grammar and Divinity School

The newly completed Bishop Scott Grammar and Divinity School opened as a boarding and day-school for boys on September 6, 1870, under principal Charles H. Allen. Comprising three storeys above a basement, the building housed 2 classrooms, recitation rooms, a parlour, library, 16 rooms for boarders, a suite for the principal and his family, and its own chapel, called Saint Timothy's. Although the total costs amounted to $15,000, no debt remained. A year after opening the school had a new head master: Professor R. W. Laing, M.A., L.L.D., assisted by the Reverend George Burton. By 1873 the property was valued at $30,000, after the addition of the chapel, school rooms, and the dormitory. Costs were defrayed from tuition fees of $150 per annum, and interest from an $7,000 endowment—the proceeds from the sale of the Oswego property. Eighty pupils attended school, thirteen down from the previous year, drawn from Oregon, Washington, California, Utah, Alaska, and British Columbia. The faculty comprised three teachers: Junior Master, William M. Barker; Primary Master, Mr. Grant; and Senior Master, Rev. A. N. Wrixon. As chaplain, Burton conducted services "in the large schoolroom of the Grammar School" at 10.30am, and Sunday School at 2pm in August. At the start of Christmas Term on 1 September, Rev. Burton, now rector of Trinity Parish, was ensconced as head master. As it had been since 1870, the school was still administered directly by Bishop Morris. Subjects included modern languages, music, singing, drawing, chemistry, and penmanship. Oregon's superintendent of education found that the grammar school's "philosophical and chemical apparatus ereunsurpassed in the State", and mentioned that the school library contained 1,500 books. The school had replaced almost all its faculty by 1874, and added women to the staff for the first time. Laing and Barker continued, alongside the new head master and chaplain, Rev. D'Estaing Jennings, M.A. Miss I. A. Buss was added as "Preceptress" (female teacher), and Matron Maria Emery had been appointed. A military tone was introduced, in the form of Drill Master R. R. Anderson and the organization of the Bishop Scott Cadets. Drilling was viewed not only in terms of military preparedness, but as a form of exercise. On 8 November 1877 the grammar school was heavily damaged by fire. Before fire almost destroyed the library and equipment, the enrollment stood at 43 day pupils and 40 boarders. Joseph Wood Hill was the new principal when the rebuilt school opened on the same premises in September 1878. Burton had been deposed by Bishop Morris in May that year. The new building was smaller than the one it replaced, although "admirable" and "of superior architectural character", to fit in with the homes in the surrounding area. Hill was a native of Westport,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

, having attained a BA from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

earlier in 1878. He had responded to an address that Bishop Scott gave to a class at Yale. Noah Porter, Yale's president, recommended Hill for his character, teaching experience, and maturity. After his appointment, Hill studied medicine at Willamette University's College of Medicine in Portland, graduating as an MD in 1881. At college he rowed, and became a member of the Gamma Nu fraternity. Only five boarding pupils attended the school at the start, and there were "less than twenty pupils, all told". Hill leased the school building from the bishop, and later from the board of

trustees Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

that had been appointed when Oregon became a separate

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

in 1889. Echoing the beliefs of Bishop Scott in the value of private over public education, Hill modelled the school after the private boarding schools on the east coast, like the one that he himself had attended. He filled the initial faculty vacancies with Yale graduates, such as John W. Gavin and English teacher Allan Elsworth. At the same time he did subsidize from his own pocket those students for whom the $300 annual fees were a hardship. Hill spent his vacations visiting exemplary private schools throughout the United States, and gradually became convinced that military discipline was essential for the Academy. In 1886, he declared that pupils should wear uniforms. Illustrating the amount of control the principal was granted by Bishop Morris, Hill renamed the school the Bishop Scott Academy in 1887. A military department was added, and the Academy became the first school on the West Coast to adopt military discipline. Hill had an

armory Armory or armoury may mean: * An arsenal, a military or civilian location for the storage of arms and ammunition Places *National Guard Armory, in the United States and Canada, a training place for National Guard or other part-time or regular mili ...

built that measured 5,000 square feet—"the largest indoor space in Portland" for some time. Although intended as a drill hall, the armory was also used for dances, which Hill believed would provide cadets with a graceful posture. Bishop Scott Academy advertisement 1900

In order to promote military training, the federal government loaned weapons to schools which employed a qualified officer as military commandant. Hill appointed Lieutenant Colonel F. E. Patterson in 1887 as instructor in mathematics and military tactics. Consequently, the steamship ''Oregon'' brought

Springfield rifle The term Springfield rifle may refer to any one of several types of small arms produced by the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, for the United States armed forces. In modern usage, the term "Springfield rifle" most commonly ref ...

s and "two 3-inch rifled field pieces and carriages" in 1890 to the Academy "from the Benicia arsenal, California". Academy cadets could now learn how to use

light artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

. In 1891 the Academy became the first school permitted to sit Yale University's entrance examinations without direct supervision of Yale faculty. The uniforms for the intake of 234 students that year were supplied by Thomas Kay Woolen Mills' store in Salem. Gavin organized the first football team in the Northwest at the Academy, which held the first football game in the Northwest in 1889. Gavin had learned to play while studying at Yale. Until that time,

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

had been the preferred form of football at the school. Like many institutions across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, the school was badly affected by the economic depression that followed the Panic of 1893. Hill recalled that he had 70 pupils by June 1893; but in September only 12 returned when the school re-opened. The principal's own financial state also suffered due to the Panic, his investment in real estate, and the general contraction of the Oregon economy. Hill tried to deflect the impact by assigning the lease of the school to the diocesan secretary, thus placing the Academy out of the reach of his debtors. He also transferred some of his properties to his wife. Desiring to further formalize the military aspect of the Academy, Hill asked for a serving officer to be assigned. Accordingly, the federal War Department appointed Captain W. A. Kimball in 1895. The

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

now in effect controlled the Academy's military section. When the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

broke out, 30 alumni from the Academy served, fourteen as

commissioned officers An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

. The school also became the first in the Pacific Northwest to implement the

Sloyd Sloyd (Swedish ), also known as educational sloyd, is a system of handicraft-based education started by Uno Cygnaeus in Finland in 1865. The system was further refined and promoted worldwide, and was taught in the United States until the early 2 ...

system of instruction, with Hill personally contributing financially to the purchasing in 1895 of the required equipment. BSA 1904

After 23 years of service, Hill retired in 1901 after a disagreement with the school's board of trustees. Some of the trustees had argued that the diocese should operate the school. They said that the diocese had acted outside its legal limits in granting a lease to Hill. Not wishing to become an employee of the diocese, Hill departed on amiable terms. His first wife, Jessie K. Adams, died in 1901. Hill married Laura E. MacEwan, the widow of the Academy's chaplain, that same year. Originally a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, Hill shifted allegiance to the Republican party in 1896, due to his support for the

gold standard A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the early 1920s, and from the l ...

. A Freemason, Hill obtained the Knights Templar degree of the

York Rite The York Rite, sometimes referred to as the American Rite, is one of several Rites of Freemasonry. It is named for, but not practiced in York, Yorkshire, England. A Rite is a series of progressive degrees that are conferred by various Masonic ...

. He started the

Hill Military Academy Hill Military Academy was a private, College preparatory military academy in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 1901, it was a leading military boarding school in the Pacific Northwest. Originally located in Northwest Portland, it lat ...

elsewhere in the city, and later became an agent for President William Howard Taft. Arthur C. Newill, who had read classics at

Balliol College Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, was appointed as Hill's successor. The Academy's enrollment declined after having reached 234 in 1901, and under financial pressure the Diocese closed the school in 1904. Subsequently, several unsuccessful attempts were made to revive the Academy in

Yamhill County, Oregon Yamhill County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 107,722. The county seat is McMinnville. Yamhill County was named after the Yamhelas, members of the Kalapuya Tribe. Yamhill Cou ...

. For example, in June 1913 ''The Ontario Argus'' announced that "the Bishop Scott Grammar School for Boys" would reopen in September, north of Yamhill.

Faculty, 1870-1904

* Right Rev. B. Wistar Morris, D.D. - Rector, 1870-1904 * Dr. J. W. Hill, B.A., M.D. - Principal, Mathematics and English, 1878-1901 * Samuel W. Scott, B.A. (Yale) - Head Master, 1888, 1889, 1890;

Classical Languages A classical language is any language with an independent literary tradition and a large and ancient body of written literature. Classical languages are typically dead languages, or show a high degree of diglossia, as the spoken varieties of the ...

, Bookkeeping, 1886; Mathematics, 1897 * John W. Gavin, B.A. (Yale), - Classical Languages, 1886, 1890; Head Master, 1892, 1894, 1898 * Colonel James Jackson (1833–1916),

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

winner - Military Science and Tactics, 1898-1900 * Captain William A. Kimball (U.S. Army) - Military Science and Tactics * Colonel F. E. Patterson, O.N.G. - Commandant, Mathematics and Military Tactics, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892 * Captain

Joseph A. Sladen Joseph A. Sladen was an officer in the United States Army. A Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, he received the Medal of Honor for heroism at the 1864 Battle of Resaca. He continued to serve after the Civil War, and took part in severa ...

, M.A. (U.S. Army) - Professor of Military Science, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892 * Captain G. C. von Egloffstein (German Military Academy) - Resident Commandant, Modern Languages, 1888-98 * Harry C. Briggs - Resident Commandant, 1896 * Rev. W. L. MacEwan - Resident Chaplain, 1886-1901 * Mrs. Inez Martin - Matron, 1898 * Rev. John E. Simpson - Resident Chaplain, 1897-98 * Dr. George F. Wilson (Late Capt. & Asst. Surgeon, U.S.A) - School Physician, 1886-94 * Mrs. E. F. Berger, Preparatory Department, 1886, 1888, 1890 * Mrs. S. M. Buck, Primary Department, 1886, 1888 * Miss Jeanne Blodgett, Elocution, 1886, 1888, 1890 * Dr. Henry N. Bolander,

Modern Languages A modern language is any human language that is currently in use. The term is used in language education to distinguish between languages which are used for day-to-day communication (such as French and German) and dead classical languages such ...

, 1883-98 * Mrs. I. L. Crosby - Shorthand and Typewriting, 1896-1898 * Allan M. Ellsworth, B.A. (Yale), 1886, 1890, 1894, Latin, Science; vice-principal, 1892, 1894 * Harold B. Fiske, B. S. A. - Geography, Arithmetic, 1892 * E. Grenier - French, 1892 * George G Guernsey, B. A. (Yale) - Mathematics, Science, History, 1886 * Nielson Hagerup (Christiana Art School, Norway) (b. 1864-d.1922) - artist, Drawing and Painting, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892 * Sara D. Harker - Primary Department, 1896-1898 * Mrs. J. W. Hill - Preparatory Department, 1896-1898; Primary Department, 1894 * Walter A Holt - Assistants Academic Department, 1886, 1888, 1890 * Hopkins Jenkins - Assistant: English and Mathematics, 1896 * E. Neele Johnston - Assistant: English and Mathematics, 1896 * Mrs. L. E. MacEwan - Music, 1894, 1898 * William A. Montgomery, B. A. (Wesleyan) - English and Elocution, 1892 * Miss H. Z. Sampson, Shorthand and Typing, 1886, 1890, 1892, 1894 * W. S. James - Penmanship, 1886 * Eugene L. Schaefer, M.A. (Moravian College) - Physical Science, Mathematics, Mechanical Drawing, 1892, 1894 1898 * G. M. Schuck - Music, 1886 * Jason Smith - Assistant: English, 1886 * Eugene Stebinger (Stuttgart Conservatory) - Piano, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892 * Joseph Stebinger (Stuttgart Conservatory) - Violin, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892 * E. F. Thayer (Rochester), Commercial Department and Pemanship, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892, 1894 * E. Thibeau, Modern Languages, 1886, 1890 * James White, B.A. (Toronto), 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892 * Miss Katherine Wilson - Dancing, Deportment, 1892, 1894 Note: Incomplete list; dates refer to when individuals are mentioned in biennial reports of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Oregon.

Alumni

Harold Benjamin Fiske Harold Benjamin Fiske (November 6, 1871 – May 1, 1960) was a highly decorated United States Army officer with the rank of Major general (United States), major general. A veteran of several conflicts, he distinguished himself during the Philippin ...

(1871-1960), U.S. Army Major general * Franklin F. Korell (1889-1965), politician * Clifton N. McArthur (1879-1923), politician *

Benjamin Wistar Morris, III Benjamin Wistar Morris (sometimes III or Jr.; October 23, 1870 – December 4, 1944) was an American architect from Oregon who worked primarily in New York City. Early life and education Morris was born in Portland, Oregon on October 23, 18 ...

(1870–1944), architect *Adolph D. Schmidt (1886-1947), brewer, hotelier * Loyal B. Stearns (1853-1936), politician *

Walter L. Tooze Walter Lincoln Tooze, Jr. (February 24, 1887 – December 21, 1956) was an American attorney and politician in Oregon. He served as the 66th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court and as a state district court judge. Born in Oregon, he was vetera ...

(1887-1956), politician *Frederick Eugene Trotter (1873-1939), physician *

Cal Young Cal Marcellus Young (June 25, 1871 – January 30, 1957), sometimes known as "Mr. Eugene," or "Mr. Lane County," was an American football coach and a pioneer of Eugene, Oregon. He was the first head football coach at the University of Oregon. E ...

(1871-1959), first head coach of the Oregon Ducks football team, student from ca. 1886-1891 and teacher (2 yrs., incl. 1892) at the school

References

{{Authority control Education in Portland, Oregon Educational institutions established in 1870 Educational institutions disestablished in 1904 Defunct schools in Oregon 1870 establishments in Oregon 1904 disestablishments in Oregon Sloyd