^V*^J>f ^o-A. A Sketch of the School of The Misses Nash and Miss Kollock Hillsboro, N. C. 1 By Mrs. W. S. Primrose Raleigh, N. C. 1926 A SKETCH of the School of the Misses Nash and Miss Kollock Hillsboro, North Carolina THIS PAMPHLET is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Misses Nash and Miss Kollock and the many girls who, for thirty years, came within the power of their beneficial influence Being dead, yet speaketh. — Heb.ll:4 Mrs. W. S. Primrose RALEIGH, N. C. hi o 1-3 H 16 1 « Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/sketchofschoolofOOprim <=* 2>7S KTSl A Sketch of An Old-Fashioned School Education of the youth of North Carolina is compul- sory today, and rapid strides are being made in the elimination of illiteracy. Schoolhouses dot the country- side in all sections of the State, advancement in teach- ing systems and in the equipment of new school buildings -are keeping pace with the times. The little red school- house, which poets like to write about in sonnets is, with few exceptions, now a thing of the past. In years gone by public schools were little known, and only those people who were financially able to attend the private schools and academies, and who realized the great ad- vantages to be gained through an education, attended school at all. Education in North Carolina dates back to colonial days when the first private schools were established, and gradually this cause has advanced until today it is the happy privilege of every boy and girl throughout the land to secure a well trained mind in the public schools. Higher education is also made easy for all who have the desire and courage to pursue his or her studies in col- lege or university. Back in 18 60 a private school, conceived in the minds of women left practically penniless, began to fulfill its mission in the town of Hillsboro, N. C. For thirty years it was a great power in the work of training the minds of the girlhood of the State, and during that time many people, who later played conspicuous parts in the life of the State, secured their training there. This was ■ J known as "The Select Boarding and Day School of the s^ Misses Nash and Miss Kollock. ,, This little school also « 3 *0 ^^M^ A SKETCH OP THE SCHOOL OF THE exerted a most effective and highly moral influence upon the State during its thirty years of life, through the excellent training given by these consecrated Christian women — pioneers in the cause of education. One of the things which made the school peculiarly attractive was the great personal care and attention given directly by the heads of the institution to the individual student. Only food of the most wholesome kind was placed upon the table each day. It has now been more than fifty years since my school days in old Hillsboro, yet I have never tasted such brown bread, egg bread, hot rolls, and tea- cakes and other "delectables" as came from the culinary skill of "Aunt Becky" in the kitchen. There was no indi- gestion in those days, no overloading the stomach with heavy, poorly prepared food. It was a rule that no un- pleasant subjects should be discussed at meals, but only agreeable conversation and such as would aid digestion rather than hinder it. During the entire thirty years of its service there was not a single instance of severe illness among the pupils of the school, with the excep- tion of one case of typhoid fever contracted at home and developing after the girl had reached school. The old school building still stands in its exact loca- tion of years ago, and is one of the most historic and prized relics of by-gone days. It was erected in 1769 by the private secretary of Governor Tryon, and was one of the most imposing structures of its day. The building was closely associated with the days of the Regulators and the many stirring scenes enacted in its vicinity lead- ing to and following the Revolutionary War. Many con- ferences pertaining to the business of the King of Eng- land were held within its doors. It has stood through- out the years as one of the landmarks of the town and the State. MISSES NASH AND MISS KOMjOCK In 1807 Frederic Nash, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the State, purchased the property and moved from New Bern to Hillsbdro, where he made his perma- nent home. At his death in 1858 it was found his estate was en- cumbered by an indebtedness arising out of his pur- chase of an interest in the coal field lands in Chatham County. His immediate family, depending upon him at the time of his death, consisted of his widow and two unmarried daughters, Misses Sallie and Maria Nash. Confronted with the embarrassing conditions arising from Judge Nash's estate, the trio of women gave serious con- sideration to their future. They decided to open a boarding and day school for girls in the old home place as a means of saving both the homestead and the Chat- ham coal lands, as well as> play their part in the cause of education. Miss Sara Kollock, a first cousin of the Misses Nash, who was a highly cultivated and trained teacher, was asked to join them in the undertaking, which she agreed to do. Being of French descent and highly polished in the French language, she took charge of that depart- ment, and became famous. So the school was opened for scholars in the early winter of 1860 under the title of "The Select Boarding and Day School of the Misses Nash and Miss Kollock. " It prospered from the beginning, and instead of having its usefulness impaired by the Civil War, it was filled to capacity during the whole period. Mrs. Nash was an unusually strong character — quick of perception, and great determination of purpose. It is told of her that after the war, during the unsettled state of affairs among both white and colored, she was sitting A SKETCH OF THE SCHOOL OF THE one evening in her bed-room before a roaring fire; she heard behind her stealthy footsteps. On looking around she observed a burly negro man approaching. With her usual quick perception, she ran the poker in a bed of red hot coals of fire. Turning, she spoke politely to the negro, ostensibly with some effort to draw him into con- versation, all the time watching closely the poker; and when she saw it was sufficiently hot she jerked it from the fire, and brandishing it aloft, ran the negro from the house, telling him she would burn out his eyes if he tarried. During the war period money was scarce, and many of the patrons of the school paid the tuition fees in food supplies. The school suffered, of course, from financial difficulties and otherwise, yet its capacity for boarders was not hindered, and so steadily was the growth in en- rollment of students that it was found necessary to make an addition to the house in the latter part of the Civil War. There hung in the parlor at the old Nash home school a most beautiful oil painting of Judge Nash. How I loved to steal away and stand before it, gazing admir- ingly into his kindly eyes and benevolent countenance. I thought he was the handsomest man I had ever seen. That portrait today adorns the wall of our Supreme Court room in Raleigh. After existing for thirty years, during which time it had played its part most nobly in the education of the girls of North Carolina, the school was closed as a boarding school in 189 0, the good women in charge of it having at that time reached an age which justified them in retiring 1 from active duties, such as conducting a school. Throughout the whole time of their adminis- 6 MISSES NASH AND MISS KOLIiOCK tration, besides themselves, they engaged active teachers, competent experts as heads of the departments of music, art and the classics of higher worth. It was a small school as schools of this class are termed today, but very select; the boarding students averaged from twenty- five to thirty. So much for the historical value of this sacred place; to many of those who attended school there during the thirty years of its existence who are still alive, it is in- deed a most sacred place, for it was there that they, as girls and young women, received the education necessary to fit them for after life. To them the old building is the symbol of right living and a pioneer in the cause of education. How well do I recall the sultry August afternoon more than fifty years ago when a little girl, my father leading me by the hand, placed me in the care of these noble women. We had left Raleigh a few hours previous; a wreck had occurred on the road a short distance from our destination, and we were told we must walk the rest of the way. There had been a heavy thunder storm, and the red mud was almost ankle deep. When I reached the school I was literally covered with red mud from head to foot. I had slipped and fallen several times in trying to climb the hills at the station. Imagine my timidity on meeting strangers in this plight when we are always so anxious to present, on first sight, a good ap- pearance. A change of clothing was soon provided for me, for with the slowness of the times, I was told to expect my trunk two or three days later. So thus my days at the school of "The Misses Nash A SKETCH OF THE SCHOOL OF THE and Miss Kollock" began. I was there four long years. Today my heart is full of thanksgiving that my lot was cast in this direction; that Providence led my parents to choose this place for my education. I feel if there has been anything worth while accomplished in my life, a great part of it has been due to these noble Christian women. The four years I spent there were not "on flowery beds of ease," but of hard application — of early rising at five o'clock in the morning, busy until nine o'clock bed time the year around — each period of the day of twenty to thirty minutes marked by the ringing of a bell; then the satisfaction of a day well spent, a good night's rest, the ringing of the rising bell again at five o'clock in the morning, and a new day began. As far back as the sixties there were few or no com- forts in the mode of living — no plumbing, no bath tubs, no gas nor electricity — but oil lamps and candles. Yet we were required to be clean, and our bathing water, hot and cold, was lugged by servants to the second floor. Every morning a bath to the waist in the coldeot water I ever felt; twice each week a whole hot bath. How gladly we would have sometimes, in bitter cold weather, shirked this duty, but it was a rule to be observed with the greatest rigidity. How well do I recall the walks we took every after- noon when the weather permitted, accompanied by a teacher — such a relief from study hour and school room. With what anxiety we would wait to hear the direction we were to take, whether through the town by the old courthouse, now standing today, with a glimpse of the clock in the cupola still ticking away the time as when MISSES NASH AND MISS KOLLOCK given many, many years ago to the town by King George III of England — or whether through the beautiful grounds of the Cameron estate, the prettiest I had ever seen — or through The Dark Walk on the banks of the Eno, shaded and made mysterious by the dark, over- hanging vines and branches of lovely trees — and weird love stories, or up to the mountains so beautiful, so fragrant, especially in the spring, with rhododendron, trailing arbutus, and many, many mountain shrubs and flowers. > We were in the heyday of youth then, and enjoyed everything. This was a Presbyterian school, and the training re- ceived in the Bible, catechism and hymn knowledge will last forever. Our Sabbaths were spent strictly in accordance with the teachings of Isaiah — no undue levity, no frivolous talking, no reading nor writing let- ters, but quietness and suitable reading, and at the close of the day a Bible lesson and hymn singing. It would be a source of great amusement today to see how we paraded in the presence of Miss Maria, to decide if we were too gaudily attired for church, and with the correct amount of money in hand. It was not unusual to be sent back to our rooms to change a dress, because it was not considered suitable — too gay for church. I can conceive of no better training of the principles of "The Golden Rule" than we received at this school. It has indeed made an impression upon my mind and heart. There is scarcely a feeling of doubt coming to me today but I ask myself the question I was taught when in Hillsboro, "How would I like to be treated if I were in his or her place?" Moral and mental training A SKETCH OF THE SCHOOL OF THE were closely allied in this school — in fact they went hand and hand. A young girl was sent to Misses Nash and Miss Kol- lock's. She was an only daughter, the youngest of her family and greatly petted. One day she received a let- ter from home. After opening it we soon heard the most heartrending screams; all rushed to the girl's room, found her lying prostrate upon the bed overcome with grief. No one could gain satisfaction regarding the trouble, but it was evident it was produced by the letter. Soon Miss Maria — the soother of all trouble — walked in with her usual quiet dignity, and on asking the cause of the trouble, the girl replied, "My mother is ill; she has had a child. " Miss Maria, in her gentle manner, said, "My dear, let me see your letter/' On reading it she found the girl had made a mistake. The letter said, "Mother is ill; she has had a chill." Immediately on hearing the correct state of affairs the girls in the room were convulsed with merriment, and ready to tantalize the poor girl to death with fun-making. Miss Maria, realizing this, quietly called us all to the schoolroom, and behind closed doors gave us such a talk as we never forgot, saying, "Put yourself in her place; would you like because of a mistake to be laughed at and made the butt of amusement; it was a serious matter with her." From that moment it was a sealed subject. Another time a motherless, spoiled girl was sent to Misses Nash and Miss Kollock to be cared for, and it seemed that an unusual number of this kind came there. It was a strict rule that before retiring we should comb our hair and plait it. This girl had an unusually splen- did suit of red hair. We had retired all in the best 10 MISSES NASH AND MISS KOWiOCK spirits, and after a few hours of rest there was again screaming which aroused the whole household; such rushing about and tossing of red hair we had never seen before, when in walked Miss Maria with her usual quiet dignity of manner, lamp in hand, and commanded silence, and to know the cause of the disturbance. When sifted to the bottom it was found that a little mouse had gotten into the girl's plaits, and in the scuffle to get out had produced the frenzy. Again Miss Maria poured oil on the troubled waters — forbade a single one to jest over the matter, but to do as we would be done by. These lessons left a lasting impression. Many, many incidents of school life flood my memory as I write. Miss Maria was considered a great beauty in her early days — highly cultured, graceful in manner and carriage, the daughter of a judge — she was much sought after in marriage, but never married. A discarded suitor became a prominent professor of the University of North Carolina. He married. His wife dying early, left a daughter. When she became old enough the father sent her to the Misses Nash and Miss Kollock's to be under the special care of Miss Maria. She accepted the child as her own charge. She slept in a trundle bed in Miss Maria's room, and she was the object of her peculiar care. She was rewarded by seeing the girl de- velop into a lovely woman, and marry a gifted educator, who became the president of two state universities. It has been aptly appraised by an ex-student that Miss Maria represented the brains, Miss Sallie the kindli- ness, and Miss Sara the steam — all together making up the institutional. My parents educated five daughters at the Misses Nash and Miss Kollock's. I have heard my father say he wished he had five more daughters to 11 A SKETCH OF THE SCHOOL OF THE send there, he was so pleased with the school. Last year while holding a family reunion in Raleigh — the five sisters all being present — in our times of retro- specting we often spoke of old Hillsboro days, and we became possessed with the desire to visit again, and together, the old school, so we set aside a day for the pleasure. After first going to the school we found it, oh so changed; we next went to the graveyard, and were saddened because we could not find the graves of Miss Maria and Miss Sara; there were no markers — nothing to show where they had been buried. Time, the leveler of all things, had done his work. Miss Sallie's grave has been provided with a handsome marble monument. After coming home and thinking the matter over seri- ously, I felt a desire to do something to relieve the situation, so planned to write to each girl whose name I could obtain, to ask if she would not like to contribute something towards placing markers to the two graves that are now unmarked — some way to show to the world the last resting places of those two noble Christian women, who gave so much of their time and their lives in helping and serving others. The appeal met with great response, and with the help of some relatives, we have placed a tablet in the Presbyterian Church at Hills- boro, with the following inscription: Sacred To the Loving Memory of Misses Nash and Miss Kollock by Their Students 1926 "Being Dead, Yet Speaketh." Heb. 11:4 12 MISSES NASH AND MISS KOLLOCK Then in the family plot in the old graveyard there have been placed two neat, substantial granite markers, one to Miss Maria's grave and the other to Miss Sara's, so that in the time to come those of us who shall visit these spots made sacred as the resting places of these grand women can bow with reverence and lift hearts and voices in praise and thanksgiving that the privilege was granted us to come within the power of their beneficial influence. 13