from ALDEN TIMES, date unknown
The first school in the township or village of Alden was opened in 1856 and the first teacher was Martin Pritchard. The brick school building was erected in 1866 and the first principal was Stephen Whited followed by Miss Maud Hill, Miss Helen Thompson, C.D. Pritchard, A.L. Smith, Miss Ella Way, Homer Whipple, Miss Mary Foote, Miss Orilla Reeve, J.A. Spencer, A.I. Troth, Mr. Reeve, J.F. Hardin, W.A. Helsell, Mr. Waterman, Frank Helsell, W.J. Benham, O.J. Brown, Ella Alden and G.M. Burnham. The prresent corps of teachers are F.A. Nimocks, principal; Miss Bertha Bishop, assistant; Miss Myra Whited, Grammar; Miss May Thompson, Intermediate; Miss Rhoda Holding, Primary. Number of scolars January 4, 1892 175.
While prowling around the other day a book was found which contained the first school records of the town and from them we learn that the first school meeting of which there is a record was held on May 5, 1856 at the saw mill and adjourned tot he house of Lott Clover. The following persons were present as shown by the minutes: Milton Clover, Orra Bigelow, I. Smith, Wm. Crawford, Elliottt Clover, Martin Pritchard, S.H. Sperry, Lott Clover, Henry Alden, and J.W. Cowles. The records show that without any opposition a site was located on lots six and seven in block 11 and a school-house was ordered built. It was to be 26x22 feet, the frame to be of hewed oak timber, the sills were to be 8 inches square, and the house was to have six windows. The records are vague as to who did the work but Henry Alden, Martin Pritchard and J.W. Cowles acted as the building committee and we understand that A.C. Whitney and G.A. Clarke did the work.
The records do not show whether any school was taught that winter or not but the records of May 13, 1857 have the following entry "according as the law perscrbied (sic) Miss Fidelia Rogers as theacher (sic) was examined in the several branches of English and being found qualified for said office was employed to teach a school of three months or 66 days or 12 weeks at $5 per week, paying her own expenses.: The board then evidently got hard up and on May 17, 1858 a committee was appointed to see if Miss Rogers would teach the coming year for four dollars a week and wait for her pay until the money could be drawn from the county treasury.
On April 9, 1859 it was voted to erect a school house in the Jones district and A.C. Whitney and G.H. Clarke took the job for $360. Turning through the pages we see that a number of persons who are still residents of our town or who are well remembered were members of the school board at an early date and we find there such names as Martin Pritchard, A.C. Whitney, Stephen Whited, Henry Alden, Duane Young, M.J. Davis S. Kemp and several others.