Cape Charles Headlight, May 9, 1893

Untitled

Infrastructure -- Public : SchoolsMoral -- Alcohol

We attended the meeting of the Board of Trustees for Margaret Academy at Keller Saturday last, and heard the arguments pro and con, and we must say that we came away with the idea that the Eastern Shore is alive to the necessities of education. Cape Charles stood its ground on $3,810 in cash and a building site worth $1,386. Eastville offered $3,000 and a building site. Franktown offered $2,500 and a building site. Exmore offered $500 and an acre of ground, and a county on each side to support it, equal to about $12,000 for Northampton. Accomac put in the following offers: Keller $500 and a building site. Onancock offered $1,000 in cash, and to pay $250 rent for the building; this is really all we could understand that Onancock would give, and it is very natural that that town should be satisfied with the two splendid schools already in operation. There were some offers to sell some old school building, in which some speaker said there was a great bargain for the Board of Trustees, which the Board could count as cash. One place was priced at $3,000, which it was claimed was worth $4,750, and the Board was getting a difference, $1,750, which they could count as their assets. This seemed a difficult matter for some members of the Board to take in. It appeared more on paper than in reality, for this $3,000 property was sold last year for $2,950; by flight of the imagination it is now worth $4,750. Perhaps it is, but the Board seemed unable to comprehend it. Another old academy was offered at $4,000, by an owner in Onancock, but it did not seem to have any backers, and not much was said about that. Perhaps it rests more on its merits, and did not need so much help as the $3,000 property, that sold last year for $2,950. Onancock seems to have a full supply of academies to sell.

The general tend of affairs was that the academy should be built in a substantial and imposing manner, and its future support would come from the pupils, which only a populous place could furnish. Cape Charles was represented to be nine years old, and it has more than doubled its population in the last five years, and is now the equal of any town on the Eastern Shore, and would double again at the rate it was increasing, and if the Margaret Academy was located here, it would have a bright future. It was shown that Cape Charles, according to population, had more churches, more fraternal organizations, and fewer bar-rooms than any other point, but this was denied by a gentleman, for his town, as to bar-rooms, but it seems that the bar keepers had so violated the laws that many licenses there stood revoked at present. They are expected, however, to renew business again at the old stand.

The best of feeling prevailed throughout, and no doubt the Board will only act when it is sure of what it is doing to extend the field of education. The people of both counties can rest assured that the money is in safe hands and will be used for the good of the boys and girls. The zeal and competition among those present was very commendable and reflects great credit on the Eastern Shore.