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"Embedded in the sidewalk on School Street is a
mosaic commemorating the site of the first public school in English America. The
history of the Boston Public School System begins in the earliest days of
the colony. The colonists quickly established the church, and then the
school. In 1635, the first school opened, with Philemon Purmont appointed
school-master. This was the famous Boston Latin School, which has flourished
from that time to now. The first school building was located on School
Street, just to the right of today's mosaic and where the
Benjamin Franklin Statue now
stands. The second school building was on the opposite side of the street,
where part of the Parker House is now located.
It is believed that establishment of the first school was
largely due to the work by
John Cotton. Cotton was born in Derby [pronounced "Darby"] England, in
1585. He brought a knowledge of the Free Grammar School founded there by
Queen Mary, in which Latin and Greek were taught. Two years after he arrived
in colonial Boston in 1633, the new school was established. Also after his
arrival, the Thursday Lecture Series [religious teachings] was started, and
the weekly market day, both of which were customs of the older town in the
mother country.
The Boston Latin School still flourishes today, with its high
academic standards. The school can boast of a Hall of Fame of famous
graduates, including: Samuel Adams, Henry Ward Beecher, Leonard
Bernstein, Charles Bulfinch, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edward Everett, Benjamin
Franklin, John Hancock, Joseph Kennedy, Henry Knox, Cotton Mather, Wendell
Phillips, Josiah Quincy, and Charles Sumner.
Free Grammar School Building, Derby UK
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