Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, NOVEmbEr 15, 2024 ~ The Old Sachem ~ Mary Lyon, the woman behind the birth of Mount Holyoke College By Bill Stewart M ount Holyoke Female Seminary, which later became Mount Holyoke College, was formed in 1836 by Mary Lyon, who gave up her position as assistant principal of Ipswich Female Seminary. She wanted to form a new college for women, when few existed. The Ipswich Female Seminary was formed in 1828 by Zilpah Grant for secondary and college education of young women. The Collegiate facility was preparing young women for a career as teachers, with rigorous studies in academic subjects and If We Happen To Meet By Accident ... You’ll Be Glad You Found Us! There is a difference between the rest and the BEST! Celebrating 46 Years In Business! TONY’S AUTO BODY Call or Visit 781-321-0032 34 Sharon Street Malden, MA 02148 TONYSAUTOBODYLLC.COM COME VISIT OUR STATE OF THE ART BODY SHOP • Computerized Paint Matching (State of the Art Spray Booth) • Computerized Frame Machines • P.P.G. Refinishing System • R134 + 1234yf A/C Machines Fully Insured -RS2415 Insurance Company Approval ALL OUR WORK IS GUARANTEED! TONY BARTOLO Owner 46 Years Let Us Handle Your Next Insurance Claim. Go With the BEST It Doesn’t Get BETTER! RENTAL CARS Available “standards of personal conduct and discipline:” Ipswich was the fi rst endowed seminary for women in America and was the fi rst to give diplomas to their graduates. There was an even earlier female seminary created in Saugus in 1822 on Main Street not far from the Center. It was founded by Reverend Joseph Emerson. Mount Holyoke was started for many fathers with money to develop a college for their daughters to attain knowledge. Mary traveled frequently, even as far as Detroit, to raise the funding necessary to build a female college. She chose a location for her enterprise and supervised the design and construction of the building. Later she bought equipment and hired teachers who were enthusiastic over Mary’s plans. She then selected students who wanted to receive an education, which was not readily available to women in those times. Mary was the object of derision of some men who were sure that an education for women was wasted. The thought that women belonged in the house, rather than out in the community. She never doubted her belief that women deserved the same opportunities for higher education as the brothers in their lives.She became exposed to the study of science at the Sanderson Academy, taking courses in geography and astronomy. She required seven courses in science and mathematics for graduation, which was unheard of for women during these times. Mary was born on February 28, 1797, near the town of Buckland in western Massachusetts. Her father Aaron fought in the Revolutionary War. Her father died in 1802 and Mary’s mother was to raise seven children on a 100-acre farm. When her mother remarried and went to her husband’s farm, Mary and her sibs were under the care of her older brother, Aaron, and she kept house while Aaron worked the farm. She began her education when she was four at the local village school. The school moved and Mary had to move close and roomed with relatives where she did chores to “The Old Sachem,” Bill Stewart. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Joanie Allbee) pay for her room and board. The school was attended yearround, 10 months long, and divided into summer and winter terms. In 1647 the Massachusetts Bay Colony made education compulsory for children. When she left school at 13, she was educated to a higher level than most girls. In 1814 she got her fi rst teaching position at a summer school in Shelburne Falls, which was next to Buckland. Men received about 10 dollars a month to teach; Mary got 75 cents a week. Gbe system included boarding at her student’s home, usually moving weekly. She was inexperienced and teaching became a diffi cult job. She was determined to advance her own education, although she had very little means to pay for an education. She alternated time between classrooms and lectures, often traveling by carriage to enroll in a school, with teaching and running a school. Mary had a small inheritance from her father, and her teaching pay gave her the time to achieve her education. Mary was considered a very gifted teacher and over the next 20 years, she taught at many schools in eastern and western Massachusetts, and in southern New Hampshire. (Editor’s Note: Bill Stewart, who is better known to Saugus Advocate readers as “The Old Sachem,” writes a weekly column – sometimes about sports. He also opines on current or historical events or famous people.)
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