In 1726 the dwellers of Ponkapoag had a reading and writing school; and the town of Dorchester (to which Ponkapoag then belonged) granted them 20 pounds towards it maintenance. The approximately 40 schoolchildren had no building so they met at the house of Robert Redman. In 1760 the first schoolhouse at Ponkapoag was built, as far as Huntoon could determine, and the inhabitants hired a teacher on their own responsibility, trusting that the South Precinct would give them their share of school money. This was done and that school building was used until 1799, when it was removed to the Milton line and converted to other purposes. It was replaced by a new building in October of that year.

Although Welfare was a word lacking its presentation connotation, Canton realized the importance of educating the poor as well as rich children. In 1830, for example, books were delivered free to the children of parents unable top pay for them.

One of America’s most famous philosophers, Henry David Thoreau, taught school in Canton during his college vacation in 1835, but was not successful as a teacher.

In 1839 the whole number of scholars in the small schools located in several sections of the Town was, in summer, 386; in winter, 454. What a contrast to present times, when children in just one grade can number as high as 400! There were many absentees and the School Committee expressed regret that "moral and religious instruction has been almost entirely neglected, seemingly by common consent."

In 1840 the committee reported the condition of the schools as "truly deplorable", particularly the state of the schoolhouse then in Ponkapoag where 60 or 70 children were crowded into a small, dirty room with poor air and adequate space for only half that number. The result of the committee’s complaints was that the Town appropriated $1,200 for the support of the schools, which at that time numbered seven and were designated for the following locations: Center, Blue Hill, Forge, York, Chandler, Factory, and Hardware.

Revere and Ponkapoag Schools are still used as elementary ones but the Gridley School has become an administrative and working space for the Fine Arts Department, the Eliot is being renovated for school administrative offices, and the Crane School has been razed to be supplanted by the A & P shopping center and parking lot. St. Clement’s School for boys, which was once located behind the Hemenway School, is also gone.

Let us quote from some of the information found in the section of the booklet devoted to the Town’s educational system as seen from the vantage point of 1947:

"The Crane School on the corner of Bolivar and Washington Streets is perhaps the best known Canton school building. Dedicated April 18, 1854, it was declared at the time as unequalled in beauty of architecture and completeness of design. A town’s school system is an indication of the community’s inner strength and resourcefulness. Canton recognizes the importance of our schools. This year the new high school moved even closer to a reality when plans were approved by the citizens at town meeting. The new high school will be a New England Colonial structure of red brick, trimmed with white masonry. It will occupy the land now called the French estate on Washington Street.

"At present, the Canton school system consists of six buildings, Gridley, Revere, Eliot, Crane, Ponkapoag, and the high school. The first printed school report was published in 1841. The first school in the limits of the town was opened in 1768.

"Besides the public school system, there is a parochial school of substantial proportions maintained by St. John'’ Catholic Church for over fifty years. In addition to these is the well known St. Clement’s School for boys which attracts youths from all parts of the state.

"The Massachusetts Hospital School for crippled children, located in Canton, and a part and parcel of our Town, is the acme of institutions of its kind in the country."

During the time selected in my last article Clarence H. Berry was master at the High School for a considerable number of years covering the three years of illustration at a salary of twelve hundred dollars for forty weeks of six hours a day teaching. No time was squandered by any pupil or any parent found dissatisfied that the High School was not turning out graduates well fitted to occupy and fill the ordinary vocations of life with credit to themselves and honor to their parents who made this sacrifice for their children. After receiving his education Mr. Berry was a master of High Schools during his entire long and useful life. He was a strict, painstaking, thorough, hard working teacher who worked every moment of both sessions of together six hours a day and pupils under him had to work hard both in and out of school, and behave well too. Under him education was wholesome. As a sample of the graduates of this school let me give you the names of the graduates in the first of these three sample under Mr. Berry;--Gertrude Capen, Marion Amanda Bowsman, Ellen Reardon, Ella Gertrude Richards, Alice Walker Ames, Emma Florence Pitcher, Arthur Liscomb Hewett, Winthrop Packard and George Hosea Capen. Mr. Reader what do you think of them? Do you think that their several parents lost there board and clothes by sending them to school? In conclusion of this paragraph let me say that in results, by any honest educational standard, Mr. Berry does not stand second to any master of ever taught the Canton High School either before or since.

Frederick L. Owen was master of the Crane School during these entire three years at a salary of eight hundred dollars per year. It is quite enough for me here to say that his success was made better known in Canton by his promotion in later time to be master of the Canton High School and yet later crowned by further promotion to a mastership in Boston, which position he now holds with much credit.

George W. Capen at Canton Corner not only held but filled the position of master. When George I. Aldrich to become the Superintendent of Schools of the richest town in the Commonwealth resigned his position which he had most acceptably filled several years in Canton. Mr. Capen was the logical man in both the eyes of the people and the school committee for Superintendent of Schools. His promotion from master of a graded school to superintendent of school was according to most laudable rules of common sense; and as in other educational demonstrations proved to be the greatest benefit to the greatest number of nine hundred and seventy school children then in town and their parents. So you see what standard of master Canton had in its first century.

The School committee for the first century in Canton history were purely public. Servants; a much higher office than it is today. School committee for a considerable time has been an office of varied importance. Some of the leading educators of the United States recommend doing away with this office altogether as they deem it of little or no benefit to either the child or the tax payer. I do not agree with this, as I am a firm believer that the school committees of our country have done much to make our country what it is, free, rich and prosperous.

The last board of school committee elected in the old town house at Canton Corner consisted of nine members, Jesse Fenno from The Farms, Frank R. Bird from Ponkapoag, J. Mason Everett and George F. Sumner from Canton Corner, Virgil J. Messenger and John Everett form South Canton, Joseph W. Wattles and Thomas Lonergan from Canton Junction and Arthur C. Kollock from the Hardware. The place of meetings was the old high school house now owned by Miss Mary Draper. The school committee meetings were the most enthusiastic organized debating society in Canton with regular monthly meetings and many extra special sessions between. At the first meeting of this board every member was present and J. Mason Everett was elected chairman by eight written ballots, receiving every vote cast except his own.

Auto’s were unknown, but three of the members, Mr. Fenno, Mr. Lonergan and Mr. Wattles, kept good horses and were not afraid to use them. About 15 minutes before the hour of each meeting of the board and after Mr. Fenno and told his new stories about current events at the Farms and recited the latest facetious jokes, of any member was caught absent, either Mr. Lonergan or Mr. Wattles would go to the horse sheds for his horse; and sickness are the only excuse possible for the delinquent member. On arrival at the house on of these stalwart men would say without preliminaries "I have come for you". An arrest by a common uniformed police officer would be weak compared with this summons, the result was inevitable.

This and all previous boards of school committees strictly observed what was reasonable to compulsorily demand the property taxpayer to save, that the school committee might wisely expend those savings levied by taxation, that the board might wisely expend it in the education of their people’s children. The selectmen (not school committee themselves, without regard of the-self denial consequent upon saving by the taxpayer) recommend to the voters what sum the town could afford to appropriate and cut according to their cloth, and wisely expended such sum as the selectmen in all departments would deem would not bring distress on the compulsory contributors. Ever in this century every board recognized that the duties of school committee must follow even handed justice looking with fair and reasonable mind upon both the property taxpayer and the child educated by others than its parents.

Every grievance was fully investigated by this committee openly and personally: this board as well as all predecessors firmly believing that every public officer, who is worthy of the office his supposed to fill, knows in accepting the office, without being told, that in every instance he equally represents those who receive the bounty and those who are individually compelled to work, suffer and save to furnish the money.