as having two; who have, perhaps, confused their recollections of this building with those of the three-story edifice afterwards erected on the same site. Rev. Dr. E. E. Hale writes: "This house was built of brick. It must have been as wide as the late School-house and was nearly square. The architect of the cupola, Dr. Jenks tells me, and probably the whole building, was the same man who designed the cupola of Faneuil Hall; and the cupola was considered graceful in its proportions. The School-room was entered directly from the street. In the rear was a sort of projection, in which was a staircase which led to the attic, and in this attic the boys used sometimes to study. Dr. Jenks tells me he has often sat with Dr. Warren* at work at the window over the door on School Street. * ** 66 We boys speculating on the fact that there was a cross on our School bell (in 1835) guessed that it once belonged to the old French Church in School Street. Can any one tell if it were the same bell that was in the old School-house, and whence did it come ?" Mr. Thomas Farrington, of our Class of 1788, says (in 1855):— The School-house was higher in proportion to its width than the rough sketch with which Dr. Hale accompanied his inquiry, which formed the starting-point for our picture. The School-room was so high from the ground that a flight of six (?) steps was necessary to reach it. The door-way was very plain. The Master's desk was at the south end on the right side of the back door, which opened into a porch in which were the staircase and a door leading to the yard, which was small, with a board fence. The Usher's desk was in the northeasterly corner; between it and the door was a small, or short seat and desk, in which a few of the first class sat at times, as, I think, for want of room with the others; between this desk and the door came down a bell-rope. Then going round against the sun were the seats of the third and fourth classes, on the west side were the first and second, and on the east side were fifth, sixth and seventh classes; the lowest class was without desks and not elevated from the floor. The seats and desks were as plain and compact as possible; boys in those days were not so important members of, did not require, nor receive so much room and accommodation from, society as at the present day; which is evident to everyone who can compare from his own knowledge, that School-house with the present one. The cupola was at the extreme front of the building. There were no trees on the School-house lot. The chimney was a rare one, if not singular. It was of brick, about a foot square, built in an iron frame that came down the ceiling in about the middle of the room, which was a high one, from ten to twelve (feet) high, I think nearly, or quite, the latter, with a sheet-iron sliding bottom, and the funnel of a large wood stove admitted on one side. * The Rev. Wm. Jenks, D. D., and John C. Warren, M. D., of our classes of 1790 and 1786. Our next witness is Mr. Ebenezer Thayer of our Class of 1806, who died in Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1883, while these pages were still passing through the press. His memory of the old School-house was perfectly clear, and we have been greatly indebted to him for assistance which has made it possible at this distance of time to present a picture so reasonably accurate. Mr. Thayer lived on Cook's Court, in the rear of the School-house. When attending School he probably entered through the yard, and came in at the back door, through the porch described by Mr. Farrington. He says:: I recollect in going down to the School-house in the morning we entered by the gate, and the door of the porch was right before us, on entering which we turned to the right and entered the School-room door; on the left was Master Biglow's desk, on the right were two short forms occupied by the senior boys; then two long forms brought you to the Usher's desk-the back forms were two feet higher than the front, the windows so high that the boys could not "shin up" to see the soldiers passing. The front of the building on School Street was about fifty feet high to the bell cupola, with a porthole near the ridge, which may be presumed to have been a dial for a clock. The width of the building front was probably thirtyeight to forty feet. (We know it was thirty-four.) The School-house lot was probably eighty feet deep, and the building sixty feet deep. (This is nearly double the correct depth.) The front of the School-house was about fifteen feet from the curb-stone; a flight of five or six steps rose to the front door. There were two windows, one on each side of the door, with sills fifteen feet from the ground (this is manifestly too high), the windows eight or ten feet high, and from top of the windows to the eaves about fifteen feet. (Again the figures are too great.) The roof was peaked. The building was all of brick. Mr. Thayer furnishes a rough ground plan of the School-house and yard, which substantially accords with the description given by Mr. Farrington. Dr. Watson, of our Class of 1805, who has also recently deceased, says: It was a brick building with a stone foundation, of the height of four or five feet, or more, from the ground. The front had two large windows, one on each side of a large front door in the lower story; and two smaller windows over the lower, in what may have been the second story, and I think the front door had a fan window over it. At the entrance there was a large stone, perhaps four feet square, for the landing-place, with three or four steps below it. On top of the roof there was a belfry, and a bell, the rope coming down into the School-room, immediately behind the front door. There certainly was another room, over the main School-room, which was sometimes used for recitations to the Usher, and rehearsals of |