Facing Truth in BFS History

1928-1936 BFS Lower School Scrapbook,
news clipping of the first May Day, 1928
"Emulating the May Day Celebration of the Early Settlers..."

Sometimes history reveals a past that is not always what we want it to be, even at BFS. A few months back, I wrote about our school's path to enrolling students of color, particularly to enrolling African American students. Honesty in researching, interpreting and presenting history frees us from the fallacy of unintentional reinvention while it gives us greater understanding of ourselves. My historical work at BFS often reminds me of the West African Akan word "Sankofa" which means, "We must go back and reclaim our past so we can move forward; so we understand why and how we came to be who we are today." I first came to know and appreciate the concept behind Sankofa when I worked as a historical researcher for the African Burial Ground Office of Public Information and Interpretation many years ago.

A rare find, 19th Century student remembers his BFS days

Found tucked away in the archives several years ago is this item written by Henry Morris Haviland, recalling his student days at BFS from 1872 to 1876.  Such items are quite a find for our school, especially since Mr. Haviland explained the locations of the classrooms in the lower level of the Brooklyn Meeting House. Our school was smaller in those early days and the entire school was conducted in the Brooklyn Meeting House, of course. I love his nickname "Hash," but I think I love even more the phrase once heard regularly in our school, "Go to the Social Union room." 

Henry M. Haviland's Reminiscences of Friends School

The first BFS buildings, and our first neighbors

Original photo from the 1923-24 BFS School Catalogue

My earlier post on the first architect of BFS, William Bunker Tubby, sparked so much research that I've decided to write of the physical expansion of BFS over several posts. Today is an overview of the very first home of Brooklyn Friends School, 110 Schermerhorn, with some details about the area and our early neighbors.

BFS Playground on Grace Court, 1914 to 1923

In 1914, Friends School - as it was then called - was expanding at all levels, with its young high school program being one of them.  Our athletic program had only just gotten off the ground and it was soon clear that the school needed athletic facilities to go further.  Our second athletic director, Mr. Guy C. Carr, was also a co-head of the high school program and taught mathematics.  The school, then located on Schermerhorn, did have play-yards on either side of the school buildings - one for girls and one for boys and, in later years, one for older students and one for younger - but its true gymnasium would not be built until 1917. On top of that, "outdoor" education was the height of fashion: BFS built outdoor classrooms on the roof of the Schermerhorn school building. Even more, the public playground movement had hit Brooklyn, and, in 1908, there were only five public playgrounds in all of Brooklyn.

To meet the school's need, in 1916 apparently, the school rented a small plot of land at the foot of Grace Court, near Furman Street. However, it was decided that the BFS playground could help meet the needs of the public as well.