Popham, their offices being in addition to the school commissioners before mentioned. During these early days of the century the school came to be known as the " Scarsdale Academy," from the high grade of its instruction. Later on, however, when the conduct of the school passed into other hands, much of its reputation was lost, and it is stated that two of the old time pedagogues came to untimely ends from their fondness for strong drink. One was drowned, while intoxicated, in the deep spring on the west side of Dobb's Hill, just south of the site of the birth-place of Governor Tompkins and the other in a drunken frenzy committed suicide in a field nearly opposite the present school. This second building was known as the " Fox Meadow School-House " and we find it thus mentioned as a fretjuent place for holding town meetings. The State census of 1845 gives figures in relation to the school as follows. Value of building, one hundred dollars ; Number of pupils, 35 ; average attendance, 18.

The present school records only cover a period of about twenty years, and are very brief. In 1870 the school trustees were Philip Waters, James McCabe and John Carpenter, Benjamin Palmer being clerk. In this year five hundred dollars was voted for the expenses of the school, and the teacher was Miss Eliza Algood, who occupied the position for a number of years.

In 1874 it was determined to erect a new and more suitable building for school purposes, and a thousand dollars was voted by the town for procuring the necessary land, while in the following year twenty-five hundred dollars was appropriated for the building itself and nine hundred for furnishing it suitably. The building committee consisted of Benjamin F. Butler, Benjamin Carpenter, Peter Dobbs, James McCabe and John Read.