S. E. Hager, One Of First Graduates, Recalls Early Days

The Jackson Times, 1950

Perhaps the most valuable contribution, from a historical standpoint has been made by the Rev. Sam E. Hager of Bradenton, Florida; a member of the first class graduated by Jackson Academy, predecessor to Lees.

Many of our readers are acquainted, either in person or by reputation, with Mr. Hager. Following completion of his education he entered the ministry and for about 40 years served as a missionary to Japan.

Retired now, he and his good wife reside in Florida. The past several months both he and Mrs. Hager have been ill, and the article which follows was written by him despite the painfulness of his illness. We are deeply appreciative of his contribution to the success of this issue.

"Far below the end of the row of houses on Marcum Heights a very small rillet begins to flow between two high hills down into the river. The paved highway that enters the eastern end of Jackson runs over this rillet. About 60 feet east of the rillet and at the foot of the high hill where the highway runs, in 1879, a schoolhouse about 60 X 24 feet was built of boxing boards and covered with weatherboards.

"This was the second schoolhouse built for the Jackson public school; the first was built in the Cutoff very many years earlier. I was a pupil in both these buildings from 1875 to 1882.

"In July 1882, R. A. Hurst, a young lawyer, began teaching the public school in this second building, but when cold weather came he removed the school to the courthouse; which was more convenient and comfortable. The courthouse could be more easily heated.

"The school was small, only about 40 pupils in the district, and the average attendance was about 25.

"November 18, 1882, Rev. J. J. Dickey rode into Jackson, where he became the guest in the home of G. W Sewell. He inquired about the school and found it in the courthouse. Mr. Hurst requested him to speak to the children. He requested them to announce that he would speak at the courthouse on the subject of education that night.

"About 25 citizens gathered and gave very close attention to his address in which he told of his plans to canvass all Eastern Kentucky seeking to have young men to go to college. The next morning he called for his horse intending to go on to Hazard, but his horse was lame with a swollen ankle. He was, thus, held for four weeks in Jackson.

"He visited in all the 18 homes of the town and found out their needs for education.

"Mr. Dickey occupied the same room with Mr. Hurst in the home of G. W. Sewell. So the two had many hours of conversations, which resulted in their entering into a contract to teach a subscription school beginning January 8, 1883. Mr. Dickey was to be the principal and Mr. Hurst the assistant.

"It was agreed that Dickey take charge of Mr. Hurst's school for a few weeks, while Hurst rode out over the country to solicit students for the school that was to open in January.

"In the meanwhile, A. L. P. Dodge, son of Hon. Wm. E. Dodge, of New York, congressman, millionaire, and philanthropist, came to Jackson in the interests of the Kentucky Union Railway Company. He stayed at G. W. Sewell's home and was there introduced to Mr. Dickey. After much talk Dodge said, 'Mr. Dickey, I am preparing to build a railroad through this county. Locate here and build up the morale and intellectual side, and I will build up the material side and we will make it a great country.'

"By the close of 1882, Dickey went to his home in Fleming County and then to Millersburg, where he packed his trunk in readiness to take up his residence in Jackson. He arrived in Jackson on January 6, 1883.

"According to an agreement, Messrs. Hurst and Dickey opened school on January 8, 1883, with 51 pupils.

"On January 15, 1883, Dickey received a remarkable proposal in which Mr. Dodge offered board and tuition for 25 young men of Breathitt County for three years, provided the people of Breathitt County would provide a sufficient school building and a cheap boardinghouse for young men.

"The county court was in session. A mass meeting was held in the courthouse, and Dodge's proposition was laid before the people. The meeting passed a resolution of appreciation of Mr. Dodge's proposal and promised that they would do their best to erect a building. Mr. Dodge proposed to do nothing until the people should build an academy building, and that was what Mr. Dickey had in mind to have the people undertake as soon as possible after he had gotten his school under full headway. In this way, Mr. Dodge's proposal gave impetus to Mr. Dickey's plans.

"Dickey thought, at first, to agitate and secure subscriptions to erect a $10,000 brick building, but definite building plans had to wait. He met with all sorts of discouragements, even Mr. Sewell, with whom he counseled, much doubted that sufficient money could be raised in the county; but Dickey insisted that it could be done.

"April 17, 1883, a mass meeting was held at 1:00 p. m. in the courthouse, in which Dickey presented the question of a school building and asked for an organization. A committee of three drew up subscription papers, and one representative from each of the nine magisterial districts was appointed to take subscriptions.

"In the meantime, Mr. Dickey was offered a professorship in the Kentucky Wesleyan College, but he declined the offer.

"The term of the school closed May 25th, with evidence of great success. At that time, Mr. Dickey announced his purpose to remain in Jackson since he believed there were great prospects for putting his work on a permanent basis by the erection of a high school building for which subscriptions were being taken.

"He entered into an agreement with the trustees of the public school on June 5, 1883 to teach the fall term. Mr. Hurst dropped out to study and practice law.

"Mr. Dickey went to his home in Fleming County and spent much time trying to find a teacher of music.

"July 5, 1883, he met Mr. Dodge in Lexington and got a written pledge from him to provide $3,500 for an academy building at Jackson, on the condition that the people of Breathitt raised $3,500. Dodge also pledged funds for student aid.

"Mr. Dickey examined school buildings in Cincinnati and other places and consulted architects and contractors concerning plans and building material.

"He employed Miss Rose K. Richards, of Stanford, to assist in the school and teach music.

"The school opened on August 8, 1883, with 49 students.

"He was greatly encouraged when C. J. Little, G. W. Sewell, and Wm. M. Combs said to him that the building enterprise shall succeed.

"By October 25, 1883, $3657.50 had been subscribed toward the building, thus meeting Mr. Dodge's condition, but he pushed on for further subscriptions. Dodge had fixed November 5, 1883 as the date by which his conditions should be met.

"December 17, 1883, 36 subscribers met in the courthouse and elected the following persons as trustees for Jackson Academy: S. H. Hurts, John Jay Dickey, and E. C. Strong for three years; Willie Spencer, Sam Jett, and Wm. M. Combs for two years; and S. H. Patrick, John S. Hargis, and J. C. C. Bach for one year.

"This Board of Trustees organized with President John Jay Dickey; Secretary S. H. Patrick; and Treasurer Wm. M. Combs.

"A committee was appointed to secure a site for building, draft articles of incorporation, and a constitution and bylaws.

"The school closed its fall term January 18, 1884. The enrollment was 62; average attendance was 45.

"The question of a site hung for over two years and a half.

"During the period Mr. Dickey gave the major portion of his time to teaching and shaping the course of the school, arranging the classes for the development of a real high school together with the grades leading up to that.

"Miss Richards proved to be a valuable assistant and having purchased an organ was teaching several students and a few town folks music.

"The problem or site for the academy proved very difficult and annoying. There was only one or two suitable sites, but titles were clouded, and heirs were numerous.

"The charter for incorporating the school was sent to Frankfort early in February 1884.

"Plans for the building and estimates of costs were in constant consideration.

"The winter term of school closed June 6, 1884. Miss Richards and J. B. Marcum had been Mr. Dickey's assistants.

"The enrollment and attendance had not been kept up to that of 1883, but the work had been much better done, and the school had taken on a real high school appearance; its organization greatly improved.

"The school had been the occasion of many reforms and changes in the community; business was picking up, and the outlook for better days was bright.

"The fall term of school began August 2, 1884, with 30 scholars and Miss Rose K. Richards as the assistant. September 3, 1884, Mr. Dickey got a deed from Mrs. Fannie Cockrell, of Irvine, for 1/3 interest in a site.

"The building committee met October 6, 1884 and appointed J. J. Dickey and G. W. Sewell to procure the site and Mr. Sewell to contract for stone for the foundation. $5, 071 had been subscribed for the building.

"During December, Mr. J. M. Snowden's parents took over his residence in order to board students from January 1885. Dodge promised aid for ten men from January.

"The second term of school opened January 5, 1885, with 45 scholars. On March 10, 1885, Miss Richards resigned to go home to care for her mother.

"Miss Cappie Little, a senior, was employed to fill the vacancy. She ably filled the place of Miss Richards in the grade teaching and in music. The enrollment had reached 88.

"The school closed May 9, 1885. The school had its first graduates, who were Miss Cappie Little, Wm. E. Bryant, and Sam E. Hager. Of these, I am the only surviving member of the Jackson Academy's first class.

"June 27, 1885, Mr. Dickey was again employed to teach the public school. During the summer vacation he got large donations of books for the academy library. He was constantly adding to this library for the next few years. The fall term in 1885 began August 4th, with an enrollment of 53. Nine of the Dodges were in attendance. Miss Cappie Little continued as assistant.

"January 1, 1886, the Board of Trustees contracted to buy six acres of land from C. J. Little. This land lies next to the river at the north end of the present Broad Street. Mr. Dickey did not like this site for the school, because the river sometimes overflowed it. This contract fell through, because Mrs. Little would not sign a deed.

"The winter term of school opened in January 1886, with Prof. S. G. Huff as principal. Mr. Dickey was to give his time to purchasing a site and getting the contract for the building. He also traveled over the county to solicit students for the academy.

"February 26, 1886, the trustees called for the first payment on subscriptions and appointed Wm. M. Combs to have the site for the school surveyed.

"March 8, 1886, the trustees appointed J. J. Dickey collector, also they appointed a committee to find out the cost of building in wood and brick.

"Miss Cappie Little, early in 1886, resigned to enter school in Mt. Sterling, leaving Prof. Hull the sole teacher. It was too much for one person so the school dragged. March 8, 1886, Mr. Dickey met on Frozen, at the home of S. H. Hurst, Mr. Marion Childers, a builder from Jeffersonville, Indiana. He and Mr. Childers drew up a plan for the academy. Now he had a definite plan. He was greatly elated over the prospects for building.

"In March, he went to Mt. Sterling seeking a music teacher. He found Miss Maggie Cockrell, 19 years old and still in school, willing to go to Jackson. He employed her and took her to Jackson to aid Prof. Hull. April 12, 1886, Dickey and Childers made out the specifications for the building. Many tried to discourage him, but he refused to be discouraged and pursued his way calmly.

"April 29, 1886, he located the three acres he had purchased from Mrs. Cockrell running with S. H. Patrick's line within 400 feet. Later this was surveyed and corners marked.

"May 3, 1886, a contract was let to Marion Childers to erect the academy building on this site, to build a brick school for $4,680. This contract was let by Wm. M. Combs, John S. Hargis, S. H. Patrick, S. H. Hurst, and J. J. Dickey. The building, two-story, was to be built with brick and a tin roof was to cover it. May 6, 1886, C. J. Little agreed to rescind the contract to sell the trustees six acres of land.

"Dickey and Childers got busy getting building materials and burning bricks. June 1, 1886, Mr. Childers brought his tools and family to Jackson.

"The school term closed June 9, 1886, with an interesting program.

"June 14, 1886, the trustees on the building site located the building and six days later the building with its foundations was staked off.

"July 5, work on the foundation was begun and brick moulding began on the 6th and went along rapidly.

"July 12, Mr. Dickey was appointed superintendent of building. August 2nd, 100,000 brick had been burnt.

"Brick laying on the foundation begun September 3rd; and by November 29th, the second story wall had been laid, the rafters of the school building had been laid, and the sheeting laid already for the tin. The fall term of the school was taught by Mr. Dickey and Miss Cockrill. The winter term was announced to begin January 17, 1887. He had secured Miss Abbey Tyler to teach art and J. G. Thomas to teach the grades. Mr. J. Wise Hagins, county court clerk, had agreed to teach higher mathematics grades. The first faculty meeting of the Jackson Academy was held January 26, 1887. During February, T. S. Hubert began teaching vocal music. In March, the enrollment of students was 60, but only college trained teachers were in charge. By March 14, 1887, the contractor had been paid nearly $3,000.

"A check for payment of $1,301.51 by Mr. Dodge due from him went to protest. This was a heavy blow, but in spite of the outlook the contractor went ahead with the building.

"April 2, 1887, Dickey wrote Mr. Dodge offering to assume responsibility for paying the balance of Mr. Dodge's pledge if he would assign to Dickey his stock already paid. Dodge wrote accepting Dickey's offer. He said he was almost heartbroken over his failure to be able to meet his obligations.

"By June 11, 1887, the stage in the chapel had been finished, but the building still had no plastering done, no ceilings, and no glass in the windows. But the school closing exercises was conducted in the chapel, which had been seated, 280 people gathered to enjoy the very excellent program. This was a wonderful day in Mr. Dickey's life; the holding of Jackson Academy's commencement in the new building June 14, 1887.

"The July 4th celebration, the first ever held in Jackson, was held in the academy. It was a great success.

"Mr. Dickey spent most of July 1887 trying to arrange a loan of $1,500, so he could take over Mr. Dodge's stock, but he failed.

"In August, Mr. R. A. Hurst took the public school teaching in the temporary courthouse. He removed the school to the new academy building, November 10, 1887, although the building had not been then completed.

"November 14, 1887, Mr. Dickey announced the opening of the winter term of the school for January 9, 1888.

"May 14,1888, the Board of Trustees appointed Wm. M. Combs, S. H. Patrick, and J. J. Dickey to settle with Mr. Childers, the contractor. Also, the Board took action for taking new subscriptions. June 11, 1888, the trustees elected Mr. Dickey principal of the Jackson Academy and gave him authority to take the public school into the academy. They also accepted from him a deed to the lot of three acres he had bought for the school. Mr. Dickey, at that time, reported that $4,057 had been collected and expended for the school enterprise.

"The fall term began September 11, 1888, with only Mr. Dickey as teacher. October 23, 1888, Mr. John Goff, Jr. came to Jackson with a view to starting a newspaper. Dickey encouraged him and offered to employ Mrs. Goff in the school.

"November 22, 1888, Mr. Goff arrived in Jackson to begin the publication of a paper. He announced that the paper would be called the Jackson Hustler.His press was at Rothwell Station. He requested Mr. Dickey to assist him in getting out the first issue and agreed to have Dickey write an educational column for each issue.

"At last, December 1, 1888, Mr. Goff arrived with his wife and took up residence in Jackson.

"December 11, 1888, the trustees elected Mrs. Bertie Goff teacher, and Dickey arranged to pay her $30 a month. Mr. Goff was also employed to teach one hour daily at $10 a month. Mr. Goff and wife were graduates of the Manual School at Lebanon, Ohio. He was a Kentuckian from Montgomery County, and she was from Mississippi.

"December 27, 1888, Mr. Goff printed the first issue of the Jackson Hustler, and Mr. Dickey filed the first impression in the Jackson Academy's library.

"The term of the public school closed January 18, 1889, and the new term opened January 21, with 60 scholars.

"The number of students increased to nearly 100, and the term closed June 10, 1889. This had been the best year and was taught in the new building with better equipment in every way. The fall term of 1889 began August 26th.

"October 17, 1889, Mr. Goff offered to sell or lease the Jackson Hustler to Dickey. Mr. Dickey was again elected principal, and Mr. Goff, Mrs. Goff, and Mrs. J. E. Patrick as teachers. Mrs. Patrick was formerly Miss Rose K. Richards, but had recently married J. E. Patrick.

"By the end of the year, the Board of Trustees had settled with Mr. Childers, but there was a debt of over $2,000.

January 3, 1890, the first term of the school closed, and the second term began January 6th, with 77 students. The second term closed in June. July 16, 1890, the Kentucky U. R. R. had been built within five miles of Jackson. In July 1890, Mr. Dickey leased the Jackson Hustler from Mr. Goff, and on July 8th, he moved his printing office into the grand jury room of the courthouse.

"August 8, 1890, the Board of Trustees took steps looking to have Central University of Kentucky to take stock to the amount of $2,000 or more to prevent the loss of the school to educational purposes.

"Floyd Hagins was elected principal to succeed Mr. Dickey, who had resigned to conduct the Hustler, which he purchased in October 1890.

"December 20, 1890, Dickey moved his printing office to a small one-room building, which he had bought and moved to a small lot near the jail. Mr. D. F. Hagins opened the winter term of the school early in January 1891. April 13, 1891, the Jackson Academy property was sold to L. H. Blanton, acting for Central University.

"Mr. Dickey's relation to the school ended with Mr. Floyd Hagins' taking the public school in August 1890, and the school property passed from the original promoters, the people of Breathitt County, into the hands of Central University.

"Mr. Dickey had worked incessantly to keep the school as the enterprise of the people of Breathitt, but owing to the failure of Mr. Dodge and the consequent failure to collect all the subscriptions the school had to be sold for the debt.

"Mr. Dickey had given time, effort, and made large sacrifices in the interest of the people.

"August 5, 1895, after four years of conducting the Jackson Hustler for the promotion of business, schools, and churches, Mr. Dickey sold the paper and moved to London to undertake a still larger enterprise, namely the building of the Benett Memorial School. This, when finished, was the greatest educational enterprise that Mr. Dickey pushed to large success.

"He moved to London, November 16, 1895. One thing remains to complete this statement of the history of Jackson Academy, namely, a brief mention of the personnel of the school from January 8, 1883 to June 1891.

"The names of the teachers who so faithfully and efficiently aided Mr. Dickey during those years were: R. A. Hurst, Rose K. Richards, Miss Cappie Little, J. B. Marcum, Maggie Cockrill, S. G. Hull, Abbey Tyler, J. G. Thomas, John Goff, Mrs. Bertie Goff, J. Wise Hagins, and T. S Hubert.

"John J. Dickey was born in Fleming County May 7, 1842. For one year he studied at Ohio Wesleyan University and graduated with the A. B. degree from the Kentucky Wesleyan College in 1876. He taught a subscription school in Carlisle, Kentucky, 1876 to 1879. In 1879, he entered the Kentucky Conference of the M. E. Church, South. He was pastor of the Methodist Church in Georgetown, 1880 to 1882, when his health broke down. While trying to regain his health he became agent for his college and rode forth to drum up students in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky.

"He was thus engaged when he came to Jackson seeking for young men to send to college.

"Mr. Dickey was a well-trained educated man of several kinds of ability. He was qualified to teach any subject in the college curriculum. He was offered a chair in the college, but declined it because he thought he could do a greater and more needed work in founding a high school at Jackson.

"He was a man of courage, adventure, great patience, and always ready for self-sacrificing service, especially in the cause of education and religion.

"He succeeded in his plan to a high degree to give the people of Breathitt a high school. They failed to pay their subscriptions as he so frequently urged them to do. It was not his plan to have Central University take over the school, but he recognized it as a wise step and rejoiced to see the University push on to larger things.

"It is unnecessary to say more about the men and women who as teachers worked so well with him than that they were all capable, efficient, and cooperative.

"The sources for this statement of facts and events are the diary of Mr. Dickey and my direct personal observations and knowledge. For more than two years, 1884 to 1886, I was Mr. Dickey's elbow in his office or study three or four evenings every week assisting him in his work or being directed by him in my studies. He was my guide and counsellor, and by this close contact I knew well his plans, his work, and the heavy burdens he bore.

"After the school passed into other hands he lived more than 40 years to observe with great satisfaction the growth of Lees Institute later the Junior College. He was an occasional visitor and delivered the "Founder's Address" once or twice.

"I am the sole survivor of the first graduation class of 1885; two others, Miss Cappie Little and Wm. E. Bryant have passed on."

--Samuel E. Hager, May 5, 1950,

RFD No. 1

Bradenton, Florida