Claverack College
Encyclopedia
Claverack College, also known as Washington Seminary and Hudson River Institute, was a coeducation
al boarding school
in Claverack
, New York, United States. It was in operation from 1779 until 1902.
. In 1830 the school was renamed Claverack Academy and in 1854 it became Claverack College and Hudson River Institute. At this point, the school became a quasi military academy
for the male students. In 1890 student, Stephen Crane
, who later became a prominent author, published his first article in the February 1890 Claverack College Vidette about the explorer Henry M. Stanley's quest to find the English missionary David Livingstone
in Africa
. Claverack College closed its doors in 1902. Its 22 acres (8.9 ha) campus
was on the east side of what is today NY 9H
just south of the Reformed Dutch Church of Claverack.. After its closure the land was divided and sold and the buildings razed. The George Felpel House
, currently on the western half of the property, uses some of the school buildings' stones.
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Claverack
Claverack-Red Mills, New York
Claverack-Red Mills is a census-designated place in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 913 at the 2010 census....
, New York, United States. It was in operation from 1779 until 1902.
History
The school was founded as the Washington Seminary during the American Revolution in 1779 by Rev. John Gabriel Gephard, the pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church of ClaverackReformed Dutch Church of Claverack
The Reformed Dutch Church of Claverack is located on New York State Route 9H at the north end of the hamlet of Claverack, New York, United States. It is a brick church built in the mid-18th century and renovated and expanded twice in the 19th, reaching its present form in 1879. The congregation was...
. In 1830 the school was renamed Claverack Academy and in 1854 it became Claverack College and Hudson River Institute. At this point, the school became a quasi military academy
Military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the army, the navy, air force or coast guard, which normally provides education in a service environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned.Three...
for the male students. In 1890 student, Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane was an American novelist, short story writer, poet and journalist. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism and Impressionism...
, who later became a prominent author, published his first article in the February 1890 Claverack College Vidette about the explorer Henry M. Stanley's quest to find the English missionary David Livingstone
David Livingstone
David Livingstone was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. His meeting with H. M. Stanley gave rise to the popular quotation, "Dr...
in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Claverack College closed its doors in 1902. Its 22 acres (8.9 ha) campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
was on the east side of what is today NY 9H
New York State Route 9H
New York State Route 9H is a state highway located within Columbia County, New York, United States. It runs from US 9, NY 82, and NY 23 at its southern end in Bell Pond to its northern end in Valatie, also at US 9....
just south of the Reformed Dutch Church of Claverack.. After its closure the land was divided and sold and the buildings razed. The George Felpel House
George Felpel House
The George Felpel House is located on NY 9H in Claverack, New York, United States. It is a stone Colonial Revival and Dutch Colonial Revival house built in the 1920s....
, currently on the western half of the property, uses some of the school buildings' stones.
Notable alumni and faculty
- Stephen CraneStephen CraneStephen Crane was an American novelist, short story writer, poet and journalist. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism and Impressionism...
, author (said his time at Claverack was among the happiest in his life) - John ClumJohn ClumJohn Philip Clum was an Indian agent for the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in the Arizona Territory. He implemented a limited form of self-government on the reservation that was so successful that other reservations were closed and their residents moved to San Carlos. Clum later became the...
, Apache Indian Agent, publisher of The Tombstone Epitaph, mayor of TombstoneTombstone, ArizonaTombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. From about 1877 to 1890, the town's mines produced USD $40 to $85 million...
, Arizona, and friend of VirgilVirgil EarpVirgil Walter Earp fought in the Civil War. He was U.S. Deputy Marshal for south-eastern Arizona and Tombstone City Marshal at the time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the Arizona Territory. Two months after the shootout in Tombstone, outlaw Cowboys ambushed Virgil on the streets of...
and Wyatt EarpWyatt EarpWyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American gambler, investor, and law enforcement officer who served in several Western frontier towns. He was also at different times a farmer, teamster, bouncer, saloon-keeper, miner and boxing referee. However, he was never a drover or cowboy. He is most well known...
. - Robert H. Morris (mayor), mayor of New York City
- Margaret SangerMargaret SangerMargaret Higgins Sanger was an American sex educator, nurse, and birth control activist. Sanger coined the term birth control, opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, and established Planned Parenthood...
, women's right advocate - Martin Van BurenMartin Van BurenMartin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
, 8th U.S. President - General John P. Van Ness, U.S. Representative
- William P. Van Ness, U.S. District Judge
- Cornelius P. Van NessCornelius P. Van NessCornelius Peter Van Ness was an American politician of Dutch descent from the US state of Vermont. Van Ness was a Democratic Republican. He is the father of James Van Ness who was a Mayor of San Francisco.-Biography:...
, Governor of Vermont - General Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer, NY Secretary of State
- Alexander Russell WebbAlexander Russell Webbright|thumbnail|250px|Image of Alexander Russel Webb who was the U.S. ambassador to the [[Philippines]] and an early American convert to [[Islam]].right|thumbnail|150px|Gravestone of Alexander Russel Webb in Hillside Cemetery, Lyndhurst NJ...
, U.S. Ambassador to Philippines, early American Muslim
External links
- Gazetteer and business directory of Columbia County, N.Y. for 1871-2 (Printed at the Journal office, 1871), pg. 106-108