Name/Title
Parade Float, 1904Entry/Object ID
PIC0087Description
On back: " ?? Prize Winner at Exeter Fair, grand stand"
From the "Public Documents of Maine: 1905 Being the Annual Reports of the Various Departments and Institutions For the Year 1904, Vol 4.
"On the seventeenth of August, the town of Exeter celebrated
the one hundredth anniversary of the introduction of its school
system. A most interesting and unique feature of the celebration
was a parade in which the leagues of Exeter and surrounding
towns played an important part. The prize, a handsome
picture, was awarded the \Vebster league whose trappings were
yellow, the children carrying little yellow Japanese sunshades.
Honorable mention was made of the Garfield league whose
members were conspicuous in red and white. The leagues in
line were Lincoln, Washington, Stetson, Webster and Garfield
of Exeter and two leagues from Stetson."
Payson Smith, Supt of Schools in Auburn made an address commending the teaching methods of the teachers of the older days.
*School Improvement League of Maine:
During this era, particularly around 1904 and 1905, educational boards and state legislatures heavily promoted the creation of "School Leagues". These leagues were essentially early precursors to modern Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs), named in honor of prominent American figures (Daniel Webster, James A. Garfield, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and John B. Stetson).
The League focused on Community Integratio, Beautification & Upgrades, Academic Enrichment (purchasing thousands of educational book volumes and pieces of artwork to decorate bare classrooms) and Cultural Expansion.