On April 26, 1928, while plowing the ground in preparation for seeding grass, some darkies were quite frightened to hear a scraping sound as to that made by rubbing two stones together. As the ground has been used as a graveyard in previous years, they were suspicious of ghosts. Finally they gathered enough courage to find what this thing was. They dug very slowly and cautiously and to behold what should they find but a tombstone. This caused a great stir with the school children who gathered very quickly. The tombstone read:
In Memory
Of
Mrs. Sarah
Pritchard
Who Departed this life
January the 31st, 1829
In the 55th Year of her Age
She was Beloved
and Esteemed by all who
were acquainted
With her Worth.
We, the ninth grade, being interested in this discovery, determined to find out more about this tombstone and our school grounds.
In about the year 1800 an Episcopal Church was built with a graveyard joining it. The East New Market Academy was at the west of the church while a Grammar School was built on the east near Moore’s residence. Before the town pump was gotten, there was a well in the middle of town. Everyone had to carry the water from there to the school. This was a job the children liked because it made that much less school work for them. The Primary School was in the northern part of town where the Parrish House now is. This Primary School was a seminary for girls. After it was a schoolhouse, it was used as the Parrish House, but when the new Parrish House was built in 1914, it was used as a barn.
The Academy and Grammar School were torn up and sold for lumber. The Church was removed to the Hurlock Road in 1893 so that a High School could be built. The friends and relatives removed the remains of those buried there.
The new high school was called East New Market High School. It was finished in 1912. The Church and School exchanged properties. The new church was built where the school was and the school was built where the church was. The title to the present church property had to be gotten from the heirs of Rose Hill Farm. The School bought the church property.
Prof. W.P. Beckwith, principal of the Academy laid the foundation of the new school. Prof. Robert Shilling of Delaware was the first principal. He opened the school the first week in September 1912. He taught for five years, but when the war broke out in 1917 he went to serve his country. Mr. Leon Jones took his place. Mr. Elmer Crutchfield followed. In 1918 Miss Georgia Bloxom came. There followed two years in which the school made much progress, Athletics and Domestic Science were introduced. In 1922 Miss Van Coover, the Domestic Science teacher was married and the subject was dropped. Miss Bloxom was succeeded by Mr. Andrews and Miss Andrews. Mr. Bowen came in 1923. In 1925 the Field Meet was on the school grounds. In 1925, Mr. Stayer, our present principal came. The Meet was again at East New Market in 1928.
New East New Market High School nestled between its gigantic oak trees, which remind one of older days, is a modern school, and ranks in equality with Cambridge and Hurlock although those towns are large.
Class of English No. 2 of 1928
This essay was arranged by a young lady student, who has resided in the neighborhood about four years, and approved by a teacher who has been here three years.