The Parker School stood on a School Street lot that held a school building for most of the city's history. The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office now occupy the property. The “educator” clue last week referred to Louis (Duke) Rundlett, superintendent of Concord schools from 1885 to 1934, and Parker was used for one of Rundlett's creative education programs. Sophomores, juniors and seniors attended the new high school on Spring Street, now Kimball Elementary School. Freshmen were assigned to the Parker School, located at the site of Concord's old high school. With this plan, Rundlett pioneered the concept of the junior high school, and that's why Concord's middle school bears his name. For the rest of the story, see “Crosscurrents of Change,” the history of Concord in the 20th century, scheduled for publication later this year.
We received the following note from a reader with more fun details about the school:
I loved the picture of the old Concord High School. It was across from the present Legislative Office Building. A church – the Universalist Unitarian (I think) was next to it too. Hale Roberts was the first principal (1847-48). There were then 75 pupils. The school was called to order by the ringing of the bells in the cupola for a 5 minute period, then 5 minutes of silence and then a slow tolling to signal that the doors were closed and school was to begin. This building later became the Parker School. I have copies of a couple of stories about it that were printed long ago and a couple of fine postcards showing this building from different viewpoints.
Henry E. Parker was the first President of the Concord School Board in the Fall of 1859.
C. Mayo, Concord
