Thanks
to the interest of prominent men from the town, Parsonsfield Seminary (a
tuition school) opened its doors September 1832 in North Parsonsfield with an
attendance of 140 students. Among these
men was Elder John Buzzell of the Free Baptist church and the first President of
Trustees; Dr. Moses Sweat, Secretary of the Board of Trustees for many years;
five successful farmers living nearby – most notably, Major Thomas Churchill;
and the lawyers: Robert T. Blazo, Esquire; Honorable Rufus McIntire and
Honorable Nathan Clifford.
The first Seminary building burned in
1854 but was rebuilt in 1855. Money
bequeathed by Elisha Piper for the purpose of establishing the “Piper Free High
School” was made available in 1878. In
1890 it was combined with the Academy to become the “Parsonsfield Academy and
Piper Free High School”. In 1899 Mr.
Bartlett Doe visited his home town, became interested in the school and
provided money for remodeling, repairs and a new boys’ dormitory. He also started a trust fund for the school
and at his death in 1901 endowed further money for the trust and for building
the girl’s dormitory in 1906.
The number of students attending Par Sem, as
it is often called, varied over the years with the number dwindling during WWII
and closure became inevitable. The last
class to graduate was June 8, 1949 with nine students. The buildings were utilized for
Parsonsfield’s schools for a few more years but closed for good in 1952.
These buildings stand today and are maintained
by the “Friends of Par Sem” a volunteer group who work hard to ensure this
important part of Parsonsfield’s history is not lost and the buildings continue
to be used.
The dormitory building shown above (boys
at one end and girls at the other) is “Doe Hall” and the academy building,
“Seminary Hall”, on the right, is located a little beyond to the south. Interior view below. (There is still time to buy your raffle tickets! Drawing will be Saturday October 24 at History House. It is also the last day to see the exhibit, "Coming Home".)
