In 1858, under state pressure, the private Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts, opened a free high school that was co-funded by the town. In 1875, a Deerfield widow, Esther (Harding) Dickinson, left a substantial fortune for a separate free high school. The money was combined with funds from Deerfield Academy for one new building, and the “Deerfield Academy and Dickinson High School” opened in 1878. Deerfield students could go to the high school for free, but had to pass the entry test as did paying students. In 1923, Deerfield Academy once again became a private school and in 1924, the new, free Deerfield High School opened in South Deerfield. The Dickinson High School building was taken down in 1930, to make way for the Academy’s main school building.
Deerfield Academy/ Dickinson High School. Photograph. after 1879. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1996-37-01-100/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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