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A letter by William H. Phelps, first Normal School Principal, to the Judges of the New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals, inviting them to examine programs of the institution. Phelps includes a list of events to occur. The letterhead features a printed image of the Normal School main building. This letter was a gift of Charles S. Aitkins, 1935.

Transcription:
[letterhead with lithograph of the Normal School building in Trenton, captioned “New Jersey State Normal School”]
Trenton, June 18th, 1857
To the Honorable the Judges of the Court of Errors and Appeals:
I am directed by the Board of Trustees of the State Normal School to extend to your Honorable Body a cordial invitation to attend the Examination of the Institution now in progress and to conclude this day.
The order of the day is as follows:
Examination of classes from the Model School until 12 o’clock noon.
Review and rehearsal by the Divisions in Local Music
An address by Prof. J. C. Moffat of the College of New Jersey [Princeton University], and select performances of the Glee Class, including the grand chorus from Handel’s Messiah.
Hoping that the engagements of your Honorable Body will permit you to accept this invitation.
I remain [great] respect
Your obedient Sevt.
Wm. Phelps, Principal

This collection of four receipts for tuition, room, and board at the Model School gives insight into how much it cost to attend the de facto elite institution. The first two vouchers, made out to a John McCormick and from around 1862, show that the Normal School charged about $8.00 in tuition in its first decades. According to census statistics, an average New Jersey laborer spent about $2.50 per week on bread, so this was not an unsubstantial amount of money!

Forty years later, in 1902-1903, George Hildebrecht (owner of Trenton's Hotel Hildebrecht) paid $10.50 for per quarter for his son Albert. At this time, based on census statistics, this would have equaled about half a day's wages for the average Trenton industrial laborer.

No transcriptions, as the documents are largely typed.

This brochure offers insight into the Normal and Model Schools' course offerings, their tuition and expenses rates, and some of the principles underlying the school's education. The gender division of the Model School (but not the Normal School) is of particular note, as is the significantly higher annual tuition for the Model School. No transcription.

This booklet from the 1878 Normal School commencement at Taylor Opera House includes lists of graduating students (both the February and June classes), including their home towns. It also contains the list of commencement exercises. No transcription.

This grouping contains two items from very early Model School commencements. The first is a small invitation to the 1878 commencement ceremony at Taylor Opera House, in Trenton. The second is a (partly torn) booklet from the 1880 commencement, including a list of events and the names of the graduating students. No transcriptions, as the documents are typed.

This booklet from the 1879 Normal School commencement at Taylor Opera House includes lists of graduating students (both the February and June classes), including their home towns. It also contains the list of commencement exercises. No transcription.

This booklet from the 1880 Normal School commencement at Taylor Opera House includes lists of graduating students (both the February and June classes), including their home towns. It also contains the list of commencement exercises. No transcription.

This booklet from the 1881 Normal School commencement at Taylor Opera House includes lists of graduating students (both the February and June classes), including their home towns. It also contains the list of commencement exercises. No transcription.

In this brief letter, State Normal School Principal Washington Hasbrouck thanks the Thencanic Society for electing him an honorary member. As the Thencanic was founded in 1882, Hasbrouck must have been one of the first honorary members. Transcription included.

Transcription of Lists of Thencanic Society Officers, 1882-1899