The first action the now organized Board of Trustees took was in the direction of securing a habitation for the new school, before entering upon any general plan of tuition; and to this end their thoughts turned to the New Building, as it was called, on Fourth Street near Arch which had been built nine years before for Whitefield's impressive ministrations, and which now could, it was thought, be had on advantageous terms, and as an investment would prove useful and also give an evidence to the community of the sincerity of the design the Trustees were now formulating.
Upon the appointment of the officers, the Minutes next record:
Messrs. William Allen, Abraham Taylor, Charles Willing, Richard Peters, Thomas Leech, and William Shippen are requested to treat with the Trustees of the New Building, about taking a part of it for an Academy, and report the Terms on which it may be had at the next meeting. And are further requested to treat with Workmen, on the expence of erecting what is necessary for that Purpose.[1]
This Committee reported at the next meeting, namely 26 December, 1749, when all the members were present except Messrs. Shippen, Hopkinson, and Zachary. The proposals of the Trustees of the Lot of Ground whereon the House commonly called the New Building is erected for conveying the said Lot and House to the Trustees of the Academy for the uses in those proposals mentioned, were read and agreed to Nemine contradicente, and the offer by Mr. Logan of his lot on Sixth St., before referred to, was courteously declined, and the President requested to acquaint him with this result.
This building has a place in local history of great prominence, and a recital of its beginnings and consummation will be interesting. On a previous page it was noted how Whitefield's
- ↑ Between these first two meetings of the Board Franklin's friend Godfrey had died, and he thus notices his death in the Pennsylvania Gazette of 19 December, 1749: "Last week died here Mr. Thomas Godfrey, who had an uncommon Genius for all kinds of Mathematical Learning, with which he was extremely well acquainted. He invented the New Reflecting Quadrant used in Navigation."
