The first day school of any kind in Portland was opened in the fall of 1847 by Dr. Ralph Wilcox. It was conducted in a private house erected by Mr. McNamee at the foot of Taylor Street. It continued for one quarter and from time to time in the years following school would be carried on by some teacher for three months. The usual charge was $10. per pupil for the quarter. The first 'free school' is mentioned in the Oregonian of December 6, 1851. John T. Outhouse was the principal and began teaching in the school house next door to the 'City Hotel' on Monday Dec. 15, 1851. Books used were 'Saunder's readers, Goodrich's geographies, Thompson's arithmetics and Bullion's grammar'. School District No. 1 was not formally organized until April, 1856.
Two short blocks to the east of Wanamaker's store is one of the celebrated institutions of the city--Cooper Union Institute--founded by Peter Cooper in 1859. It is a free school of sciences and art with $4,000,000 endowment. It has 72 instructors and some four thousand students. Cooper Union has witnessed many famous gatherings in its day. In the days before the Civil War its walls echoed to the appeals of abolitionists like Beecher, Garrison and Wendell Phillips. Abraham Lincoln made his first appearance before an eastern audience in this place, and it has been said that this speech had much to do with making him president. Many fine public concerts are given here, especially on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. On Broadway at 10th Street is Grace Church, which was built in 1845 and is still one of the celebrated churches. It has a very fine boys' choir, which is well worth hearing. On Easter Sunday they give each child a flowering plant.