This month’s artifact, #338-33, is a brochure, printed in 1858, from the Russian River Institute.  April MacDonald donated the item to the Healdsburg Museum in 1985.  It was found in the basement of the Henry Passalacqua house at 403 Sherman Street.  This irreplaceable relic is in surprisingly good condition for its age.  It measures 5 inches tall by 4 inches wide.  Though the edges are torn and the booklet is missing a few pages, the pages are not brittle and the vivid yellow color cover is unfaded.

Russian River Institute Catalogue Cover

The Russian River Institute was a private academy that was founded by Erastus A. Scott in January 1858.  Scott, who came to Heald’s newly-created town in the summer of 1857, financed the construction of an academy through subscriptions from the families of potential students.  One hundred and three scholars were enrolled in the first term. 

The new school was an impressive two-story wood-frame building with belfry, built at the edge of an oak, manzanita and madrone grove.  Today the site of this former schoolhouse is 112 University Street.  The street was so named because of this building.

Russian River Institute Student List

According to the catalogue, the Russian River Institute students were expected to follow five rules of behavior: 

1.      Students will be required to abstain from any and all profane language. 

2.      They will be expected to treat their teachers and each other with all kindness and due respect. 

3.      They will be expected to attend some place of public worship on the Sabbath, when it is convenient to do so.   

4.      They will be restrained from visiting places of vicious practices. 

5.      They will be required to practice punctuality and diligence, and to yield prompt and cheerful obedience to such other rules and regulations as the teachers may from time to time see proper to establish for the good of the school. 

For more about the Russian River Institute and other early schools, stay tuned for the next issue of the Russian River Recorder.

The Russian River Institute as it appeared in 1878

The above was researched and written by Holly Hoods.

For more information about the Museum's collection of historical artifacts, contact the Museum