[smokelessjoe]

I contacted the local Perth Amboy historical society some time ago asking for any info they could provide about the cabinet photo. I have copied there response below along with two images that they manipulated and perhaps made it easier to see.

Quite interesting and I thought you folks would like to read...

"The Lyceum movement was started by Josiah Holbrook who wrote an article in American Journal of Education (October 1826) containing a plan for "Associations of Adults for Mutual Education." It was an important phase of the early adult education and public school movements, utilizing, principally, lectures and debates. Holbrook began the first lyceum society in November 1826 at Millbury, Mass. Many more lyceums had originated such as in Worcester County, Mass., and in Windham County, Conn. The movement was given a boost by a meeting of prominent Bostonians, presided over by Daniel Webster, in 1828. By 1831 lyceums came about in all the New England states and in northern New York. State lyceums were organized in 1831 in Massachusetts, Maine, and New York, and in the same year the New York State Lyceum called a meeting in New York City to organize a national lyceum.

The word “Lyceum” comes from ancient Greece where the Lyceum was a school where Aristotle taught.

The supplementary education of those who attended the lyceum was usually grades 9-12. Besides improving the public schools and giving a supplementary education to those unable to attend high school or college, the early lyceums led to some permanent institutions, for instance the Lowell Institute in Massachusetts and Brooklyn Institute in New York.

The photograph was taken outside of what is now the Administration Building at 123 Barracks Street. This school was once a Perth Amboy Grammar School. Before it was a grammar school it was the headquarters for the British Army hence the name Barrack’s Street. It was torn down in the late 1800’s and the grammar school was built.

The Lyceum Program was popular in Perth Amboy as in many other smaller communities. The Lyceum movement hoped to enrich the lives of America’s youth in many aspects as well as athletics. Like many other cities Perth Amboy had many baseball teams and organizations that sponsored them in the early 1900’s. The Lyceum organization was one of them. The photo you sent us shows one aspect of the Lyceum organization in Perth Amboy – their baseball team.

There were many other baseball teams in Perth Amboy in early 1900’s such as American Smelting and Refinery as well as General Cable which played in the same league. Many immigrants played baseball. The Raritan Copperworks sponsored baseball teams as well. Many workers of factories and so forth played in the industrial league. The industrial league, like the Marinos, which was a factory team that launched the careers of many semi-professional baseball players such as Mr. Galvin who went professional and Mr. Connolly who also went professional."