Paddle-shaped softwood fan is decorated with a carved/woodburned and pencil-scored line drawing of a woman's head in profile with the date "MAY First 1903" inscribed below neck. Adjacent to face in bold lettering is "YEATES". The woman has a comb or crest mounted on top of her pinned-up hairdo with the letter "Y". Opposite side of fan has pencil inscription that appears to read in part, "Alice Potter Fordney" and "Yeates School / Lancaster / Pa." (See Notes)
Unfinished wood is strongly darkened from oxidation and soil, with some liquid staining on both sides. Pencil inscription difficult to read.
Object ID
2002.617.6
Notes
The Yeates School was a boys preparatory school operated by the Episcopal Church. It was last located along the Lincoln Highway in East Lampeter Twp. at the site of the present-day Lancaster Mennonite School. The property and buildings has been abandoned by the time the Mennonites began to clean up and build on the site in 1942.
It is likely this is the same school that was called the Yeates Institute in the 19th century, as that school is described in Ellis and Evans' History of Lancaster County, pp. 227, 413, 468 and 484.
Page 227 - Catharine Yeates (1783-1866), unmarried daughter of Jasper Yeates, founded the Yeates Institute initially for the education of poor young men for the ministry.
Page 413 - The institute was incorporated Aug. 18, 1857 for "the education of young men in all the customary branches of a thorough academicl course of learning" as well as for "mercantile pursuits, for universities and higher colleges, and also for holy orders, if desired." It was endowed by Miss Yeates and governed by a board of 7 men including the rector of St. James parish. The school declined, but reopened Sept. 1, 1878 south of the Duke St. parish until a brick structure could be built at the NW corner of N. Duke and E. Walnut Sts. It had about 45 students circa 1883.
Page 468 Endowed through the influence of Episcopal Bishop Samuel Bowman.
Page 484 Rev. Theodore Hopkins served as pricipal of Yeates School.
Place of Origin
Lancaster County
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
