Miss Porter's School

Sarah Porter was born on August 16, 1813 to Reverend Noah Porter and Mehetable "Meigs" Porter. Her parents were prominent abolitionists and education reformers, resulting in Sarah and her siblings receiving a remarkable education. Sarah, though it was rare for women of the time, was tutored by Yale professors after completing formal education at the Farmington Academy and the Young Ladies Institute in New Haven, CT.

Sarah Porter taught in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania before returning to her hometown of Farmington, Connecticut to open the Miss Porter's School, a sister school to Farmington's Academy for Boys, in 1843. Porter insisted the curriculum should include Latin, French, German, spelling, reading, arithmetic, trigonometry, history, geography, chemistry, physiology, botany, geology and astronomy. Porter was also adamant about physical exercise, and students participated in tennis, horseback riding, and baseball.

Sarah Porter died in 1900, and the school was willed to her nephew, Robert Porter Keep. The school remained in the Porter family until it was incorporated in 1943. Miss Porter's School still operates as a boarding and day school for girls.

Notably, the Samuel Deming House and Samuel Deming's Store are now owned by Miss Porter's School, used as offices and faculty housing. The Samuel Deming House and Samuel Deming's Store are included in the Farmington Freedom Trail, known for their role in the Amistad Africans' stay in Farmington in 1841.

Legacy, Miss Porter's School. Accessed November 5th 2020. https://www.porters.org/legacy/.

Johnson, Rossiter, ed. (1906). "Porter, Sarah". The Biographical Dictionary of America. 8. American Biographical Society. p. 400.

Noah Porter House, National Parks Service. Accessed November 5th 2020. https://www.nps.gov/places/noah-porter-house.htm.