Frederick William Gunn

Frederick William Gunn
Gunn's carte-de-visite, 1860s
Born(1816-10-04)October 4, 1816
Washington, Connecticut
DiedAugust 16, 1881(1881-08-16) (aged 64)
Washington, Connecticut
EducationYale University
OccupationEducator
Spouse
Abigail Irene Brinsmade
(m. 1848)
Signature

Frederick William Gunn (October 4, 1816 – August 16, 1881) was an American educator, abolitionist, and outdoorsman, who in 1850 founded The Frederick Gunn School (formerly known as The Gunnery), an independent school in the small town of Washington, Connecticut, and America's first summer camp.[1] An iconoclast and educational reformer, Gunn endured social ostracism and community exile for his abolitionist beliefs in his early life, but was able to return to his hometown of Washington, where, in addition to the school, the library and local history museum were dedicated in his name and that of his wife, Abigail (July 18, 1820 ‒ September 13, 1908).[2] Gunn was a moral beacon for the wider community accepting girls, African Americans, Native Americans, and international students into his school. Among his first students were the children of abolitionist and author Harriet Beecher Stowe[3] and Henry Ward Beecher. A staunch defender of his values and a natural leader of men, Gunn was a conductor on the Underground Railroad,[4] an innovator in curriculum and student development,[5] and is recognized as the originator of leisure camping in the United States.[6] An early proponent of competitive athletics as a critical part of holistic education, Frederick Gunn also appears in what is considered to be the first photograph of a baseball game in progress.[7]

  1. ^ Krimsky, Paula Gibson. "Reading, Writing, and the Great Outdoors: Frederick Gunn's School Transforms Victorian-era Education". Connecticut History. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  2. ^ "Gunn Memorial Library & Museum". Historic Buildings of Connecticut.
  3. ^ Hedrick, Joan D. (1994). Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life. Oxford University Press. p. 457. ISBN 978-0-19-506639-5.
  4. ^ Strother, Horatio (1962). The Underground Railroad in Connecticut. Wesleyan University Press. pp. 123–124.
  5. ^ Gibson, William Hamilton, ed. (1887). The Master of The Gunnery: A Memorial to Frederick William Gunn. New York: The Gunn Memorial Association. p. 173.
  6. ^ Turner, Ross (January 2018). "Great Things Have Small Beginnings". Camping Magazine. American Camp Association.
  7. ^ New Milford Historical Society (2015). New Milford Revisited. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 57. ISBN 9781439652138.