The first step necessary to establish the new boarding school was
to procure a suitable building. Space at the mission compound
did not permit of a new building with room for future expansion.
It so happened that the mission had already purchased a piece of
land with the intention of opening a second station. A residence
had been begun but remained unfinished for lack of funds. It was
decided to turn this property over to the school and complete the
building with funds provided by the Troy Branch. The locality was
known as Wang Lang, a name which attached itself to the school for
several years. Concerning this site Dr. House wrote:
“The location of the school is a fine one. It is central,
healthy and breezy; on the west bank of the noble river
Meinam, which rolls through the great city; opposite to,
but a quarter of a mile above, the Royal Palace, where its
buildings such as they are cannot but testify to prince,
noble and peasant as they pass by in their boats of state
or barges what Western Christian nations think of female
education. They also testify to the generosity and friendship
of the American church people.”
As soon as the building could be made ready Dr. and Mrs. House
and Miss Anderson moved to the new location. On May 13, 1874,
this first boarding school for girls in Siam was opened with six
boarders and one day pupil. The building, originally intended only
for a residence, was none too commodious. The basement contained
kitchen, dining room and servants’ quarters; the first floor had a
suite of three rooms for Dr. and Mrs. House and one common living
room; on the second floor was one small sleeping room for Miss
Anderson and two large rooms which served as school rooms by day
and as dormitories for the girls by night. Within a year a second
helper was added in the person of Miss Susie D. Grimstead. By the
second year twenty girls had enrolled, living in these two rooms,
rather small quarters by American standards but ample according to
native custom.
In one regard Mrs. House was disappointed in her expectation. It
had been her confident hope to attract to this school daughters of
some of the nobles and princes. A few of this class came at first
but soon the school was left to the girls of the common class. The
value of an education was not yet as highly valued among the higher
classes as among the lowly; for the women of the upper grades not
only had no need to read but no need to work; while on the other
hand the practical nature of the training given in the school
did not meet the requirements of their social position. In later
years, however, there was a decided change, and with the growing
popularity of education nearly half of the pupils in the school
were from the noble families.