The Powder Point School for Boys was a private college-preparatory academy operating in Duxbury, MA between 1893-1926. The school was established by Frederick Bradford Knapp on the former estate of Ezra “King Caesar” Weston, Jr. In 1910 Knapp sold the school to John and Philip Moulton who ran the school, despite a disastrous fire in 1913, until 1926. The school was then merged with Tabor Academy in Marion, MA. After the school closed, the dormitory building was converted into the National Sailor’s Home and the headmaster’s house, also known as the King Caesar House, was sold as a private residence. Today, the King Caesar House is owned by the Duxbury Rural & Historical Society.
The Powder Point School for Boys Collection consists of school related items collected by the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society, including literary magazines, brochures and catalogs.
- Folder 1: Powder Point Monthly Herald, 1894
- Folder 2: Powder Point School brochures, 1894-1898
- Folder 3: Dance cards with pencils attached, dance program and invitations, 1884-1906
- Folder 4: Powder Point School calendar with photograph, 1907-1908
- Folder 5: Powder Horn literary magazine, 1910, 1915 & 1924
- Folder 6: Powder Point School catalogue, 1915
- Folder 7: Lester Wright Osborn day bood, 1898
- Folder 8: Newspaper clippings, c. 1920-1955
- Folder 9: Notes of Duxbury Town Historian, 1985
- Folder 10: Powder Point School pin
- Folder 11: Powder Horn Yearbook, 1925
Drew Archival Library 
My Grandfather, George Doyen, attended in 1906 before attending Harvard
My Grandfather, Malcolm Bridges Hall attended before attending MIT.
My grandfather, Myron O. Sleeper graduated from there around 1910 or so. My family has some photographs we could share
That would be fantastic.
My father, Norman S. George 1906-1981, attended Powder Point School in the mid-1920s, where he became a schoolboy phenom in baseball and track—and humor editor of the 1925 edition of the Powder Horn, in which appears his metrical send-up of faculty member Chester Prothero.
George took an extra year at Moses Brown, in Providence, and went on to captain the BU baseball and track teams, graduating in the class of 1931. While at BU, he pitched as a summertime “ringer” for the Providence (RI) Universals baseball team, where he won a silver loving cup for his batting average of .447.
I have his 1925 Powder Horn yearbook and his scrapbook of news clippings and photos of his schoolboy and college athletic career.
Norman S. George, Jr.
Your father sounds like a remarkable fellow. I would love to see copies of the newspaper clippings and the photographs!
Trivia: Alger Hiss was a Powder Point graduate—mentioned in a class note in the 1925 Powder Horn yearbook.
Would enjoy bringing his scrapbook to the Drew Library!
http://thingsineverlearnedfrommymom.blogspot.com/2017/06/mystery-history-and-scandal-part-one.html I found some old books at a yard sale. Inside were these wonderful drawings by a 16 year old boy who attended the Powder Point School in 1900. I was fascinated with the drawings and started looking for information about him. Sadly I found that he died not long after these drawings were done in July of 1900. I was wondering if anyone had any photos from that time. In the back of the book was a roster for the baseball and football teams that year. It had all the kids names and the teacher’s names listed. The name of the boy was F. Norton Hatch, which is Frank Norton Hatch. His father was the Superintendent of the New Bedford Textile School.
My father, Reuben J. Marvel Jr., attended Powder Point in the early 1920s. I have one issue of the Powder Horn, as well as a photo of him and several classmates in their knickers.
How great! If you ever want to trod in his footsteps, the headmaster’s house is our (Duxbury Rural & Historical Society’s) King Caesar House – it was originally the home Duxbury’s most successful shipbuilders, Ezra “King Caesar” Weston. The DRHS acquired it in 1965 and it is open to the public. We have some Powder Point School for Boys photographs on display.
Madame Weber-Fulop owned the King Caesar House prior to the DRHS. I wonder how long she lived there. She was an outstanding painter. I hope Duxbury has one of her paintings. She did portraits, interiors, landscapes . . . .
Elisabeth Weber-Fulop purchased the house in 1945 with her friend, Alice Moran, from Herman Carey Bumpus. The DRHS acquired the house in 1965.
The DRHS has a number of her paintings. In the near future we will be putting them on exhibit at the King Caesar House.
Do you happen to have any pictures of Emmett Higgins, dob @ 1898/1900? Emmett was there before 1920(ish) so I’m told.
Hi Debi, I don’t have many photographs of students (at least not named) from the school. I don’t see anyone labeled Emmett Higgins in the few images I that I do have.
Why is there a memorial to the School at the junction of Powder Point Ave and King Caesar?
That marker is for the Point School, one of the grammar schools in Duxbury.
Is the dormitory/Sailor’s Home is still extant? That would interest me most, since it’s where my father would have lived.
The dormitory/Sailors Home was torn down in the 1970s.
My grandfather, Daniel Milton Crook, graduates from the school around 1916. If anyone has photos, I would be very appreciative.
Michael Newman
My Grandfather Edward Humphries attended the academy in 1925. I have the year book as several scholastic medals he won.
David R Humphries
My father-in-law attended in 1925, then moved to Belmont Hill School when it opened in 1926 because his family were friends with the founders. He passed away years ago, and my wife and I now live in Chatham on Cape Cod. Denis Glover jd-glover@comcast.net
I have several old photographs of my grandfather at PPS with the baseball team. Who can I send them to?
Hi Richard, send them to Duxbury Rural & Historical Society, P O Box 2865, Duxbury, MA 02331. Thank you!
Just a footnote to the old photographs of my grandfather at PPS. My grandfather was born in 1888. By the looks of the photograph, he appears to be about 12-13 years old. Therefore, I think those photos were taken around 1900-01.
I have a sterling bracelet with the Powder Point School logo on it. It’s in pristine condition. Any interest in it? Lay me know. Thanks.
Thank you Reggie, we certainly do have an interest in it. Please contact our Collections Manager, Claire, at csenatore@duxburyhistory.org. We are out of the office next week, but she will respond in the New Year.