Josiah Holbrook (1788-1854) was an American educator born in Derby, Connecticut who attended Yale College and developed interests in chemistry and mineralogy. After inheriting his family farm and teaching school, he conducted a manual training school and founded the Agricultural Seminary in 1824-25. He promoted the Lyceum movement to provide mutual instruction through libraries, museums, and public schools, establishing the first Lyceum in Millbury, Massachusetts in 1826. While collecting mineral specimens in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1854, Holbrook fell from a cliff and drowned in a creek.
Josiah Holbrook was born to a prosperous farming family in Derby, Connecticut, 1788. Josiah’s early education experience was in Derby where he attended an Ordinary Common School and later studied with Reverend Porter in preparation for college. After his college preparation, Josiah attended an undergraduate program at Yale College. While studying at Yale, he was influenced by Benjamin Silliman and developed an interest in mineralogy and chemistry.
After Yale graduation, Josiah opened a school in Derby. Soon after, due to the death of his parents, he inherited the family farm. While managing the family farm in Derby, Josiah met Lucy Swift and was married in 1814. During their four short years of marriage, Alfred and Dwight were born. Lucy died in 1818 and Josiah raised Alfred and Dwight on the family farm.
Josiah owned a business that manufactured scientific apparatus for schools. One of the mechanism he manufactured was the terrestrial globe. Although his business was short-lived, it did allow him funds to travel throughout England and lecture on geology. During this time, he founded the Agricultural Seminary and had two published works: Scientific Tracts and Family Lyceum.
Throughout Josiah’s travels and lecture series, he continually believed in adult learning and education. His vision for adults to learn inspired him to pursue adult learning “centers” known as lyceums. Josiah believed lyceum would provide mutual instruction for adults and “right the illness of society.” The lyceum movement continued to gain popularity promoting libraries, museums and public schools. The first lyceum constructed and designed by Josiah Holbrook was in Millbury, Massachusetts-1826.
Living the legacy of his father, Alfred and Dwight built a Lyceum Village in 1837. They continued to be influential in adult learning even though they parted ways to live their life with their families.
Later in life, after retirement, so to speak, Josiah was living his passion by collecting mineral specimen from a cliff. Unfortunately, he slipped and fell from the cliff. Josiah landed in a creek at the bottom where he drowned. Josiah Holbrook died in 1854 but his initial vision of adult learning “centers” continues to be influential today.
![Who was Josiah Holbrook? ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)