Comte de Rochambeau School (Elementary)
80 Gibson Street, Dorchester
Built 1918
Joseph McGuinness, Architect
Comte de Rochambeau (1725-1807), the Commander of the French forces in America during the Revolution, was born in Vendome, France. He entered the French Army at the age of 17 and rose to the rank of General. Rochambeau’s army of 6,000 was instrumental in gaining the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
The building was converted to residential condominiums, about 1990.
Picture 4015 from 2004
Source:
What’s In a Name? Names of Boston’s Schools: Their Origin. Boston: School Volunteers for Boston and the Boston Public Schools, 1980.
Readers’ Comments
Dec. 2007 From: Marie Brickell Ersoff
I went to this school from Kindergarten through 6th grade before moving on to Girls’ Latin. Those were the days of no lunch rooms..we ate at our desks, so you didn’t forget to bring your lunch. The schoolyard was divided, girls on one side, boys on the other. 3 elementary schools to a district, one principal, who was at the Mary Hemmenway School, the Vice-principal at our school was Mr Wilson, who was my 6th grade teacher. School doors were locked during school, no fear of intruders. I have a great memory of churning butter in Kindergarten with Miss Glover, who had already been a teacher for decades. It was a nice place, a good place to learn.
Henry W. Erickson, who lived with his family at 4 Harrison Park, attended the Comte de Rochambeau School, grade 4 around 1919. [does anyone know where Harrison Park is?]
