School of Thought: Paran Stevens, the Man Who Made Stevens High Possible

By Mary Carter
EAGLE TIMES
CORRESPONDENT
CLAREMONT, NH June 7, 2023–At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Paran Stevens’ grandfather was elected to represent the village of Claremont at an upcoming assembly to be held in Exeter. These were happening times. Elihu Stevens would serve on committees dealing with tense issues such as: Connecticut River boundary disputes with Vermont, establishing American houses of worship in Claremont and the dreaded introduction of paper currency.

Elihu’s eldest son Josiah had life a bit easier. In 1800, Josiah built the Tremont House in Claremont, furnishing strong occupations for his four surviving sons. Of the boys, Paran would flourish in the industry. Around 1843, Paran managed The New England Coffee House in Boston. A few years later, he ran the elegantly equipped Revere House. Establishing a solid reputation, Paran would lend his skills to the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City, the Continental in Philadelphia and the Tremont in Boston. By the 1850s, Stevens had amassed a fortune totaling well over $5 million.

In 1866, Stevens made an offer of ten-thousand dollars for the founding of a high school in Claremont. His proviso was that the town match his donation. His gift was graciously accepted. A committee consisting of Aurelius Dickinson, Benjamin Gilman, George N. Farwell, Samuel P. Fiske and Nathaniel Tolles settled on the homestead of the late George B. Upham. A former member of Congress, Upham had been lauded for opposing Virginia representative John Randolph’s ‘rule’ that any New Englander had to step aside for him on sidewalks. George Upham refused. Upham was also known as a trusted lawyer and president of Claremont’s first bank.

Upham’s lovely estate at the corner of Summer and Broad streets ran all the way back to Middle Street. It was purchased for twenty-five hundred dollars. Paran sent additional funds for bricks and fencing. Stevens High School began as a 44 by 64 foot building with four sizable school rooms, ample vestibules and an elegant upper story event hall. The cost at completion was $27,225.27. According to Waite’s ‘History of Claremont,’ Stevens High School “was finished, furnished, and ready for occupancy on the first of September, 1868.”

Paran sent along an additional ten-thousand dollars. He also donated full-length portraits of George Washington and Daniel Webster, which grace the auditorium today. Living out his final years in New York, Paran bequeathed forty-thousand dollars in support of Stevens High. His socialite daughter Minnie would marry British royalty. His quieter son Henry was briefly engaged to Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, Edith Wharton.

Paran would be proud to know that the school bearing his name can claim the longest active high school alumni association in the country. Here’s to 152 years, Stevens High School alumni! You’re the first in any class.

For further information on Claremont’s connection with novelist Edith Wharton, read Mary Carter’s article ‘The Gilded Rage’ featured in the April 22nd, 2023 edition of the Eagle Times.