The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1875-12-01
McMinn Academy.

| located IN the Town Oh ESOkNFSVA1ker IEO&A
its historical associations, deserves u
more extended notice than it heretofore
received at our hands. In looking up
its history we find that on the 18th day
of April, 1918, deed was made by JO-
seph Rogers (the founder of our village,
and from whom Rogersville takes its
name) to George Maxwell, VIM Arm
strong, Thomas Jackson, Richard Mitch
| ell, Andrew Galbraith, Samuel Powell,
Andrew Campbell, Francis Dalzell, Jno.
A. Rogers and George Hale, Trustees Of
| McMinn Academy, of ga certain tract
or parcel of ground, for the purpose of
| establishing thereon an Academy, with
other houses, etc, etc, necessary or ap-
pertaining thereto" The deed recites
"that the said Joseph Rogers for and in
! consideration of the benevolent disposi-
ton entertained by him for improving
the state of society by the promotion of
learning" doth convey and confirm unto
the aforesaid Trustees a lot of ground
&" beginning at stake near the junction
of the Knox and Clinch roads, running
various directions and distances. so as to
include three acres, more or less. He al
SO coveys to the Trustees the right of
way to a spring, north OF the Federal
Spring, for the use of the teachers, stew
ard and students of said Academy for
ever. This is the ground upon which
the present Academy building stands.
On the 10Th day of January, 1851,
Stokely D. Mitchell and Alice G.. Mitch
ell, his wife, for and in consideration of
the sum Of two hundred and ten dollars
and fifty cents, in hand paid, make
further conveyance to the Trustees Of
said Academy of four acres and twenty
one hundredths of an acre. This last
conveyance lies west of the lot given by
Mr.. Rogers. These two conveyances it
appears makes the Academy the owner
of seven and one fifth acres of land.
Tradition says that old Gov. McMinn
made the Trustees donation of sum
of money TO pay for the erection of
buildings, and hence the institution was
called by his name, but exactly how this
is we are not well enough informed to
speak.
What is now the L of the building, was,
% years ago, the only school-house. The
two-story building, fronting southwark,
was built about 90 years ago. Before
the war we had a fund known as the
Academy Fund, " and from which an
annual amount was drawn in support of
this school. What ever become of that
fund, or how it was finally used up or
gone, or covered up in some way, so
that none of it is available. The present
Board of Trustees ought to look into
this matter and see how it is. If the
fund was on deposit in the Bank of Ten
nessee when that institution went under,
the State owes it now to the county, and
it can, if the proper steps are taken, be
recovered. But we are under the i'm
preston that it was loaned out to private
parties, and if this impression is correct,
the present Trustees ought certainly to
see after it and recover as much of the
original fund with interest as is possible.
We have been informed that consider
able sum, perhaps as much as six or sew
en- hundred dollars, of this fund has been
paid in since the close of the war. The
dwelling house o. widow lady in this
village was sold to get the money to pay
a debt her husband had contracted in his
lifetime, by borrowing money from the
Trustees Of the Academy. Now, where
is that money? How has it been usedg
But, for the present. we will go back
to the old history of the school. Such
men as the late s. d. Mitchell, r. G.
Crawford, &C., taught there when the
present generation of middle-aged men
were school boys. They are the old fell
lows who used to switch the blIe-backed
spelling book and Pixies Arithmetic into
Sam Neill, Jim Simpson, 10. Johnston,
Ed. Aston, and others of like age. When
we first knew the place, 25 years ago,
Lacy Jones was the teacher. He was q
highly educated man, but not a success
full teacher. Jones was succeeded by
John L. Lampson, who taught for sew
eral years, and had ffourishing school
drawing boys here from half dozen
States. He was followed by man nam
ed Wynn, who remained only months
Then, we believe, A. Fulkerson and G.
w. Heiskell took charge, and in 1861,
when the war commenced, Robert ID.
Powell and Dan G. Miller were teaching
there. The school was practically clos
ed for three years during the war.
Since the war, we believe, Mr.. A. w.
Maine, Lynn Bachman, and the present
incumbents, Messrs Harding and Todd,
are the only teachers who have been en-
gagged there.
But we left out one chapter in the his
tory of the institution. Somewhere
about 1865 or $50, the Academy was
changed into caldwell College "a
wonderful institution, Of mushroom
growth, with a meon-shine capitol of
great many thousand dollars A minis
ter of the Presbyterian denomination,
named Dashiel, was president, Rev Sam.
Sawyer and Rev. A. A. Blair, were Pro-
fessors. This Institution was of short |
life. 1t died suddenly, and died all over
SO completely that its existence il scarce
ly remembered by any of our citizens,
except those who invested money in IL.
Since the Academy Fund has been
acting like Billy Fernnndez's coon, when
ono OF the Tilson boys had killed II, |