The North Mountain Historical Society

Meeting: August 2003

August 18, 2003

 

The History Buffs met at the Brass Pelican on Monday, August 18. Jim Vance chaired the meeting. Zane Hartman offered prayer. Everyone introduced themselves and told where they were from. After the reading of the minutes of the last meeting Jim introduced Professor George Turner who spoke to us on the Orangeville Academy that later became an orphanage for children of soldiers in the Union Army who gave their lives in service for their country, The Academy opened in 1858 on Pine Street in Orangeville. It was a private school funded by the sale of stock and a tuition fee of $6.00 per quarter.

Two principals stayed only one year but in 1860 Henry D. Walker became principal and remained until the school was closed. Professor Turner said he could find few records but he did find a copy of the "regulations of discipline".
Among the regulations set down were:
(1) classes started at 9:00 AM
(2) School opened with the reading of the scripture by a student
(3) No profane language was allowed
(4) No food was allowed in student's rooms
(5) No student was allowed to use tobacco in their rooms unless a spittoon was provided
(6) Students must attend religious services on Sunday The Academy proved to be quite popular with students coming from places other than Columbia County.

64 students were enrolled for the winter term of 1862. But changes were to come. Governor Curtim believed the state had obligations to the children of Union soldiers killed in battle during the Civil War. He was the first to advocate that something be done for these children and after much political maneuvering a bill was passed in 1867 to establish Civil War Orphans Schools. The Orangeville Academy was changed to one of these schools with Rev. Walker as Principal and in 1868 there were 240 orphans in the school.
Politics again came in to the picture and when a new superintendent was appointed he alleged that Rev. Walker ill treated the children and refused to follow directions and he ordered the school closed. After a law suit and a court trial Rev. Walker was vindicated and was awarded $10,000 from the state in reparation.
The Academy was reopened in 1870. It later became the Orangeville High School. The last class to graduate from the High School was in 1948 and in 1974 the building was razed.
Our thanks to Professor Turner for a most interesting and informative presentation.
The next meeting will be September 15 at the Pelican. The speaker will be David Kline who will speak on the history of the Raven Creek Valley.