The Elizabeth Female Academy, founded in 1818 in the town of

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, was the first female educational institution in Mississippi. It was named after Mrs. Elizabeth Roach (later Greenfield), who donated the land on which the school was located.''History of Education in Mississippi'', Edward Mayes, 1899, page 38

History

The academy received its charter from the State Assembly on February 17, 1819. The school building was said to be "Borrowing a style of architecture from the Spanish of colonial times, the structure was two and a half stories high, the first of brick, the others of frame." The school was operated by

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

s, spiritual culture was emphasized over training for a profession. The curriculum included chemistry, biology, natural and moral philosophy, botany and Latin, among other subjects.

John James Audubon John James Audubon (born Jean-Jacques Rabin, April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851) was a French-American Autodidacticism, self-trained artist, natural history, naturalist, and ornithology, ornithologist. His combined interests in art and ornitho ...

taught drawing there in May and June 1822. According to a history of Methodism in Mississippi, "The coming of Mrs. Caroline M. Thayer, in the fall of 1825, was an epoch in the history of the Academy, and her administration marked an era. She was a remarkably accomplished woman, with a genius for administration." According to the Mississippi Historical Society's Heritage of Mississippi series: The school closed in 1845, due in part to the relocation of the state capital from

Natchez Natchez may refer to: Places * Natchez, Alabama, United States * Natchez, Indiana, United States * Natchez, Louisiana, United States * Natchez, Mississippi, a city in southwestern Mississippi, United States ** Natchez slave market, Mississippi * ...

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

, the general shift in the center of population, and several epidemics of yellow fever in the area. The Methodists also funded a Vicksburg Female Academy and a Woodville Female Academy. The Vicksburg school seemingly closed before the Elizabeth location. The Elizabeth site was reduced to ruins by a fire around 1879. Part of a brick wall is all that now remains of the Academy buildings. The site of the Academy was entered on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1977. A parking area with interpretive signs and a path to the ruins is located at mile marker 4.1 on the

Natchez Trace Parkway The Natchez Trace Parkway is a limited-access national parkway in the Southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Natchez Trace and preserves sections of that original trail. Its central feature is a two-lane road that extends 44 ...

Notable faculty and alumnae

Varina Howell Davis Varina Anne Banks Davis ( Howell; May 7, 1826 – October 16, 1906) was the only First Lady of the Confederate States of America, and the longtime second wife of President Jefferson Davis. She moved to the presidential mansion in Richmond, ...

References

1818 establishments in Mississippi 1845 disestablishments in Mississippi Defunct private universities and colleges in Mississippi Educational institutions established in 1818 Female seminaries in the United States Former women's universities and colleges in the United States History of women in Mississippi University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi Ruins on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Adams County, Mississippi University and college buildings completed in 1818 Educational institutions disestablished in 1845 Methodist schools in the United States Methodism in Mississippi Education in Adams County, Mississippi {{Mississippi-university-stub

History

Notable faculty and alumnae

See also

References