Trenton Academy was a private school in the city of

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

, from 1781 to 1884 that served children ages 4–16. It was located on Academy Street where the Trenton Public Library is presently located."Louise Hewitt"
''Historic Trenton'' The Smith Press Trenton New Jersey 1916: pp. 18-19

History

In 1781 prominent members of the Trenton community created a company promoting the cause of education in the city. It was organized as a stock company and the board of trustees were elected annually from the stockholders. By 1785, the school was formally named Trustees of Trenton Academy. After 1789 the school issued a certificate under the seal of the corporation to scholars which studied the English language grammatically and gained competent knowledge of at least 2 branches of Extraction of the Roots, Algebra, Mathematics, Geography, Chronology, History Logic Rhetoric, Moral and Natural Philosophy, Spirit of Laws and Criticism, the students also read, what is usually read in schools: Caesars Commentaries or Ovid's Metamorphoses, Justin or Sallust in Latin and any two of the four following books, The New Testament, Lucian's Dialogue, Xenophon or Homer in Greek."Francis Bazley Lee"
''History of Trenton, New Jersey'' F. T. Smiley & Company Trenton N.J. 1895: pp. 103-104"John O. Raum"
''History of the City of Trenton, New Jersey'' Trenton N.J. W.T. Nicholson & Co Printers 1871: p. 223 During the late 1790s, the Academy held a lottery to raise money. In 1800, they leased part of the Presbyterian church ground on State street for a girls' school. The Trustees of the Academy passed a resolution prohibiting the students from shooting guns within the limits of the school in the year 1807. In the winter of 1815-1816, the Academy was used by the

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 ...

church to hold one of the first Sunday schools in the country. The school flourished for many years as a notable institution in Trenton New Jersey. Many statesmen and notable citizens attended the institution. In 1847 a new building was erected and the trustees reduced the tuition. By 1870 the principal of the academy was George R Grosvenor. The Trustees were Thomas J Stryker, Gregory Anthony Perdicaris, Barker Gummere, Philemon Dickinson, and John S. Chambers. By the year 1881, the school contained nineteen students and after 103 years around 1884, the school closed, currently the lot where the Trenton Academy once stood is now the Trenton Public Library. There is a plaque on the library describing the Trenton Academy.

Trustees

Notable alumni

Charles Conrad Abbott Charles Conrad Abbott (June 4, 1843 – July 27, 1919) was an American archaeologist and naturalist. Biography Abbott was born at Trenton, New Jersey, son of Timothy and Susan (Conrad) Abbott; grandson of Joseph and Anne (Rickey) Abbott, and a ...

(1843–1919), archaeologist and naturalist * J. Hart Brewer * William L. Dayton (1807–1864), politician * William Lewis Dayton Jr. * Samuel R. Gummere * William Stryker Gummere (1852–1933), lawyer who served as chief justice of the

Supreme Court of New Jersey The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases cha ...

Thomas Story Kirkbride Thomas Story Kirkbride (July 31, 1809December 16, 1883) was a physician, alienist, and hospital superintendent for the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital, and primary founder of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Insti ...

(1809–1883), physician, alienist and hospital superintendent *

Gershom Mott Gershom Mott (April 7, 1822 – November 29, 1884) was a United States Army officer and a General in the Union Army, a commander in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. Early life General Mott was born in Lamberton, New Jersey, ...

(1822–1884),

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officer and a General in the Union Army * Ion Hanford Perdicaris (1840–1925), author, professor, lawyer, painter and playwright *

Washington Roebling Washington Augustus Roebling (May 26, 1837 – July 21, 1926) was an American civil engineer who supervised the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, designed by his father John A. Roebling. He served in the Union Army during the American Civ ...

(1837–1926),

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

who supervised the construction of the

Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It w ...

Washington Roebling
Pennsylvania Center for the Book. Accessed May 8, 2025. "Roebling continued his studies at The Trenton Academy, which was one of the most well-known schools in the state of New Jersey." * Charles Skelton * Daniel Bailey Ryall * William E Hoy * James Hoy Jr."Staff Writers"
''The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography Volume XIII'' New York James T White & Company 1906: p. 521

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Trenton, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Trenton, New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1781 1781 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions disestablished in 1884 1884 disestablishments in New Jersey