Clio's Nursery
Iredell County, Iredell County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Clio's Nursery. A school established about 1778 by the Rev. James Hall. Trained many prominent men. Closed about 1787. Was a few hundred yards E.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
Around 1778 the Rev. James Hall, a Presbyterian minister and educator, opened a classical school called Clio's Nursery in the Carolina backcountry. Though it operated only about a decade before closing near 1787, it trained a number of men who went on to prominence in the early republic. It stood a short distance east of this marker.
Why it matters
Clio's Nursery reflects the frontier Presbyterian tradition of learning that seeded leadership in the newly independent United States.
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Related people
- Β· James Hall
Themes & tags
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