Greene Academy
Carmichaels, Greene County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Established in 1810 by Act of Legislature. Was aided by State grant of $2000 and public subscriptions. Until 1860, a leading academy west of the mts. Old building, no longer used for a school, is northeast of here, on Market St.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Established by act of the Pennsylvania legislature in 1810 and aided by a state grant and local subscriptions, Greene Academy brought advanced schooling to Carmichaels when much of western Pennsylvania was still frontier country. For half a century it stood among the leading academies west of the mountains, educating young people far from the older schools of the East. Its old building still stands nearby.
Why it matters
Frontier academies like this one carried education across the Appalachians, proving that a young republic valued learning even at its western edge.
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Themes & tags
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