Cornwall Academy
Encyclopedia
Cornwall Academy was a non-sectarian college preparatory school for boys located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts
among the Berkshire Hills of western New England
. Its founder was John Geddes Moran, an intellectual and compassionate man who acted as Headmaster for the life of the institution. Moran was much beloved by students and staff alike. His passion for education provided an atmosphere on the campus where avant-garde and experimental teaching techniques were fostered. The school focused on improving the academic achievement of its students though a disciplined environment including classes six days a week and obligatory supervised study periods in the evenings. Many of Cornwall’s faculty had attended Dartmouth College
and among the more memorable was John Gardner Chamberlain, the Deputy Headmaster who also taught history. William Stevenson
, who taught English at Cornwall in the 1960s, went on to be the Headmaster of Litchfield Academy in Connecticut.
Cornwall Academy’s curriculum served boys from the first to sixth form (7th through 12th grade) with an additional “post-graduate” year offered if required. The student body itself never exceeded more than 100 boys at any given time. The school colors were burgundy and white and despite its small size Cornwall was not without sporting successes in the local private prep school leagues. The campus was outside of the town of Great Barrington and lay along a tributary of the Housatonic
known as the Green River. The Headmaster’s historic residence, Moran House, had one of the few remaining hanging staircases in Massachusetts. Another colonial era structure on campus, the Saint Onge Guest House, was used as accommodation for visitors to the school. It is said to have been the place where the historian William Manchester
wrote much of his book The Death of a President. The campus of Cornwall Academy was once described in Town & Country
magazine as one of the most beautiful in New England. The institution lasted from the late 1950s until it was forced to close due to financial difficulties in the early 1980s. Graduates are known to have succeeded in fields ranging from the arts to business and the professions.
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,104 at the 2010 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, Great Barrington includes the villages of Van...
among the Berkshire Hills of western New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. Its founder was John Geddes Moran, an intellectual and compassionate man who acted as Headmaster for the life of the institution. Moran was much beloved by students and staff alike. His passion for education provided an atmosphere on the campus where avant-garde and experimental teaching techniques were fostered. The school focused on improving the academic achievement of its students though a disciplined environment including classes six days a week and obligatory supervised study periods in the evenings. Many of Cornwall’s faculty had attended Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and among the more memorable was John Gardner Chamberlain, the Deputy Headmaster who also taught history. William Stevenson
William Stevenson
William Stevenson may refer to:* Sir William Stevenson , English poet* Sir William Stevenson , Governor of Mauritius* William Ford Stevenson , Fellow of the Royal Society* William E...
, who taught English at Cornwall in the 1960s, went on to be the Headmaster of Litchfield Academy in Connecticut.
Cornwall Academy’s curriculum served boys from the first to sixth form (7th through 12th grade) with an additional “post-graduate” year offered if required. The student body itself never exceeded more than 100 boys at any given time. The school colors were burgundy and white and despite its small size Cornwall was not without sporting successes in the local private prep school leagues. The campus was outside of the town of Great Barrington and lay along a tributary of the Housatonic
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River is a river, approximately long, in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United States. It flows south to southeast, and drains about of southwestern New England into Long Island Sound...
known as the Green River. The Headmaster’s historic residence, Moran House, had one of the few remaining hanging staircases in Massachusetts. Another colonial era structure on campus, the Saint Onge Guest House, was used as accommodation for visitors to the school. It is said to have been the place where the historian William Manchester
William Manchester
William Raymond Manchester was an American author, biographer, and historian from Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, notable as the bestselling author of 18 books that have been translated into over 20 languages...
wrote much of his book The Death of a President. The campus of Cornwall Academy was once described in Town & Country
Town & Country (magazine)
Town & Country, formerly the Home Journal and The National Press, is a monthly American lifestyle magazine. It is the oldest continually published general interest magazine in the United States.-Early history:...
magazine as one of the most beautiful in New England. The institution lasted from the late 1950s until it was forced to close due to financial difficulties in the early 1980s. Graduates are known to have succeeded in fields ranging from the arts to business and the professions.