Green River Female Academy
Encyclopedia
The Green River Female Academy in Todd County
, Kentucky
is one of the best physical representations of early women's rights in the United States
and is an example of early Kentucky Federal
and Greek Revival
architecture.
The school was built for the trustees of the Green River Female Academy, begun in 1835 and completed in 1836 using slave labor donated by local plantation
s. The five-bay double pile building stands on a 1.5 acre (0.607029 ha) donated site that once was a part of the Francis Marion Bristow plantation known as Edward's Hall in the city of Elkton
. The Green River Female Academy is the only school predating the Civil War
in the Green River region to survive. The building has had 16 owners, all of which have made alterations to the function of the estate or/and its appearance.
The building was designed in both the Federal and Greek-Revival styles and is a representation of the transition between the styles. The exterior of the building is designed primarily in the Federal style with a projecting pediment
over the central bay. The interior radiates from a central hallway that traverses three floors. The plan is symmetrical on all floors. The design for the building is attributed to R. Rowland. Rowland possibly used the pattern books of Minard Lafever
, Asher Benjamin
and John Haviland to create his plan and details for the academy building, as many of the details align in form with the designs featured in Lafever, Benjamin and Haviland's pattern books. Stock
for the project was sold to wealthy families, especially gentleman planters, throughout the south. The project was marketed as a respite for girls and young ladies, from the heat and disease of the deep south. Funds from the issued stock were used to construct the academy building.
The school grew to become very prominent in the 19th century. Kentucky, along with North Carolina, boasted the best schools in the nation. The school remained an all female academy until the Civil War. The repositioning of wealth throughout the south after the war required a new approach to the economic recovery of the school. Thereafter, the school allowed both men and women to attend. Many graduates of the Academy attended colleges in the northeast including Yale
and Columbia
. Notable figures including United States Supreme Court Justice James Clark McReynolds
attended the school, excelling in academics under West Point Graduate Major Robert Crumbaugh. The school held its prestige until the late 1880s. Elkton became a center of education in the late 19th century after the introduction of various colleges, seminaries and academies, including the Vanderbilt Training School and Bethel Women's College. After these schools were introduced to the area, attendance at the Green River Academy began to fall. After the school became defunct, the stock was sold in majority to the City of Elkton Trustees and was used as a public school for the community of Elkton. The school remained in operation until the stock was dissolved and the building was thereafter converted into a residence by the Judge Walton Forgy.
The Green River Academy Preservation Society controls the estate, sponsors academic and professional research and allows tours of the building to the general public by appointment. The organization presents the estate to visitors as a study of the progress of the estate's development over time. The Green River Academy Preservation Society expects to have funds to restore the building by spring of 2011.
Todd County, Kentucky
Todd County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population is 11,971. Its county seat is Elkton. The county is named after Colonel John Todd, who was killed at the Battle of Blue Licks in 1782...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
is one of the best physical representations of early women's rights in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and is an example of early Kentucky Federal
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
and Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
architecture.
The school was built for the trustees of the Green River Female Academy, begun in 1835 and completed in 1836 using slave labor donated by local plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s. The five-bay double pile building stands on a 1.5 acre (0.607029 ha) donated site that once was a part of the Francis Marion Bristow plantation known as Edward's Hall in the city of Elkton
Elkton, Kentucky
Elkton is a city in and the county seat of Todd County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,984 at the 2000 census. The city was founded by Major John Gray...
. The Green River Female Academy is the only school predating the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in the Green River region to survive. The building has had 16 owners, all of which have made alterations to the function of the estate or/and its appearance.
The building was designed in both the Federal and Greek-Revival styles and is a representation of the transition between the styles. The exterior of the building is designed primarily in the Federal style with a projecting pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
over the central bay. The interior radiates from a central hallway that traverses three floors. The plan is symmetrical on all floors. The design for the building is attributed to R. Rowland. Rowland possibly used the pattern books of Minard Lafever
Minard Lafever
Minard Lafever was an influential American architect of churches and houses in the United States in the early nineteenth century.-Life and career:...
, Asher Benjamin
Asher Benjamin
Asher Benjamin was an American architect and author whose work transitioned between Federal style architecture and the later Greek Revival. His seven handbooks on design deeply influenced the look of cities and towns throughout New England until the Civil War...
and John Haviland to create his plan and details for the academy building, as many of the details align in form with the designs featured in Lafever, Benjamin and Haviland's pattern books. Stock
Stock
The capital stock of a business entity represents the original capital paid into or invested in the business by its founders. It serves as a security for the creditors of a business since it cannot be withdrawn to the detriment of the creditors...
for the project was sold to wealthy families, especially gentleman planters, throughout the south. The project was marketed as a respite for girls and young ladies, from the heat and disease of the deep south. Funds from the issued stock were used to construct the academy building.
The school grew to become very prominent in the 19th century. Kentucky, along with North Carolina, boasted the best schools in the nation. The school remained an all female academy until the Civil War. The repositioning of wealth throughout the south after the war required a new approach to the economic recovery of the school. Thereafter, the school allowed both men and women to attend. Many graduates of the Academy attended colleges in the northeast including Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
and Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Notable figures including United States Supreme Court Justice James Clark McReynolds
James Clark McReynolds
James Clark McReynolds was an American lawyer and judge who served as United States Attorney General under President Woodrow Wilson and as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court...
attended the school, excelling in academics under West Point Graduate Major Robert Crumbaugh. The school held its prestige until the late 1880s. Elkton became a center of education in the late 19th century after the introduction of various colleges, seminaries and academies, including the Vanderbilt Training School and Bethel Women's College. After these schools were introduced to the area, attendance at the Green River Academy began to fall. After the school became defunct, the stock was sold in majority to the City of Elkton Trustees and was used as a public school for the community of Elkton. The school remained in operation until the stock was dissolved and the building was thereafter converted into a residence by the Judge Walton Forgy.
The Green River Academy Preservation Society controls the estate, sponsors academic and professional research and allows tours of the building to the general public by appointment. The organization presents the estate to visitors as a study of the progress of the estate's development over time. The Green River Academy Preservation Society expects to have funds to restore the building by spring of 2011.