Fayette County, West Virginia - Fayetteville Academy - 1904 ********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ********************************************************************** ********************************************************************** The records for this work have been submitted by Valerie F. Crook, E-mail address: , May, 1999. ********************************************************************** ********************************************************************** HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN WEST VIRGINIA 1904 Fayetteville Academy BY PRINCIPAL H. C. ROBERTSON The Fayetteville Academy is located at Fayetteville, Fayette county, West Virginia, in one of the most picturesque portions of the State. The town is situated on a beautiful plateau something more than a mile back from the New River canyon, and at an altitude of eighteen hundred feet. It is thus free from the smoke and dust so common to railroad towns, and has a pure bracing atmosphere. The school building stands on the outskirts of the town, and is sur- rounded by a beautiful grove of native trees, with a campus of three acres. The institution was founded in 1893 by Prof. H. C. Robertson, who is still principal and manager. It was first known as the Fayetteville Nor- mal School, but on its being incorporated in 1896 the name was changed to Fayetteville Academy. The school is altogether a private enterprise, free from State or church control and is open to both sexes. The build- ing is fifty-five feet by seventy, and two stories high. It has four large comfortable recitation roms, a music room, a room for business classes, principal's office, and a chapel that will seat comfortably two hundred and fifty people. The faculty at present consists of six teachers, four of whom have taken degrees, and all of whom have taken special training tor their chosen work. The first term opened with an enrollment of fifty-six pupils. The enrollment has steadily improved with each year, being for the last year one hundred and fifty-one. This school is on the list of ac- credited schools of the West Virginia University and stands as a link be- tween the district schools and that institution or any other school of high grade. Beginning with the most elementary the school leads up through all the grades to completion of the academic course. The following courses of study are maintained: Preparatory, Teach- ers, Business, Music and Academic. The preparatory course includes all the studies of a district school except book-keeping, civics and general history. This department leads up to the teacher's department. The teacher's course is designed to give teachers a liberal training that will fully qualify them for successful work in common or graded schools. Much care has been exercised on the part of the management to make this course practical and thorough, so as to constantly meet the demands of the free schol work of the State. Besides the common school branches the following studies are pursued in completing this course: Elocution, Physical Geography, Algebra, Rhet- oric, Latin—beginning and two books in Caesar—Elementary Physics, Drawing, American and English Literature, Plane Geometry, Educational Psychology, and School Management. The work of the Business Department consists of a thorough course in Shorthand and Typewriting, also business forms, business correspondence, English Grammar, Spelling, Commercial Arithmetic and Commercial Law. The work of the Music Department consists of instruction on piano, organ and voice culture. The studies pursued in the Academic Course include all work re- quired for admission to the West Virginia University. The purposes of this department are to give a general training for life and to lay the foundation for a classical education. Several young people have graduated from this institution all of whom are now holding responsible positions. Besides these hundreds of young men and young women have prepared for teaching in the Normal Department, and are now engaged in school work here and there in the State.