1778-1816
Overview
On 24 July 1778, the State of North Carolina, Washington County granted David Hughes 600 acres on both sides of little Limestone Creek including the plantation where the said Hughes then lived. On August 31, 1779, a record mentions a Courthouse being on the land of David Hughes.
On May 6, 1783 David Hughes sold a 500 acre grant to James Allison. He excluded "one hundred acres as the same is now laid off for the use of the Town of Jonesborough." The North Carolina Assembly passed an act "Whereas one hundred acres of land at the place fixed for the courthouse and public buildings of Washington County... a town be established by the name of Jonesborough." John Gilliland was employed to survey a one hundred acre tract on Little Limestone Creek, specify sites for town buildings, and identify at least fifty lots. Each lot was to be sold for $75, with the proceeds to be used for the benefit of the town. Each lot owner was required to build within three years a well-framed, brick or stone house, sixteen by twenty feet and ten feet high, with a brick or stone chimney. Failure to build within the allotted time could result in forfeiture of the lot.
A plat map created in 1796, shows the original layout for the Town of Jonesborough. The town initially consisted of 64 lots. [See image below - 1796 plat map overlaid on a present-day Google Satellite image.] The Academy Hill building is located on lots #24 and #25 on the map. Both lots regularly changed boundaries over the past two centuries as they were divided and recombined several times. The area that was originally lots #24 and #25 now comprises three lots: 300 Main Street, 312 Main Street (Academy Hill), and 314 Main Street. The current Academy Hill building straddles the boundary of the original lots #24 and #25 with half of the building being on each of these original lots.
In May 1798, the Commissioners of Jonesborough granted eight lots to Robert Mitchell including Lot #24. In 1809 Robert Mitchell passed away. 1/3 shares of lot #24 ended up with each of his children James A Mitchell, Jane Roberts (wife of Owen Roberts), and Elizabeth Collam (wife of William Collam). One of the early owners of Lot #25 was likely Susannah Woodrow. Her son-in-law Samuel D. Jackson had possession of Lot #25 by 1833.
In 1806 the Tennessee legislature passed an "act to establish academies in the several counties." The act states "that John Kennedy, Andrew Steele, William Mitchel, John Nelson, and David Deaderick, shall be, and they are hereby constituted a body politic and corporate, to be known by the name of the trustees of Martin Academy, in the county of Washington. "
In a History of the Jonesborough Presbyterian Church presented by Rev. Rufus P. Wells (1850), he stated "During the season of 1816 the old Martin Academy was built a part of whose walls form the house now owned and occupied by Mr. William P. Chester. The building was of two stories, upper one of which was occupied for several years as an Academy, and the lower one was the place of worship for Hebron Church." The 1816 structure was erected on Lot #24 likely behind the house at 314 W. Main Street.
The building erected in 1816 was both the first Church and the first school building within the town of Jonesborough. The Martin Academy was first established in 1783 via an act of the North Carolina legislature. The location of the first academy was about eight miles Southwest of Jonesborough in what is now Limestone, Tennessee. This academy later became Washington College in 1795. Martin Academy has the distinction of being the earliest educational institution established in Tennessee.
Rev. Wells also included in his 1850 history "II. The old Martin Academy and Church, built of Brick in 1816. Joseph Bowman was the Carpenter and Wade did the mason work."
It is not clear if the Martin Academy operated at this location before 1816. However, it is possible the school was in operation as early as 1806. In Goodspeed's History of Tennessee, Washington County (1887) he states "The first school in Jonesboro was taught about 1812, by John C. Harris, in a small house standing on a lot in town. In 1816 the trustees, in union with the Presbyterian Church, erected a building, a part of which is now (1887) occupied by Dr. Warlick as a residence. The trustees at that time were John Kennedy, David Deaderick. John Nelson, William Mitchell, Andrew Steele, Matthew Aiken, Matthew Stephenson, A. M. Nelson and George and Mien Gillespie, to whom the next year were added James V. Anderson, William B. Carter, John G. Eason, D. G. Vance, John C. Harris and Samuel Greer. This school then became the educational center of the town."
For more information see Academy Hill Lots & Deeds.
