Academy Hill History Highlights:
Academy Hill History Highlights
1778 - North Carolina grants 600 acres to David Hughes.
1783 – A deed indicates 100 acres have been laid off for the use of the Town of Jonesborough
1796 - Plat maps shows the original 64 lot layout of Jonesborough. The “Academy Hill” lots are #24 and #25.
1806 - Tennessee legislature passes an "act to establish academies in the several counties." The act creates a body to be known as "the trustees of Martin Academy, in the county of Washington."
1816 - Hebron Presbyterian Church purchased property on West Main Street at the location of a "Grammar School" and they erected a two story brick building with a place of worship on the first floor and a boy's school "Martin Academy" on the upper floor. The building was the first Church building erected within the town of Jonesborough. This building is believed to have been near the driveway as you enter the Academy Hill parking lot.
1831 - Hebron Presbyterian Church erects a one story brick building close to the original building. The original building was an “inconvenient size” and its walls were “badly cracked”. The location of the 1831 building roughly mirrors the west side of the covered parking area.
1852 - Odd Fellows Lodge No. 40 purchased the property and tore down the original 1816 two-story school/church building.
1854 - Odd Fellows Lodge No. 40 erected an elaborate two-story addition to the front of the single story building (from 1831). The front addition had a porch with four columns, a tower above the entrance, and faced 2nd Avenue. The exact location of the building was pinpointed using Sanborn Fire Maps. The columned porch was at the East end of our covered parking area. The south wall was at the location of our current decorative brick wall. In 1854, the Odd Fellows Lodge united with the Jonesborough Female Academy and the building became the Odd Fellows Female High School.
1855 – Andrew Johnson spoke “under a locust tree on the left as you enter the Jonesboro Graded School grounds”. The location was “East of Dr. Warlick’s ground” (house at corner of Main & Washington Drive).
1854-1926 – The building was the location of the "Jonesborough Female College", "Jonesborough Graded School", "College Hall", "Presnell's Academy", "Presnell's Hall", and the “Jonesborough High School” as well as other institutions. At one point the school had a "Normal Department" for training teachers and a "Girls Department".
1863 – During the Civil War, the Odd Fellow's Female High School closed and the building was used as a hospital. The building was later sold and reopened as a school.
1868 – Ten thousand Unionists attend a rally in the “beautiful Locust Grove in front of the school” in support of Presidential candidate Ulysses S. Grant.
1883 - The Jonesboro Educational Society purchased the property.
1894 - The Board of Education tore away the rear part of the school building. The part torn down was the Presbyterian Church building from 1831. The elaborate 2 story front that was added in 1854 remained. The 1831 part of the building was replaced with a large 2 story hall for the school to accommodate the public.
1926 - The current Academy Hill building was erected in front of the 1854/1894 building at a cost of $75,000. It served as the "Jonesborough High School".
1927 - Once the new building was complete, the old 1854/1894 building was demolished.
1951 - When a new High School was built east of town, the Academy Hill building began being utilized as the Jonesborough Elementary School for grades 4 to 6. The large brick building to the West on College Street was used for Grades 1 to 3 starting in 1951.
1971 – The Academy Hill school ceased operations and the building sat vacant.
1973 – The current building was sold at auction to Charles Lewis for $25,000. Lewis proposed to demolish the school building and build a hotel or apartments at the site.
1974 – After the proposals by Charles Lewis were rejected by the Historic Zoning Commission, fifteen investors led by Dr. William Kennedy bought the property for $30,000.
1975 - Sourwood Regional Art Center began operation. Was in operation for 1 1/2 years.
1977 - Dr. William Kennedy and Dr. Howell Sherrod buy the interests of the other investors.
1977 - Dr. Kennedy restores the building and converts it into 13 condominiums. The process takes over 2 1/2 years and costs nearly $1,000,000.
1980 – Condos begin to be sold to individual owners.
2026 – More History, as well as Photos, Deeds, Church Records, Newspaper Articles, Art, and more are available on this website.