Atkinson Academy is a public elementary school at 17 Academy Avenue in

Atkinson, New Hampshire Atkinson is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,087 at the 2020 census. History Atkinson's history dates back to the American Revolution. The community was incorporated September 3,Article i''Statist ...

. It is a part of the

Timberlane Regional School District * Cass Timberlane is the title character in a Sinclair Lewis novel. Timberlane may also refer to a community or school in the United States: ;Communities * Timberlane, Illinois, a village *Timberlane, Louisiana, a census-designated place ;Schools ...

. Built in 1803, it is claimed to be the oldest standing

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

school in the United States. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1980.

Building

Atkinson Academy is located in the town of Atkinson's main village, on the north side of Academy Avenue between Woodlawn Avenue and Maple Avenue. The original main building is a large two-story wood-frame building, with a hip roof and clapboarded exterior. A tower with open octagonal belfry and cupola rises at the center of the roof. The main facade is seven bays wide, with the central three set apart by pilasters and a pedimented gable. The entrance is flanked on one side by a sidelight window, and both sides by pilasters, which rise to an entablature and pedimented gable. Modern wings extend to the rear of this building, giving the building a rough W shape.

History

Atkinson Academy was founded in 1787 as an all-boys school by the Reverend Stephen Peabody, General Nathaniel Peabody, and Dr. William Cogswell. It began admitting girls in 1791. The original building, constructed in 1789, was destroyed by fire on November 15, 1802, and the present building was completed in 1803. It is a rare surviving work of Ebenezer Clifford, a prominent master builder of the southern New Hampshire during that period. The unincorporated and uninhabited township of Atkinson and Gilmanton Academy Grant in northern New Hampshire is named in part for the academy, to which it was originally granted. The academy, in 1874, was under the charge of B.H. Weston, A.M., and was one of the oldest and most respectable institutions in the state. The 1803 school building is listed on the

for its architecture.

Notable alumni

Jonathan Cilley Jonathan Cilley (July 2, 1802 – February 24, 1838) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine. He served part of one term in the 25th Congress, and died as the result of a wound sustained in a duel with another Congressman, ...

, congressman from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

* William Cogswell, congressman from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

and colonel in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

References

{{Authority control 1787 establishments in New Hampshire School buildings completed in 1803 Public elementary schools in New Hampshire School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Schools in Rockingham County, New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Atkinson, New Hampshire

Building

History

Notable alumni

See also

References