The Marion Female Seminary, also known as the Old Perry County High School, is a historic

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

-style school building utilizing the

Doric order The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of c ...

Marion, Alabama Marion is a city in, and the county seat of, Perry County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 3,686, up 4.8% over 2000. First known as Muckle Ridge, the city was renamed for a hero of the American Revolu ...

. 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 ...

on October 4, 1973.

History

The Marion Female Seminary was established in 1836, with this building completed in 1850. The building contained the studio of artist

Nicola Marschall Nicola Marschall (March 16, 1829 – February 24, 1917) was a German-American artist who supported the Confederate cause during the American Civil War. He designed the original Confederate flag, the Stars and Bars, as well as the official ...

when he taught at the school. He taught painting, music, French, and German while employed here. He is credited with designing the first Confederate flag. He also designed the gray Confederate military uniform, influenced by the mid-1800s uniforms of the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

and French Armies. Built to serve as a

female seminary A female seminary is a private educational institution for women, popular especially in the United States in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when opportunities in educational institutions for women were scarce. The movement was a sign ...

from the time of construction, it was subsequently owned by the city of Marion from 1918 to 1930, at which time it was transferred to state ownership for use as a Perry County public school. Originally a three-story building, it was remodeled in 1930 with the removal of the uppermost floor from the building. It currently houses the Perry County Historical Society and the Perry County High School Alumni Association.

References

{{Authority control National Register of Historic Places in Perry County, Alabama Female seminaries in the United States Defunct private universities and colleges in Alabama Marion, Alabama Education in Perry County, Alabama Educational institutions established in 1836 History of women in Alabama

History

See also

References