Academy of Richmond County High School - Arc Yearbook (Augusta, GA)

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THE .IRC-IUIU

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THE .JRC-1919 7 It was at first the intention of this class to publisl: the magazine. but on account of haying to lose two months from school on account of the influenza epidemic the idea was given up. It was then suggested by certain members of the class that instead of a magazine we publish an Annual. This motion was brought up and passed at the nrst class meeting. but little did we dream of the amount of work necessary to accomplish this end, if we had. I think the motion would have been lost. A statf was appointed and with the aid of a Faculty committee we started. For about a week or so we did not get very far from the start because of the fact that no one knew exactly what was necessary to be done, except possibly the Faculty committee who, in their college days. had done a little work of this nature. Atter a while various printing and engraving con- cerns sent in contracts and the most advisable one was signed. At about that time it dawned upon certain members of the Statt ta few of them it has not dawned upon yet! what a large amount of money it was really going to take. So the Business Managers began to try to work out a plan by which we could meet the costg subscription blanks were distributed among the boys in the Battalion, and glory be to them in the manner in which they backed ns up. Nearly every boy in the Battalion promised to take a copy, while Company ll promised the largest number of subscriptions. Prices for advertisements were figured out and, let it be said here, that the llusiness Managers did excellent work in obtaining them. Next came the part that was of most interest to the school, and that was the taking of pictures. As you can easily see all kinds were taken and the more we took the more delighted were the boys. After about a month and a half of worry and work the Annual was sent to press and the entire Staff took a rest, that is if studying hard for the last month of Senior work can be called taking a rest. IYhile I am writing I wish to extend to the men who made possible this Annual the appreciation of the entire Senior Class. Especially we wish to thank Messrs. Copeland, Skinner, bl. L., and Cason, members of the Faculty. who were our supreme advisors and helpers in the work. Next we wish to thank all the merchants of Augusta who gave ns an advertisement tif it had l'l0t been for their generosity we would hate to think of the plight of the Annual t. XYe also wish to thank the entire School, both Faculty and boys. for the manner in which they cooperated with us to obtain the best Animal possible. Last. but not least. we wish to thank Mr. Montell. the Animal photographer, for the interest he took in our work and for the good pictures which he photographed. as they greatly helped to make the Annual. As a closing, I will only hope that the people who read this Annual will get as much enjoyment and interest from it as there was work on our part to edit it. CAPT. C. A. Doot.tr'rLE. '19, Editor-itz-Clzicf.

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THE .JRC-1910 O Foundation of the Academy of Richmond County The Academy of Richmond County is the oldest educational institution in lieorgia. and the fourth oldest in the United States, The Statute of USS, under which it was created, may not be a technical charter. and no corporate name was given to the lloard, which, though not called Trustees of the Richmond .Xcademyy was referred to sometimes as the LiHl'lll1114Nl1l11Cl'5 of Richmond County. some- times as the Trustees of Augusta, and sometimes as the Trustees of the Academy and the Church. The original act did not designate the duties nf the lloard. They exercised all manner of powers, many of them diverse, and from our present standpoint incongruous. It laid out the town. numbered the lots, named the streets, built St. l'aul's Church, managed the Academy and chose the teachers, ran a lottery, repaired the river bank, narrowed llroad and tireene Streets, and performed many other functions not recorded here. In 1783, immediately after the close of the war. the tirst demand of the citizens was for the establishment of an Academy. The new State had no money and no means of raising it, but it took advantage of the fact that the land in and around :Xugusta was held under royal grants, containing a provision that the purchaser should improve the property within a given time, or else that the lot should revert back to the King. Many of these lots had been bought up by those who did not improve them, and hence were liable to forfeiture. These. together with the Public Reserve, originally laid out as a common around the Fort, were vested in Trustees to be sold, and the proceeds used for building a church, and for the building of an academy or seminary of learning. It was, of course, necessary to sell lots and raise money before the school could be established. llut the citizens were not willing to wait on that slow progress for raising an endowment suflicient enough to maintain the Academy. They did not want their children to be deprived of that which was instantly needed. But the lloard looked at it from a financial standpoint, and took no steps either towards hiring a teacher or erecting a building. The public was not satisfied with the progress made and the Grand jury, on March 27, 1784, pre- sented as a grievance the want of a seminary of learning. This stimulated the Board, and they let a contract for the erection of a schoolhouse. This con- tractor died before any work was done, and the Grand -lury again in October. 1784. presented as a grievance the languishing situation of the intended Academy or Seminary of learning. The Board then rescinded the contract with the executor of the deceased contractor, but appeared to have been unable to for- ward the building. The Grand Jury, again responding to the public impatience, on March 2-l, 1785, presented as a grievance the Commissioners for the public buildings of this town for not making proper exertions in getting the church and Academy erected, notwithstanding the funds appropriated for the purpose and which are deemed more than adequate to carry the same into execution. This presentment stirred them into motion. and on the next day, March 25. 1785, the Board having consulted upon the employment of a Master for the