Lexington High School - Crystal Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

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jforetuorO «su Within the covers of this book, the first vol- ume of “The Crystal,” we, The Staff, have en- deavored to include the record of this, the last year spent on the site of the old Ann Smith Academy. If this book recalls the memories of the good times had during the year, as well as the hard work done, it will to some extent have fulfilled its purpose — that of compiling a brief record of the activities of the Lexington High School for the year NINETEEN TWENTY-SIX

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THE CRYSTAL jtf PUBLISHED BY THE STUDENTS OF THE LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA Jtf NUMBER ONE NINETEEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX

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Cf )t 3nn SlcaDemp T HE ANN SMITH ACADEMY was the “first female seminary of high grade in the state of Virginia, and supposedly, in the South.” The school was opened in 1807 under the direction of Miss Ann Smith, but was not chartered as the “Ann Smith Academy” until 1808. The original lot for the Academy contained two acres and extended as far as Nelson Street. Later the lower half of the land was sold to pay debts and make improvements. It may be interesting to note that all the buildings from “The Corner” to Harper and Agnor’s, stand on the old Ann Smith grounds. The academy building, com- pleted in 1809, was three stories high with wings of two stories on each side ; the whole was of red brick, a very imposing structure for those days. The branches of study taught at this academy were “reading, writing, arith- metic, English Grammar, Geography, the use of the Globes, Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, Astronomy, Belles Lettres, French, instrumental music, painting, and embroidery”. The number of teachers was three and the attendance ranged from twenty-five to seventy pupils. There were two sessions of five months each with two vacations of one month each. No rules were written as the school was run on the parental basis. Very little is known of Miss Ann Smith, for whom the school was named, except that she was “a cultured lady, a born teacher, and a highly successful per- son in her new position”. She declined to accept any regular salary, but her hoard and expenses were to be paid by the trustees. The school, however, con- tinued as a “female seminary” until 1877, when boys were admitted, and from this time until 1892, the Academy was simply a day school. In 1903 the building was rented to the public school hoard, and five years later the trustees offered to convey the property to the town on the condition that a “suitable” school building be erected by October of that year. For this pur- pose a bond issue of $20,000 ' was voted by the citizens of Lexington, and the present high school building was erected on the academy site. The balance of the bond, $730, was turned over to the school board on the condition that “two perpetual scholarships in the Lexington High School, to be known as the Ann Smith Scholarship, be awarded each year to two meritorious girls attending the school”. The classes, that the Seniors leave behind, will also in a short time he saying, “Farewell” to the historic Ann Smith grounds. In 1925 the lot well known to students of L. H. S. as “the goat ranch” was turned over to the school and plans are under consideration for a bigger and better high school building to be erected there. [ 3 ]