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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Near Clovis in Fresno County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
 

Academy

 
 
Academy Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Lester J Letson
1. Academy Marker
Inscription. One Quarter mile NW of here in a grove of oak tress on the south bank of Dog Creek was established "The Academy" in 1872. It was the first secondary school in Fresno County. J.D. Collins, later Sheriff was the first teacher. Just easterly of The Academy stood the small M. E. South Church built in 1869, and still in use.

The stage route from Visalia to Millerton passed nearby and soon a small village sprang up including a hotel, store, stables, and a Post Office to which the name "Academy" attached. Later it was a stopping place for the Tollhouse Teamsters.

Many of Fresno County's earliest families settled hereabout engaging in the sheep and later the cattle business. Many of them and their descendants now rest in the nearby pioneer cemetery.
Dedicated November 19, 1967
Jim Savage Chapter
E Clampus Vitus

 
Erected 1967 by E Clampus Vitus, Jim Savage Chapter 1852. (Marker Number 9.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial SitesEducationRoads & VehiclesSettlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the E Clampus Vitus series list. A significant historical date for this entry is November 19, 1878.
 
Location. 36° 53.283′ N, 119° 
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32.183′ W. Marker is near Clovis, California, in Fresno County. Marker is on Tollhouse Road (State Highway 168) half a mile east of North Madsen Avenue, on the right when traveling east. There is a large turnout at this loction that will accomodate even the largest motorhomes. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 13568 Tollhouse Road, Clovis CA 93619, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Academy Methodist Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Humphrey Station (approx. 7.1 miles away); William "Yank" Hazelton (approx. 9.4 miles away); Clovis Veterans Memorial (approx. 10 miles away); Tarpey Depot (approx. 10.1 miles away); Erected to the Memory of the Pioneers of the Millerton Area Whose Remains Rest Here (approx. 10.1 miles away); Choinumni (approx. 10.6 miles away); Kings River - Centerville (approx. 10.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Clovis.
 
Academy Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Lester J Letson
2. Academy Marker
Academy Pioneer Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Lester J Letson, January 8, 2010
3. Academy Pioneer Cemetery
One of the earliest cemeteries in Fresno County, this is the Pioneer cemetery referred to on the Academy marker. The cemetery is located on Mendocino Ave about a mile and a half from the marker.
Academy Methodist Church, established 1865 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Lester J Letson, January 8, 2010
4. Academy Methodist Church, established 1865
The current Academy Methodist Church was established in 1865 as the M. E South Church with the building being completed in 1869. It is the oldest continually used church building in Fresno County. A separate marker for the church was dedicated in 1985 by the Academy Circle. The church sits on Madsen Ave a little less than a mile from the marker.
Academy School drawing as it looked in 1872 image. Click for full size.
Courtesy of the Eastern Fresno County Museum, circa abt 1960
5. Academy School drawing as it looked in 1872
An undated picture of a drawing showing what the school looked like in 1872 with both side porches still intact. Part of the school collection at the Eastern Fresno County Museum.
Academy School 1882 image. Click for full size.
Courtesy of the Eastern Fresno County Museum, 1882
6. Academy School 1882
Photo of Academy School from around 1882 after the side porches had been removed.
Recent Photo of Historic Church in Academy image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Tracy Parker, August 18, 2023
7. Recent Photo of Historic Church in Academy
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 2, 2010, by Lester J Letson of Fresno, California. This page has been viewed 2,257 times since then and 65 times this year. Last updated on February 27, 2010, by Lester J Letson of Fresno, California. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on January 2, 2010, by Lester J Letson of Fresno, California.   3, 4. submitted on January 8, 2010, by Lester J Letson of Fresno, California.   5, 6. submitted on August 10, 2010, by Lester J Letson of Fresno, California.   7. submitted on August 19, 2023, by Tracy Parker of Fresno, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024