Madison in Morgan County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Early Academies

Photographed by David Seibert, April 17, 2013

1. Early Academies Marker

Inscription. Early academies were private, state chartered institutions. Only a year after the town founding in 1809, commissioners were appointed to organize Morgan County's first academy, officially incorporated as the Madison Academy in 1815. Both male and female departments received tracts of land, and the Male Academy built a fine, two-story brick structure here.

A variety of private schools also operated in personal homes. Several were located along Porter Street. Private instruction was usually segregated by gender and ranged from primary to high school curriculum. Many younger children received their start in education in Holly Hall from Sarah Benham Judd Cooke and her daughter, proprietors of one of the South's earliest kindergartens. Several private schools were operational into the late 1880s.

These academies and schools charged tuition. They were eligible for funds established for the public school system under the 1868 State Constitution, but private education waned when Madison began public education in 1895.

Erected by The City of Madison Madison Bicentennial Commission 1809-2009 A Preserve America Community.

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Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education.

Location. 33° 35.68′ N, 83° 28.301′ W. Marker is in Madison, Georgia, in Morgan County. It is at the intersection of West Central Avenue and Academy Street, on the right when traveling north on West Central Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Madison GA 30650, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Antebellum Trail

and in the Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Madison Historic Cemeteries (within shouting distance of this marker); Early Religious Life (about 500 feet away,

Photographed by David Seibert, April 17, 2013

2. Early Academies Marker

measured in a direct line); Antebellum Architecture (about 700 feet away); Formal Southern Landscapes (about 700 feet away); Reconstruction Property Rights (about 700 feet away); Segregated Burial Grounds (about 700 feet away); The Town Spring (about 700 feet away); Confederate Dead (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Madison.

Photographed by David Seibert, April 17, 2013

3. Early Academies Marker

Looking northwest on West Central Avenue toward the entrance to the cemetery.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 7, 2017. It was originally submitted on November 7, 2017, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 533 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 7, 2017, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia.