Lincolnton in Lincoln County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Pleasant Retreat Academy
Photographed by Mark Parker, November 23, 2024
1. Pleasant Retreat Academy Marker
Academy 1813
National Register
of
Historic Places
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1813.
Location. 35° 28.391′ N, 81° 15.378′ W. Marker is in Lincolnton, North Carolina, in Lincoln County. It is at the intersection of East Pine Street and North Academy Street, on the right when traveling west on East Pine Street. The marker is to the right of the main entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 129 E Pine St, Lincolnton NC 28092, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont and in Greater Charlotte. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in 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
this page online
Regarding Pleasant Retreat Academy. Excerpts from the Pleasant Retreat Academy Nomination Form:
The Pleasant Retreat Academy was chartered in 1813 and the present building constructed between 1817 and 1820. It is of significance to the history of education in the state as one of the largest of the few surviving early nineteenth century examples of the many private academies that flourished in North Carolina before the development of public schools. Also notable is the impressive roster of alumni, including governors, senators, and a Confederate general. The restrained Federal-style brick building, typical of the more ambitious Piedmont structures of the era, reflects the growing
Photographed by Mark Parker, November 23, 2024
2. Pleasant Retreat Academy from East Pine Street. Marker is to the right of the entrance.
Among the students at Pleasant Retreat before the Civil War were Lincoln County natives James Pinckney Henderson, future governor and United States senator from Texas; William A. Graham, future governor, two-term United States senator, and secretary of the Navy; and Robert F. Hoke, future Confederate general. Hoke Smith, future governor and United States senator from Georgia and secretary of the Interior, was a student at Pleasant Retreat after the Civil War. It is uncertain how long the academy remained open, but it was advertised in a local newspaper as a going concern at least as late as June, 1878.
Also see . . . Pleasant Retreat Academy Nomination Form (pdf). Form prepared by Robert Topkins, survey specialist; Charles Greer Suttlemyre,.Jr. survey specialist, Division of Archives and History, 1975 (Submitted on November 24, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
Photographed by Mark Parker, November 23, 2024
3. Memorial Garden plaque in the west facing wall of the building
Over their dreamless sleep
A close watch we will keep
Neither bomb nor foe must wreck
The land they loved so.
For the torch handed on to us
Shall be held in
Sacred trust
Photographed by Mark Parker, November 23, 2024
4. Memorial Garden at Pleasant Retreat Academy
Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 526 times since then and 117 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 23, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 24, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
