Near Clovis in Fresno County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Academy
Photographed by Lester J Letson
1. Academy Marker
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.
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 Sites • Education • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & 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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Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Joaquin Valley, specifically in the Central Valley, and in the Sierra Nevada. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Academy Methodist Church (approx. Ό 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); Ken Curtis (1916-1991) (approx. 10.2 miles away); Choinumni (approx. 10.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Clovis.
Another marker is no longer nearby. The San Joaquin Valley Railroad (was approx. 9.9 miles away).
Photographed by Lester J Letson
2. Academy Marker
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 3,728 times since then and 129 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.
