Near Lexington in Rockbridge County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Liberty Hall Academy

1782 - 1803

Photographed by Dan Fisher, June 20, 2010

1. Liberty Hall Academy Marker

Inscription. Washington and Lee University traces its origins to Augusta Academy, a small classical school established din 1749 by Scotch-Irish pioneers some twenty mile north of Lexington. In 1776, the patriotic fervor of the American Revolution caused Augusta Academy Trustees to change its name to Liberty Hall. In 1782, the same year that the school relocated at this site, the Virginia legislature chartered the institution as Liberty Hall Academy and granted it the authority to confer degrees upon its graduates. After two wooden academic buildings burned, the stone building depicted above was constructed in 18793. After George Washington bestowed a major benefaction upon the school in 1796, grateful Trustees changed the name to Washington Academy. In 1803, the academy again fell victim to the ravages of a fire that left standing only the walls that remain on the site. In the fire's aftermath, the school relocated at its present site in Lexington and in 1813 became Washington College. In 1870, upon the death of its president, Robert E. Lee, its name was changed a final time to Washington and Lee University.

Topics. This historical

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marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Education • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical year for this entry is 1749.

Location. 37° 47.556′ N, 79° 27.026′ W. Marker is near Lexington, Virginia, in Rockbridge County. It is on Woods Creek Road 0.1 miles north of West Nelson Street (U.S. 60), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 W Denny Cir, Lexington VA 24450, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Mountain Region.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. 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 of this marker: Liberty Hall Academy Ruins (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Founding of Kappa Alpha Order

Liberty Hall Academy Ruins image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Dan Fisher, June 20, 2010

2. Liberty Hall Academy Ruins

(approx. 0.3 miles away); Omicron Delta Kappa (approx. half a mile away); Bell, 1890 (approx. half a mile away); Last Home of Traveller (approx. half a mile away); Historic Lexington Train Station (approx. half a mile away); Lee-Jackson House (approx. half a mile away); John Chavis (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lexington.

Also see . . .
1. Liberty Hall Project. Washington & Lee University Archaeology Program (Submitted on June 21, 2010.)

2. Washington & Lee University. (Submitted on June 21, 2010.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 21, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,086 times since then and 131 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 21, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.