FrontIn 1801, The town of Woodstock gave
land "on the common north of The
Meeting House" for the first simple
Academy building, founded by The
Reverend Eliphalet Lyman, John
McClellan, and others of the first
ecclesiastical society, the school
was among the first of Connecticut
academies established after the
revolution. Poor regional economy
limited early operation. Patron
Henry C. Bowen bought and renovated
The Academy in 1843, and erected a
boarding house. After The Civil War,
Bowen gave a small endowment and
Formed The Academy Corporation.
Back
The present Academy building, which
replaced the original in 1873, also
resulted from Bowen generosity. In
1888, Ely Ransom Hall, a revered
principal, began a twenty-six year
tenure which brought reputation and
stability. "Elmwood Hall," the old
boarding house, was destroyed by a
1907 fire. The town of Woodstock
preserved the academy system in
1913 by designating the Woodstock
academy as its high school. With
campus expansions and amendments to
a charter granted by the state of
Connecticut in 1802, the academy has
developed as a modern facility for
local secondary education.
Donated by the Woodstock Lions Club, June 22, 1986
in celebration of Woodstock's 300th anniversary
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