#MuseumMonday: Several weeks ago, we posted a series about the Old Newton Academy on Main Street. There was another “Newton Academy” located on the hill above High Street . Over the next few weeks we will share information about The Newton Collegiate Institute, also known as the Newton Academy, on Academy Street.
A group of Newton parents, wanting to improve the educational opportunities for their children, met in April 1850 to establish a new private academy in Newton. The resulting first school opened as a day school on Liberty Street in 1852 – it was called the Newton Presbyterian Academy. The trustees then purchased land behind High Street (known as Anderson Hill) and in 1854 contracted for the building of their Academy and an adjacent boarding house. The name was changed to the Newton Collegiate Institute in 1855.
Principal William Travis leased the Institute in 1863 and set about establishing a first-class school. The course of study extended over 3-4 years and included classics, mathematics, chemistry, languages, art, music, as well as physiology and hygiene. The institute charged $50 for boarding and tuition for each term of 11 weeks.
Captain Joel Wilson, a Civil War Veteran, became headmaster in 1883. At the time of his arrival the Institute had an attendance of 100 students, of which 35 were boarders. These students came from Newton & the local area, Orange Co., NY, Brooklyn, New York City, Maine, Minnesota, Arizona and the West Indies.
After several years’ absence, when he served as principal of the Hudson River Military Academy in Nyack, Joel Wilson purchased the Institute in 1892 and made considerable improvements. A building 50 by 80 feet was constructed at the apex of the boarding house with a double bowling alley on the lower floor; a second floor gymnasium; and a heated bathing pool in the basement, filled with pure water brought from the spring on the hill. Joel Wilson served as headmaster until his retirement in 1898, when his son, Assemblyman Philip Wilson, took over the management. Philip bought the property from his father in 1905. He immediately remodeled the buildings adding electric lights and modern plumbing.
At some point in the late 1800’s-early 1900’s the school took on a military direction, most likely under Captain Joel Wilson. Several awards were given to Capt. Irving Kern by the Officers and Cadets in 1909-1911. In 1912 the Newton Academy Cadets, under the command of Capt. Fred Budd, were included in the Memorial Day Parade in Newton.
The Institute thrived as a preparatory school for business and college courses of study. The school finally closed in 1934. Purchased by the Anken Chemical and Film Company, the buildings, last used as a warehouse, were demolished around 1972. The road is still called Academy Street.
Check back next week for another #MuseumMonday.