General Information:
William Graham, graduate of the College of New Jersey and distinguished Rector of Liberty Hall Academy, believes that “a youth who was thoroughly drilled in [Latin and Greek] had laid a foundation on which he might raise any superstructure.” After the Presbytery was pleased with Graham’s work after hiring him in 1771 to work under Reverend Mr. Brown, trustees granted Graham 150 pounds to purchase academic equipment and 197 pounds for scientific equipment in 1775. The Presbytery named Graham Rector in 1776 and John Montgomery his assistant. Graham believes that theology was the queen of sciences and ministry was the noblest of professions. He “provides the mind with a knowledge of truth” and hopes to prepare his students for “any business in life.”
The academic equipment Graham acquired included 210 volumes covering…
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- Seneca, Josephus, Homer, Sallust, Lucian, Xenophon, Cicero, Longinus, and Aesop
- Erasmus, Cervantes, Cellini, and Shakespeare
- Alexander Pope, Joseph Addison, and Laurence Sterne
- Travel books and copies of periodicals
The scientific equipment for the laboratory included a small orrery, compass, protractor, sector, prism, double-convex lenses, a quadrant, and “electric machine with apparatus and barometer,” air pump, microscope, and telescope.
In 1782, a bill authorized Liberty Hall Academy to grant degrees and appoint professors. It was the first formal recognition that the institution offered young gentlemen a college-level education and the first twelve students graduated with Bachelor of Arts degrees in September of 1785. Additionally, this bill established the school as independent from the Presbyterian Church after a longstanding association.
Liberty Hall Academy experienced desperate financial difficulty throughout the 1770s and 1780s. Consequently, Congressmen Andrew Moore of Rockbridge County (trustee of the Academy) and Francis Preston of Washington County brought Liberty Hall to President Washington’s attention. Washington gifted James River Canal stock to the Academy in 1796 that in 1802 produced a dividend of $600 and two subsequent dividends which totaled $1,800 and brought the institution out of debt. The Board voted to change the name to Washington Academy after they received formal notification of Washington’s decision in 1797.
Our Campus:
In 1793, the Board purchased more land from Graham near the land that was already in use for the Academy. Thereafter, William Cravens – a stonemason from Rockingham County – was put in charge to build a dormitory/classroom building that was 35 x 30 feet. This structure has 12 rooms, four on each floor, with each containing a fireplace.
The Steward’s house contains a kitchen, dining room, and dairy. In 1794, rail fences were placed along the lane leading to the Academy; in 1795, the spring was walled; and in 1800, the final addition of a horse stable was built on the Mulberry Hill site.
Liberty Hall Academy. Washington and Lee University, 1999.
