Stanly County History Center

One last reminder! The Friends of the E.E. Waddell Center is hosting an event July 12 to honor some of the leaders and trailblazers who helped to shape Albemarle’s Kingville community. The Friends, along with their partners, the Kingville Alumni Association and the Stanly County Historical Society hope you will make plans to attend this special event! See the flyer for all the details!

The Bilesville Academy was first opened on August 4, 1884. It was first managed by principal W.O. McCanless and his wife. The school was officially incorporated by the General Assembly on March 6, 1885 and by January of 1886 there were about 70 students. During the summer of 1887, Rev. F.S. Starrette and his family moved to Bilesville so he could become the new principal.

The history of the school over the next few years isn’t clear. The community of Bilesville was incorporated as New London on March 25, 1891. Old newspaper accounts at this point now mostly refer to the school as the New London Academy. Even though we can assume the schools name change happened when the town name changed it isn’t clear if it happened at the same time.

J.A. Spence became the principal during the summer of 1897. He left the following summer to become the principal of the Albemarle Academy. He was replaced by D.C. Johnson who was from Trinity, N.C. F.J. Dunn served as principal during the 1900-01 school year and C.M. Sheets, from Advance, N.C. was appointed principal during November of 1901.

In March of 1905 it was announced that Dr. D. Atkins had purchased the New London Academy and had plans to reopen the school as a new institution. During August of 1905 the new school, known as the New London High School, opened in the old Academy building.

(The ad is from the September 18, 1884 Stanly Observer. The program and photos are in the History Center collection.)

Thanks so much to Jack and Eli Williams, of the WMS Brothers , for doing not one, but two programs today at the museum! The first group designed their own houses/ ghost signs while the second group worked together to create a mural that will be hung in our classroom!