Mexico Academy and Central School - Mexico, New York - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Mexico Academy was incorporated in 1828, and has continuously prospered to this day. The school originally was named Rensselaer- Oswego academy, for the first twenty years, then being renamed the Mexico Academy.
The first location selected for the building was about three-fourths of a mile east of the Park hotel, in a compromise agreed upon between the rival settlements of Prattville and Mexico. The brick and materials for its construction at this place were procured, however, there were many that preferred the present site, eventually winning out over the other location.
At this time in history, building this large structure was a great undertaking, and many people made huge sacrifices to aid in its completion. The walls were completed late in December, and with no roof in place, it was feared that the winter frost would destroy the walls. A suggestion came from Captain L. Ames to dry the walls by building a fire within the walls of the structure so as to dry out the bricks and mortar. It was decided that this was the only way to ensure that the walls would survive the winter without cracking, so young men were put on watch to keep a fire going at all times during the final construction of the walls and roof. Day after day and night after night, an unceasing fire was kept up, until the walls were thoroughly dry. Mortar was made from boiling water from a caldron kettle that was heated by the burning logs. Soon, the walls and roof were completed. Perhaps, if not for their diligence, the school would not be standing here today.

Infomation gathered from "History of the Town of Mexico" website.

Street address: 3338 Main Street Mexico, NY USA 13114 County / Borough / Parish: Oswego County Year listed: 1991 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1925-1949 Historic function: Education Current function: Education Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Privately owned?: Not Listed Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/23/2022 petendot visited it