Sylvan School 1912-1960 - North Carolina Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Sylvan Academy was founded in 1866. The original location was near Cane Creek Meeting House. A 5-foot-tall monument stands on the original spot, which can be found at N35 53.377, W079 26.777.

In 1912, the school was moved to a building which stood at N35 52.835, W079 26.168. It was constructed of hand-made bricks. It burned in 1974, but a brick monument marks the spot, and contains the old school bell. (Other buildings, such as the gym, were spared in the blaze.)

Using replacement buildings, the site continues in use as an elementary school. The following is taken from a 1949 history of Alamance County:

As early as 1885 attempts were made to consolidate some of the smaller schools, and the Sylvan school was said to have been the first consolidated school in North Carolina. The buildings of the old Sylvan Academy were turned over in 1903 to the county school committee, who enlarged them, added new teachers, and in the fall of 1908, organized a high school there. A citizen of the community left the school $30,000 in 1912, and when more space was needed, a large local school tax was voted. The Sylvan school also had the first "school bus" in this county, a horse-drawn covered wagon which the board of education purchased to carry pupils to classes. The pupils paid ten cents a day for their ride to and from school. Subjects taught in the high schools in 1907-1908 included English, grammar, composition and rhetoric, English literature, advanced arithmetic, algebra, English history, ancient history, American history, North Carolina history, Latin and physical geography. By 1912, foreign languages and science had been added. The Sylvan School is the oldest high school in rural Alamance, having been established in 1912. It is the only high school in the county which is partially operated with a trust fund. One of the earliest districts in the State to authorize a special tax for supplementing the county and state funds, Sylvan was consolidated between 1927 and 1931 with Pleasant Hill, Oakwood, a part of Oakdale, and a part of Bethel.

Photos of your visit to the marker are required, but PLEASE, no old vacation photos taken just because it was there!

Comments about your visit, interesting nearby areas and any significant information you may have on this waymark are encouraged.

Most of all, enjoy the History that North Carolina has to offer! From the Mountains to the Ocean .. it's all here!