Tuscarora Valley Academy It’s History

Tuscarora Valley Academy – It’s History

Sunday, August 11th, 2019 @ Tuscarora Academy

1st. presentation 2:00 p.m.

2nd. Presentation 3:00 p.m

Some of you can still remember the one room public schools that still can be seen dotting our countryside. We may not realize that relatively few of these schools existed in this country until as late as the 1830’s We can thank Thaddeus Stevens for the Free Public Schools Act of 1834. Before that act it was churches who often played a major role in education. Even after the passage of the act, education beyond eighth grade was often only available at an institution where students often boarded and/or paid tuition. There were several of these secondary institutions across central Pennsylvania. One was right here in Juniata County at the Tuscarora Academy in Academia, PA.

Learn about the history of Tuscarora Academy in this presentation by Austin Willi. From its founding in 1836 through its most prominent years in the mid to late nineteenth century the Tuscarora Academy played an important role in education in the days before public high schools existed. The influence Tuscarora Academy had on students from near and far will be discussed in the presentation. The presentation will highlight the curriculum that was taught, tuition, the role played by the Presbyterian Church, the inclusion of female students, the years it served as a public high school, and the programs and celebrations that took place at the academy in its latter years.