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Clovis Roundup Community Newspaper . 11
Let’s Talk Clovis: The educational excellence of the 1872 Academy School The old stage road north from Visalia did not go up the valley where our rails and highways run—that was desert in summer Peg Bos and sometimes flooded in winter. It wound Historian/Clovis Museum in and out through the foothills. The first Contributed center of government of Fresno County was Millerton, on the San Joaquin River. Oddly The following is quoted in full from enough, it never had a church building. The Leon L. Loofbouros’s 1950 book, “In home base of Millerton Circuit of the MethSearch of God’s Gold.” It was published un- odist Episcopal Church South was in the der the auspices of the Historical Society of Court House. (Fresno County was strongly the California-Nevada Annual Conference Southern in early days. In the presidential of the Methodist Church and in cooperation election of 1856 only one vote was cast with the College of the Pacific, Stockton. for the Republican candidate! This man In 1985, Charles Winton Baley, a memachieved some fame as “the lone Republiber of the pioneer family, extracted this can of Fresno County.”) article to capture additional history of AcadOn the Millerton Circuit, there was a emy. preaching place at Big Dry Creek. The “Only six cities have sufficient ambition Simpsons, the Baleys, the Blasingames and to maintain a full high school courses—San others living here had ambitions for their Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Stockton, community. Their school was doing well. Alameda, and Berkeley…Where are Los They wanted it to be worthy of their chilAngeles, San Diego, Pasadena, Riverside, dren for generations to come. Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Fresno, In 1872, the Simpsons gave 10 acres, Santa Rosa, San Jose, Marysville, and Grass with others contributing from $250 to $750 Valley?” asked President Davis of the Uni- in cash. They incorporated their educational versity of California. That was in the year plans for $50,000. So, in a fine grove of of our Lord, 1888. There was strong oppooaks, they built the best schoolhouse in the sition to spending tax money for anything county. The veranda-surrounded building above the elementary schools. was proudly known as the academy. This Twenty-one miles northeast of Fresno soon became its official name, spelled with is a wide place in the old tollroad. It can a capital “A”, and was then applied to the scarcely be called a village—a combination entire community. The school was also filling station-post office-refreshment store, used for Methodist services when the cirthe Methodist Church, and a half dozen cuit-riding preacher came from Millerton. houses. Yet it bears the distinguished name As Academy’s fame grew, a parsonage was of Academy. built, and the children of the parsonage
Courtesy of Clovis Museum
The 1872 Academy School.
swelled the school enrollment. Then a neat one room church was erected a little father up the road. But times marched on—by another route. The railroad was built down in “the uninhabitable desert.” The county seat moved to Fresno, and churchless Millerton was abandoned. Academy people helped start the new county seat. Members from the Academy church aided in organizing St. Paul’s Methodist Church South, the first religious organization in Fresno. Then the Tollhouse road was straightened, and the once proud Academy was left alone among its ancient oaks. Now a bus takes the Academy youngest to Clovis, 10 miles away, for school. But the Methodist Church, the combination store and the half dozen houses perpetuate the name and memory of a day
when their school as the pride of the county. And when we read that the president of the state university said in 1888 that only six cities then maintained a full high school course, none of which was south of Stockton, we are grateful to the Simpsons, the Baleys and the Blasingames, who incorporated and built the Academy. And when we remember that this was only one of dozens founded by the Protestant churches in early days, we thank God for the courage and foresight of those early-day Christians. They saw the need for higher education long before the civic body did—and were willing to pay the bills.” Our demand for educational excellence continues. It is a vital part of our rich heritage.
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