SSI Archives

Glynn Academy. This Year’s Graduates Are Part of 288 Years of History.

Glynn County has one of only three surviving academies founded in the 18th century to provide free public education for Georgia students. Glynn Academy was established in 1788, three years after the founding of the University of Georgia.

Commissioners were appointed to provide funding for the new academy by selling lots around a designated town commons in Brunswick. It was not until the early 20th century that property taxes were levied to fund education.

The first recorded Academy building was located on a five-acre tract at the corner of Ellis and L Streets. The location was changed in 1840 when a new structure was built on the northern half of Hillsborough Square. This wooden building was in use for about fifty years and was replaced in 1889 by a large brick building later called the Annex. An additional brick building with impressive columns on the façade was constructed on the campus in 1909. A third brick structure, today known as the Glynn Academy Building, was dedicated in 1923 as a memorial to local servicemen who died in World War I.

This month’s photographs show Glynn Academy students standing in front of the 1909 building (circa 1910) and on the steps of Memorial Hall (1929).

The Glynn Academy bulletin shown here dates from 1922. Within its pages the importance of studying Latin was stressed “because it develops the memory, the reason, the judgment, the imagination.” Chemistry was divided into Boys’ Chemistry and Household Chemistry, the latter being “specially fitted for girls” and dealing with household chemicals, photography, foods and cooking. This course was not to be confused with Home Economics, which was a separate department. The bulletin also lists Glynn Academy graduates from 1888, with a class of just 6 students, to 1922 with a class of 25 students.

Since its founding in 1965, the Coastal Georgia Historical Society’s archival collection has grown to over 15,000 historically important artifacts, documents and photographs.

Our monthly images on this page are from the vast archives of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society. The Society’s mission includes the “administration, restoration and maintenance of historic facilities and resources … preserved as a living part of the historical and cultural foundations of our coastal community.” Society facilities include the St. Simons Lighthouse and Museum, the A.W. Jones Heritage Center, and the Maritime Center (formerly the U.S. Coast Guard Station). To learn more about the Society, its diverse programs, and the benefits of Society membership, please call (912) 638.4666, or visit www.saintsimonslighthouse.org.