Peoples Academy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Peoples Academy--Copley Building, Grout Observatory and Community Bandshell
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 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
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| Location | 202 Copley Ave., Morristown, Vermont |
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| Area | 15.5 acres (6.3 ha) |
| Built | 1927 |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| MPS | Educational Resources of Vermont MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 96000255 |
| Added to NRHP | March 7, 1996 |
The Peoples Academy is a historic high school located in Morrisville, Vermont. In 1996, the main school building, along with its observatory and bandshell, was added to the National Register of Historic Places. These important structures were gifts from George C. Grout and Alexander Hamilton Copley, who was born in the area. Mr. Copley gave the land and helped build the school. It is a great example of Classical Revival architecture. Since 2007, Philip Grant has been the school's principal.
About Peoples Academy
The Peoples Academy campus sits on a hill at the east end of Main Street. From here, you can see a wonderful view of Morrisville village. The main school building is made of red brick and has two stories. It has a flat roof and is decorated with limestone. The front of the building is wide and looks balanced. It has five main parts.
The parts on the very ends stick out a little. They have three windows on each floor. The ground floor of these sections has no windows, but a stone arch panel in the middle. The sections next to these have five windows each. The center part of the building holds the main entrance. It has single windows on the ground floor and double windows upstairs. The entrance is framed by special columns called Corinthian columns. Above this section, there is a decorative railing with a clock built into it.
Over the years, the main school building has had new parts added to it. The school grounds also include a round brick building for looking at stars. This is called an astronomical observatory. George C. Grout donated it in 1930. There is also a Community Bandshell, which is a wooden structure. Since 1930, this bandshell has been used for school graduation ceremonies.
How the School Began
The land and the first building for Peoples Academy were a gift from Alexander Hamilton Copley. He grew up in Lamoille County. Mr. Copley became very wealthy as a businessman in the medicine field in Boston, Massachusetts. He first bought the land to build a house for himself and his wife. Sadly, his wife became ill and passed away before their dream house could be built. Instead, he gave the property to the town. He also paid for the construction of the school building. This building looks almost exactly like a high school built around the same time in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Famous People Who Attended
- Stephen Perry Jocelyn, a brigadier general in the US Army.
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