The academy's name of Porter was most likely in honor of James H. Porter who was serving in the legislature at the time the academy was established.

The location of the first Porter Academy building was on lot 110 in Maryville. The lot was given by the state.

There is no description of the building other than a log structure. The building may have been an existing structure or constructed in the 1807-1808 period for the academy. The school was opened in 1808 with Rev. Mark Moore as teacher.

The Porter Academy located on lot 110 was attended by one of Blount County's most famous citizens, Sam Houston. In his famous biography of Sam Houston titled The Raven, Marquis James states Sam Houston attended a term at Porter Academy. James places the time of Houston's attendance during the years of the first Porter Academy.

James gives a description of Porter Academy at that time:

"Porter Academy - or 'the academy' since it was the only one in that part of the country - occupied a two story log house in a meadow just off main street. There were twenty students. Classes were kept the year round with one three-week vacation in the Spring and another in the Fall. The summer hours were from eight to twelve in the forenoon and from two to five-thirty in the afternoon. During the Winter when light was poorer the hours were from nine to twelve and from one to four. No student shall use profane, irreverent or obscene language...no student shall attend a horse race, a ball...or be guilty of fighting.

Thus we gain an idea of the life and times at the first Porter Academy.

By 1819 Porter Academy had fallen on hard times. In that year the property was advertised for sale due to the bad state of disrepair of the building. In 1820 the property was purchased by Jacob Foute for $173.

In 1822 the state gave funds in the amount of $300 for a new building and John Montgomery gave a lot across the street from the present courthouse for the building site.

A description of this second Porter Academy building is given by Inez Burns in her book, History of Blount County:

"A committee was ordered to build a house of two ends, twenty feet square, connected in the middle with a partition of logs of one foot through at the butt. There were thirteen rounds of logs exclusive of the sills and plates; a chimney in the middle, with fireplaces above and below. There was to be a door and four windows in each end, below and above. The building cost $300.

Despite scarce funds and other problems, Porter Academy functioned from the early 1820's until the Civil War. Like all other institutions in the South, the academy's function was interrupted by military and civilian demands. However, according to research done by Susan Jones for a class at The University of Tennessee, school was conducted periodically at Porter Academy during the Civil War.

By 1866 the Porter Academy building was in a state of decay. In that year a movement was started to rebuild Porter Academy in Maryville, but failed due to the location's nearness to Maryville College. Another location became necessary.

In 1870 the county court, which had been given control of the academies, let it be known that the community offering the most money for a building and site would be allowed to build the third Porter Academy. Wildwood community (twelfth district) made the highest offer.

Thomas J. Pritchett gave five acres of land adjoining the Logan's Chapel Church property for the site.

An amount of $1400 for erecting the building and $900 for school operations were obtained.

A two-story brick building measuring thirty-two by eighty feet was constructed by James Davis and David Jones in 1871-1872. The building had two rooms downstairs and upstairs.

The bricks were made near the building site. Horse power was utilized to work the mud, and Jim Scott hand-molded the bricks. The bricks were sun-dried before being laid.

Wildwood's Porter Academy opened in 1872 and continued operation until 1918 at which time it became Porter High School. The high school was obviously named in honor of the academy.

In 1921 the old Porter Academy building was razed. Bricks from the old building were used in the new high school building.

In closing we want to remember the old bell that has been placed in the newly erected bell tower was used in the third Porter Academy at Wildwood.

1997

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The Daily Times' article on Porter Museum

 

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