MAURY COUNTY TENNESSEE, HAY LONG SCHOOL, MT PLEASANT
1894 - 1969
HAY LONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL was a Female Academy.
THE ACCENT, Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, August 7, 1980--Page five
The building erected during the 1936-37 school year on the site of Hay Long
College, a hilltop near the intersection of Hay Long Avenue and College Street,
was demolished during 1980. Lumber, bricks and other materials salvaged from the
structure were sold to individuals and businesses for use elsewhere. The site
was leveled and divided into 13 lots. The school's name was changed to Mt.
Pleasant Elementary School at the end of the 1950s. (Photo by Dolly akins,
1980)
HAY LONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL was a Female Academy.
THE ACCENT, Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, August 7, 1980--Page five
The building erected during the 1936-37 school year on the site of Hay Long College, a hilltop near the intersection of Hay Long Avenue and College Street, was demolished during 1980. Lumber, bricks and other materials salvaged from the structure were sold to individuals and businesses for use elsewhere. The site was leveled and divided into 13 lots. The school's name was changed to Mt. Pleasant Elementary School at the end of the 1950s. (Photo by Dolly akins, 1980)
A 16-year-old named Matthew D. Cooper may have been the first teacher in the Mt. Pleasant area, though little is known about his career here as an educator, said local historian Jill K. Garrett. He served under Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812, and his home still stands (1980) on Hampshire Pike, near Columbia State Community College, she added(1980). It is owned by Jimmy Mayes (1980) and is known as Mulberry Hill. The first school in Mt. Pleasant that has any recorded history is the Female Academy, according to William B. Turner's "History of Maury County, Tennessee" and an article by Dr. C.Y. Clarke in the March 18, 1932 issue of the Mt. Pleasant Record. It was established prior to 1835 on the site now (1980) occupied by the home of Hunter C. Mallory, 301 West Cooper St. and it existed for some time after the Civil War, during which the academy may have suspended operation for a short while. Despite the name, in its later years the academy was also opened to boys, said Juanita Keys of Mt. Pleasant.
The
buildings were located
on the east side of Main Street, between First and Second avenues, said Mrs.
Evelyn Shackleford of Mt. Pleasant.
When it was abandoned
its students were shifted to the new Mt. Pleasant J.E. Woody Elemetary School.
Much of the property on which Hay Long High School stood reverted to Mr. Hay
Long's estate in accordance with provisions in the deed by which he conveyed the
land. According to a 1980 research paper by Mt. Pleasant High School student
Webb Williams, the deed stipulated should the building cease to be used for
educating white children or if it were not used for educational purposes for
more than two years in a row it was to return to his estate.
This article (incomplete) was provided by Mrs James Bradburn for this site,
but sent in by Mary Bob Richardson 8 Oct 2008.