Preferred Citation

St. John's Academy Records, MS004, Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections, Alexandria, Va.

Biographical / Historical

St. John's Academy was established in 1833, and moved to a location at 57 South Royal Street (on the corner of Duke Street) in 1834. Rev. John Smith was the first principal; he was succeeded in turn by Rev. Stephen L. Dubuisson in 1837, Mr. John H. Kellenberger in 1839, and Mr. Hugh C. McLaughlin shortly thereafter. The school closed in 1841 when McLaughlin left Alexandria, but reopened in 1847 under R.L. Carne, Jr. A primary school, in addition to the older boys' school, was added in the 1850s. The upper school, additionally, was a military academy.

Content Description

The collection consists primarily of student records and student newspapers. There are several miscellaneous items as well. Topics covered include: school organization, rules of behavior, student achievement, student names, places of residence and dates of attendance, and academic subjects and undertakings.

Arrangement

The collection is divided into the following eight series, arranged as indicated within parentheses: Series I: Student Activities (alphabetical) Series II: Clippings, 1840-1899 (chronological by year) Series III: Miscellaneous (alphabetical) Series IV: The Academy Journal, 1866-1885 (chronological by year) Series V: Student Records, 1833-1896 (chronological) Series VI: Registers of Students Series VII: Course Catalogues Series VIII: Christmas Cards

Related Material

"History of Saint John's Academy, 1833-1895" by Allan W. Robbins in Alexandria History 5 (1983).

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Schools -- Virginia -- Alexandria.
• The Academy Journal