University of Virginia Library

ABINGDON MALE ACADEMY.

At the fall session of the General Assembly of Virginia in the
year 1802, Robert Craig, Sr., a member of the Legislature from
Washington county, at the request of a number of prominent citizens
of Abingdon, introduced a bill in the Legislature of Virginia
having for its object the incorporation of the Abingdon Academy.
This bill became a law on the 13th of January, 1803, and provided
that:

• John Campbell,

• Richard White,

• James Bradley,

• William King,

• James White,

• Andrew Russell,

• Henry Dixon,

• Robert Craig, Sr.,

• Robert Campbell,

• Gerrard T. Conn,

• Francis Preston,

• Claiborne Watkins,

• William Tate,

• Frederick Hamilton and

• David Campbell,

should constitute a body politic and incorporate by the name of
the Trustees of Abingdon Academy, and by that name should have
perpetual succession, a common seal, and sue and be sued. They
were given the power to make rules and regulations, to appoint
officers and remove the same, in the establishment and conduct of
the proposed Academy, and vacancies occurring on the Board of
Trustees were to be filled by the surviving trustees."

By this same act the trustees of the town of Abingdon and their
successors, or the majority of them, were authorized to raise, not

exceeding $2,000, by lottery or lotteries, to be applied by them in
purchasing a library, philosophical and mathematical apparatus, and
anything else necessary for the use of the said Academy.

The school as thus chartered was opened in the Masonic Hall,[8]
in the town of Abingdon, in the fall of the year 1803, and the Academy
was conducted in the same hall until about the year 1820.

Every member of the Board of Trustees appointed by this act was
personally interested in the success of the Academy, each contributing
everything possible to the institution and the success of the same.

Four members of the Board of Trustees of the town of Abingdon
met at the courthouse in the town of Abingdon on the 18th
of June, 1803, and, pursuant to the provisions of the Act of the
Assembly of date January 13, 1803, had the following proceedings:

"At a meeting of the trustees of the town of Abingdon, at the
courthouse of Washington county, on Saturday, the 18th day of
June, 1803.

Present, Robert Campbell, Andrew Russell, Frederick Hamilton
and James White.

By an act of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia,
passed the 13th day of January, 1803, it is enacted that it
shall and may be lawful for the trustees of the said town, and their
successors or a majority of them, to raise by lottery or lotteries, a
sum, not exceeding two thousand dollars, to be applied by them in
purchasing a library, philosophical and mathematical apparatus,
and anything else necessary for the use of the said Academy. In
pursuance whereof we have adopted the following scheme of a lottery
to be denominated `The Abingdon Academy Lottery,' to raise
the sum of two thousand dollars for the purposes aforesaid, by
account of twenty per cent. on prizes alone.

                 

1 Prize of $1,000,	$ 1,000
2 Prizes of $500,	1,000
15 Prizes of $100,	1,500
40 Prizes of $50,	2,000
50 Prizes of $20,	1,000
700 Prizes of $5,	3,500
808 Prizes,	$10,000
1192 Blanks,
2,000 Tickets@$5,	$10,000

The drawing will commence in the Abingdon Academy as soon
as the tickets are sold, and continued from day to day until finally
completed; immediately after which the prizes will be paid to the
fortunate adventurers. Such as shall not be demanded within six
months after the close of the drawing will be considered as relinquished.
We have adopted the following form of the tickets:

There can be no question that the drawing under this lottery
took place, but with what success it is impossible to ascertain.

The first principal of the Abingdon Academy is unknown, and
the success attending the Academy previous to 1820 is equally
unknown; but it is probable that the institution received considerable
patronage and to some extent at least met the object of its
projectors.

William King, a young man who had been identified with the
town of Abingdon since an early day in its history, became very
much interested in the Abingdon Academy, and being a man of considerable
means, at the time of the execution of his will he made the
following provision for the Academy—to-wit: I also leave and
bequeath to the Abingdon Academy the sum of ($10,000) ten thousand
dollars payable to the trustees in the year 1816, or lands to
that amount, to be vested in said Academy with the interest or rents
thereon forever."

His will was probated on the 20th of December, 1808.

William King was an Irishman and a self-made man in every
particular, but evidently had received a good English education
himself. By this act he rendered a great service to many generations
of people, and his name will be intimately associated with
the history of his adopted home as long as education is appreciated
by our people.

In the fall of the year 1812, the following advertisement appeared
in the "Political Prospect," a newspaper published in Abingdon: