Dear Old FTS, 

Early Education in Fayetteville: A Historical Overview

The development of early education in Fayetteville is marked by significant milestones, beginning as early as 1754. A deed from that year to John Newberry references a schoolhouse located on the lower side of Cross Creek, indicating organized education was already underway.

In 1794, the Fayetteville Academy was founded with Rev. David Kerr as principal. It operated until it was destroyed in the "Great Fire" of 1831. That same year, the Ravenscroft Academy was established by the Methodist Church. A year later, in 1832, Donaldson Academy was opened on a 30-acre site one mile west of the Market House, on Haymount Hill—a scenic location overlooking Fayetteville.

Around 1855, the Fayetteville Female Seminary opened on the south side of Hay Street, near the present-day location of the Miracle and Colony Theaters. It was a prominent building, known for its large front balcony.

Numerous private schools also emerged during this period, including a kindergarten opened by Mrs. Kate Utley in 1832, as well as schools run by the Misses Ellison, Miss Mabel Bingham, the Misses Mallett, Miss Philadelphia Matthews, and Miss Columbia Mims.

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Education for African Americans

In 1867, Fayetteville’s Black citizens took the initiative to establish a school for their children. With support from Gen. O. O. Howard of the Freedmen’s Bureau, a school building was constructed. This became the Howard School, later renamed the State Colored Normal School by the North Carolina legislature in 1877.

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Public Education and the Peabody Fund

Around 1875, the Peabody Fund offered $1,000 to any town maintaining an average attendance of 300 pupils. Fayetteville, along with Greensboro and Morehead City, initially failed to meet this goal. Raleigh succeeded by enrolling 375 pupils and instituting a tax.

In 1878, the Colored School in Fayetteville received Peabody funding. That same year, a pivotal event highlighted the shortcomings of white education in the town. During a trial at the Market House, six Black boys and six white boys were called as witnesses. At the trial’s conclusion, only the Black boys could sign their names. This shocked the town and spurred action.

Without waiting for legislative intervention, citizens raised $3,500 through donations ranging from five cents to $250. After much debate and multiple ballots, Alexander Graham—a respected local teacher and lawyer—was elected the first superintendent of Fayetteville Graded Schools, despite initially refusing candidacy.

The graded school opened on September 5, 1878, operating at three locations: Donaldson Academy (Haymount), the Fayetteville Female Seminary, and a site in Campbellton (lower Fayetteville). It enrolled 500 students in its first year—the highest in North Carolina—earning $800 from the Peabody Fund, which was paid to Superintendent Graham.

Fayetteville’s first high school offered Latin, Greek, French, and German. By 1881, students were being prepared for university. In 1882, Superintendent Graham personally escorted two young women and one young man to the University of North Carolina, where all passed the entrance exams. Although professors were initially skeptical of students from graded schools, they ultimately signed their certificates.

As the Peabody Fund shifted focus to high schools and teacher training (normal) schools, Fayetteville’s high school received $600 in continued support.

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