Final Draft of Local History

Corinna Union Academy




Brittany Sharpe
Mr. Viles
World Studies
January 7, 2007











Brittany Sharpe
Mr. Viles
World Studies
January 7, 2007
Corinna Union Academy

The Corinna Union Academy is an old but well known building in Corinna, Maine. Everyday people may drive by this building and not know the history behind it. This building has a story and you will be learning about what it how it was built and what is has grown to be.
The Corinna Union Academy was built in 1851. This began when a group of 70 people came together to build this high school. Before this Academy was built there were not many schools in the town or the towns surrounding Corinna. If this Academy was built it would be one of the largest in the town. The idea that these people had was to create a school that the town could benefit from down the road and would educate fine students. One year later the school was licensed by the State and seven years after that it opened. When the information on the courses and the school came out it read; the Academy contains two school rooms each one 32 feet. These were the drawing room and the recitation room. This means that there were two rooms in this old schoolhouse that were used for the education purpose. In 1931 the school was expanded. They built 2 more wings which had 4 classrooms. When this academy was built it was a 2 story white building with 17 windows and one door. It also included a bell tower. This is just what the town wanted. They had saved money for this Academy and now they had it. The style that this building was designed in is the Greek Revival style. These types of buildings were usually covered in clapboard and then were painted either white or gray. In this case the building was painted white. Also heavy trim is sometimes used and the corners of the building is accentuated by molding or carved wood. This type of building style was considered the first well liked and well used style of building.

Education then was much different than that of the world today. The first public school law was passed in 1647. This was started because the people of the towns wanted the children to have an education. This law had two purposes. The first was to stop Satan's desire to keep men from the knowledge of the scripture. The other was to prevent learning from being “buried” or lost with those who came before their children. From these laws one person was appointed to teach these children all of the basic learning skills, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. The wages for these teachers were paid by the parents of the children or the masters of the children. This law was the basis for the higher education standards and ideas. Schools were not plenty in the 1800s. In 1800 Maine there were 161 incorporated towns within Maine. Within these 161 towns were 7 grammar schools. These 7 schools taught about 100 families children every year. This meant that the classrooms would be cramped and the teachers would have a hard time keeping their class under control. “Classes are so much smaller today then they were when I went to school. There were 15 or 16 people in a class and that was it.” Said Fran Kirk of class sizes today. In 1820 Maine had 236 incorporated towns and in those towns were 25 academies. During this time public taxation became the primary way of paying for these schools. Education now is much more different. When I asked Fran Kirk, a former student of Corinna Union Academy, how education had changed she said “Education has changed because the standards are much higher. Today there are more tests and more pressure to exceed.” Today there are 177 districts within the state of Maine with too many schools to count. Today we have programs such as No Child Left Behind so that children get the education that they need. In those times they did not have these laws. This law ensures that every child gets a fair education that they understand and that they have a chance to do the best they can. In the 1850s there were no laws like this. Every child had a chance to learn but they did not have the tools or standards that we have today.

The Corinna Union Academy is now known as the Corinna Union Academy Historical Society. It was shut down as a high school in 1968 when Nokomis Regional High School was built in Newport, Maine. After this it became a junior high. Frank Kirk says “I went to that school from 1953 to 1955 and I love it. The school was great and the teachers were good also.” It then was condemned as unsafe to for a junior high in 1998 and was shut down. It then caught on fire in 2000 in the upstairs and they had to replace it. Then it caught fire again in the tower due to an electric problem. The damage was minimal and was fixed. In 2004 it was re-opened as a historical society. In the summer months it is open and available for tours. It holds antiques such as old high school year books, items that were used in the farming process. It also holds historical pictures and artifacts of the town. There are still meetings occasionally held there today. This building represents what the town has been through and how it changed. This school was in the town and it grew with the town. It is like a symbol of growth.

I hope that you learned a lot about this Academy and that next time you drive by you think what it has been through. It has been through fire and survived. It shows how the education has changed. It shows how much the times have changed from the architecture to the teaching styles. It also demonstrates how buildings can be used for many purposes. So next time you drive by and think what an old building, instead think what an amazing building.






Sources:
“Corinna Union Academy.” Cattail Press. 17, November 2006 <http://www.cattailpress.com/Features/May01/CUApics.htm>

“A brief history of Corinna , Maine.” Donna & Patrick Cator 2003-2006
http://catorfamily.com/genealogy/titcombincorinnamaine3.html

Kirk, Fran. Personal Interview. 20, December 2007

Maine.gov. 2006
http://www.maine.gov/search?q=No+Child+Left+Behind+program&as_sitesearch=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.maine.gov%2F&site=test_collection&output=xml_no_dtd&client=test_collection&proxystylesheet=test_collection










Outline:

I. Corinna Union Academy
A. You always drive by building and think nothing of it.
B. You need to know the history so you can appreciate it

II. The School
A. Academy was built in 1851. 70 people came together
1. Academy would be only one around
2. Later the school was licensed by the state
3. 7 years later it re opened
B. Two Schoolrooms in the schoolhouse
1. How big were the schoolrooms
2. What it looked like on the outside
3. What design of building it was
III. Education
A. Education then
1. Law of Education
2. Way of teaching
3. Towns within the schools
B. Education now
1. How many districts
2. Differences in sizes of schools
3. Programs we have today
IV. What the CUA is today
A. Now it is a historical society
1. Shut down as a high school in 1968
2. Then closed as junior high in 1998
3. Caught fire in 2000
B. What has happened to it
1. Caught Fire again in tower
2. Opened in 2004 again
3. What it holds today
V. Conclusion
A. You need to know the history so you can appreciate it
B. Built in 1851 closed in 1968. Re opened as a historical society
C. Review history of the CUA and propose that you think about the building and history when you pass by it.