CLERMONT/PARKER ACADEMY

The Parker Academy, also known as the Clermont Academy, was a private school organized in 1839, and neighbors the Reverend Daniel Parker Home. The Parker Academy was open to students of both genders (co-ed) and all races. The original school building is no longer standing but the dorm and commemorative monument can be seen at the site. Edwin Mathews, formerly enslaved by James G. Birney, was the first Black student enrolled. Plantation owners brought their bi-racial children here to be educated. Many of the children of Clermont’s abolitionists were also enrolled. 1,500 students attended the school during its 53-year history.