INFLUENCE OF A SINGLE FARM COMMUNITY. 

 UNION ACADEMY OF BELLEVILLE. 



9 



Some time prior to 1824 the Rev. Joshua Bradley made a persist- 

 ent effort to interest the people in the vicinity of Belleville in the sub- 

 ject of schools, education, and even higher education. He canvassed 

 the townships of Ellisburgh and Henderson again and again to 

 influence the people to give from their limited means for the purpose 

 of schooling their children. In the fall of 1824 Mr. Bradley opened a 



Fig. 3.— This map shows the distribution of persons from farms in the Belleville community who attended 

 . the academy at some time or other. Each dot a student. Students from hamlets and villages not 

 shown. 



school of higher grade in the upper part of a house, and employed a 

 teacher. The prosperity of this school awakened the people to want 

 an academic institution in Belleville. 



Mr. Bradley presented a plan for a manual-labor school, and stock 

 was subscribed sufficient to finance a building. A lot of 6 acres was 

 given by Giles Hall to be "■ forever after used for school purposes." 

 April 13, 1826, an act of incorporation was obtained and 24 farmers 

 were constituted a body corporate, under the name "Union Literary 

 Society," for the support of an academic school for both sexes. The. 

 54705°— 21— Bull. 9S4 2 



