County officials mark the site of historic Knox Hill Academy

 DEFUNIAK SPRINGS - Many Walton County Historians will tell you education in Florida and even the South was partially started in DeFuniak Springs and Walton County. Some will tell you about the area's help in starting Florida State University and even help with getting that little school in Gainesville going.

The education unions have roots in DeFuniak Springs. The town once had a college. And in the Valley View area, in the early 1800s, a school was started that would teach students from kindergarten to college.

On June 12, descendants of some former Knox Hill Academy students, Walton County School Superintendent Carlene Anderson, County Commissioner Scott Brannon and others were present for the unavailing of a state historical marker near the location of the first Knox Hill Academy on Knox Hill Road at Pusley Hill Road.

The $1,840 marker was purchased with funds from Walton County Commissioner Scott Brannon's District 1 money.

Brannon said the commissioners are involved in a county-wide initiative to preserve historic Walton County sites for future generations.

Resident Bill Steadley-Campbell was a primary force in getting the marker placed.

Steadley-Campbell said John Newton, an abolitionist, built a two-story building near a log cabin school. Knox Hill School was eventually replaced with another school a few miles away. The town of Mary Esther was named after Newton's two daughters, who are buried in the nearby Eucheeanna Cemetery.

Steadley-Campbell said the people who founded the school believed in God and church, in family and in education.

Elaine Harrison said her husband, Benjamin Harrison, went to Knox Hill School in the 1940s. She still lives just up the road from the historic school site.

Superintendent Anderson gave a review of the school's history. She said the academy taught students at all education levels in the one-room schoolhouse. The school at times had as many as 100 students, some from as far away as Pensacola and Marianna. Anderson said they taught tings like math, reading and writing, as well as Greek and Latin plus psalms and hymns. Anderson said the school educated many children who went on to make the community what it is today.

Anderson showed an old ledger with the names of all the old schools, how many students, what the teachers got paid and other statistics.

She said one teacher was not paid because she ran away one month.

Some of the schools include Crestview and locations that used to be in Walton County before it was divided to make other counties. The book dates back to 1908. A teacher in the early 1900s was paid $50 to $60 a month.

Anderson said they used to talk about blackboards and chalk, while today they talk about whiteboards and electronic technology. The one thing that has not changed, she said, is dedicated teachers serving children.

What matters in not the type of schoolhouse or chalkboard, but what you do when you get into the classrooms, Anderson told the crowd.

Audio of this story may be heard at .wzep1460.com under "Friday News Segment 2" through June 16. The full audio of this event, with the complete statement by Anderson is on the same page under the Knox Hill

Additional information provided by the school district and Walton County Public Information:

 Knox Hill Academy was founded in 1849 by John Newton (1814 - 1893). Newton was born near Pittsburgh, Pa., and educated at Amherst College.

He taught a school for the Scotch people in North Carolina and came to Florida in the fall of 1848.

He was invited to Euchee Valley and, at a meeting of the Scottish residents of Walton County, it was decided to a school would be organized and conducted by Newton.

The school commenced in the Henry School House that stood near a spring northeast of the Morrison place at Old Knox Hill several hundred yards northwest of where the Academy was built. Almost immediately, however, a good-sized, split-log house was built on the top of the Hill and furnished with single desks and blackboards and the school was moved into this first building.

A year or two later, a large, two-story, frame building was constructed in front of the log building. From its beginning, the school bore the name of Knox Hill Academy. It was later referred to as Old Knox Hill Academy to distinguish it from the school which opened in January 1859 under the same mentor at a location three miles to the north.

Newton left the school in 1854. He taught several years at Marianna and Orange Hill (Washington County) but returned to Knox Hill Academy when it opened at its new location. He taught for a year or two then left permanently.

The school was continued for many years with some of his former pupils or their children serving as teachers.

Under Newton, the Academy taught students at all educational levels from the primary through the first year of college work.

Outside of his own scholars, the only two assistants he ever had were Angus I. Gillis and Daniel G. McLeod, two of his former pupils. The wide variety of subjects taught is shown by an examination of the list of text books issued, copy books, readers, arithmetic boards, geometry and algebra books, Latin and Greek texts, copies of Family Worship Book, Psalms and Hymns, History of the Church, home and Foreign Record Book, etc.

Patrons of Knox Hill Academy with names of attending children Sept. 24, 1849 to Dec. 24, 1854

James Blain, John, Mary; unknown or John Campbell, Catherine; J.W. Cook, Eliza, George; Angus Douglass, Sarah D.; George D. Fisher, Marshall, Louisa, Luther; Louis Frater, John; Angus Gillis, Murdock, Catharine, Archibold, William, Jeanette;

Mrs. Margaret (Widow of Murdock D. Gillis) Gillis, Catherine, Angus, Sarah, Daniel; Neil Gillis, Donald, Catherine, Elizabeth, Flora, Daniel; Daniel G. John, Colin, William, Daniel Campball; Dr. L.D. Kirkpatrick, Mary Carhman, Mont, James Keith; J.M. Landon, Alonza; ??? McCaskill, Alexander; John McDonald, Daniel, William; Peter McDonald, Sarah; William McDonald, Daniel, Flora; John McKenzie, Margaret, Nancy, Sarah; Daniel G. McLean, Angus, William, Nancy Alexander; Daniel M. McLean, Elizabeth; Hugh McLean, Abigail, Sarah; Alexander McLeod, Alexander, Daniel, John, Duncan, Flora; Neil McPharson, William, Sarah Isabella, Malcolm; Duncan McRanie, Jackson; M. McSween, Philip, Robert, Elizabeth; Ashley Miller, Elizabeth, John, James; William Moore, Margaret, William, Nancy D., Daniel, John; John Morrison, Archibold, William, Murdock; Murdock Morrison, John, Sarah; Daniel Ray, Isabella, William, Colin, Mary; John P. Ray, Nancy, Sarah, Colin, John; Samuel Russ, Robert, Thomas; Captain Peter Simons, Peter, Alfred; Hon. B.D. Wright, Henry, Hambleton; Henry Yonge, Edward

Other patrons during period: Norman Anderson, George Atwell, Colonel Angus Campbell, John Killae, Dougald McCallum, Norman P. McDonald, John P. McKinnon, Oliver Moore, John P.Morrison, Abraham Skipper,

List of patrons of Knox Hill Academy with names of attending children 3-1867 to 7-31-1868: Mrs. Mary Beck, Emma; Mrs. C. Campbell, Mary; J.L. Campbell, Angus; N.P. Campbell, Alexander, William; B. Day, Sarah, Millie; Angus Curry Douglass, John, Charles; Angus Gillis, Daniel, Mary; John Gillis, John, Nancy; Malcom Gillis, Georgia; N.S.Gillis, Elizabeth, Sarah; A.L. McCaskill, Mary; Christian McCaskill, Mary; K. McCaskill, Isabella, Daniel, Malcom; A.P. McDonald, John, Peter, Sarah; D.P. McDonald, Sarah, Daniel; Mrs. Isabella McDonald; James McLean, Duncan, Nancy, Flora; Alexander McLeod, Isabella, Christian; Dr. Philip McSween, Nancy; James McSween, William, Daniel; John Morrison, Malcolm, Mary, Angus, Jennet, Margaret; John P. Morrison, Nancy, Neil; A. C. Monroe, William

Other patrons: John Ball, G. Bowers, Mr. Calhoun, N.J. Campbell, Mr. Flournoy, Mr. Garrett, A.D. McKinnon, J Owens