Westport Historical Society

25 Avery Place, Westport CT 06880 – (203)222-1424

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Adams Academy: 1835 Exhibit

Photo by Laurence S. Untermeyer

 Adams Academy, 15 Morningside Ave North
Saturday May 29th  12-2pm 
Sunday  May 30th  12-2pm
                     and
Woody Klein’s book-signing of his hardcover book Westport Connecticut-The Story of a New England Town’s Rise to Prominence  

 Westport’s historic treasure, our authentic one-room school house, will be open for the Memorial Day weekend. The formidable Ebenezer Adams ran his private Academy from 1837-1867 offering a comprehensive classical curriculum. He had purchased an existing Academy from the Greens Farms Congregational Church after graduating from Yale University.

He attracted hundreds of students from near& far, the majority of whom continued on to Yale, his Alma Mater. Many of his students, including E. T.Bedford, went on to attain fame and fortune. The Academy was indeed a highly regarded educational institute and a credit to the Town. Bring your brown bag lunch, stroll through the past and learn of the historical background and events that culminated in the inauguration of the Town of Westport in 1835 carved from the three surrounding towns of Fairfield, Weston and Norwalk. Our incredibly interesting and colorful past includes the final battle of the Pequot War, the Great Swamp Fight, the arrival of the Puritans led by Roger Ludlow, then Witch trials, the involvement with George Washington and the Revolution, and our mighty Yankee Sea Captains, and Yankee traders. The historical period continues after the Town’s inauguration with the advent of the Victorian period in 1837. Learn also of the town’s ancestors–the Jesups, the Sherwoods,Coleys, Staples, Bedfords & Jennings families.

THE CHARTER  The original copy of Westport’s charter application is archived in the Office of the Town Clerk at Westport Town Hall.  Artistic copies of both the charter and deed were produced in 1935 by Westport’s WPA artist Edward Ades. They can be viewed in the hall outside of the Town Clerk’s office. Stop in at Adams Academy located on Morningside Drive North for a closer look at a copy of the original handwritten town charter and town deed, events and viewing hours.

For more books available in our Gift Shop, visit www.westporthistory.org/books