Smithville Academy
[a private school]

The Smithville Academy was opened by James B. Taylor. Before this there were no schools at a level above grammar school in Green Township.  It seems that during that time period the schools were run on two sessions, winter and summer.  So the first session of  Taylor's school was the winter of 1861-62 with more than 60 students enrolled.   The school rented the Presbyterian church building at the east end of the village.  Teaching there with Taylor were Ben Musser and Miss Eurgene Christy.  Miss Christy taught music. They were joined there by Levi and John B. Eberly.  The summer session had over 150 students.  The students were from all of Wayne County and some from surrounding counties. Additional classrooms had to be held at the Wenibrenarian Church.  Some of the students came to Smithville to live during the time they were studying there.  In August of 1862, with Lincoln's second call for troops, Taylor applied and was granted authority to enlist a company.

New Site Now Open:  LINK  for James Taylor and Company H of the 120th in the Civil War.
 
 

John Eberly Takes Over

From a reunion speech given by James Taylor in 1920:
"On August 29th five companies for the 120th Ohio Volunteers entrained at Wooster for Mansfield, at which place we went into camp.  The ladies and non-combatants of the Smithville Academy, nearly one hundred in number, remained with Prof. Eberly, and he continued the school thereafter until the calls for additional troops late in 1863 and early in 1864 for short time service made it impracticable to maintain the school.  The boys were needed in service and the girls took their places on the farms, in the stores and shops.  In '64 Eberly returned to Mt. Union College for his last year's work and in '65 took his degree and then came back to the old 'Synagogue' at Smithville and resumed his work........in resuming in August, 1865 he adopted the name 'The Smithville High School.' "

It was then called the Smithville High School, even though it was still a private school.  The building was built in 1866 for $8000.  It stood until it burned 26 Jan 1910 although it was used as a school only until 1903.  During part of this time the school was called the Smithville Normal College.  In 1883 the tuition for a session ranged from $6.50 to $12.
 
 

[Note: The first public high school...also called Smithville High School...existed from 1886 to 1921.]
 

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