[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 19 (Tuesday, February 2, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E87]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING THE BICENTENNIAL OF FRANKLIN ACADEMY

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                            HON. TRENT KELLY

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 2, 2021

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration 
of the Bicentennial of Franklin Academy in Columbus, Mississippi--the 
state's first Public School. In its two hundred years, Franklin Academy 
has had a profound impact on education in our state.
  In December of 1821, construction was completed on the first 
schoolhouse. A 20x30 foot wood framed structure was erected to house 
the first classes, and in 1835 a second structure was built to separate 
the boys and girls. In 1866, a fourteen-room, three-story building 
became the new home of Franklin Academy. An adjoining chapel allowed 
for religious services and education.
  In November of 1909 President Taft visited Franklin Academy as a stop 
on a national tour. Nine years later, the school adapted to elementary 
students when Stephen D. Lee High School was completed. It wasn't until 
1939 that the current two-story building was constructed under the 
Public Works Administration.
  Franklin Academy was integrated in September of 1965. It has since 
been named a Mississippi landmark and is listed on the National 
Register of Historic Places.
  I commend all current and former faculty, staff, and administration 
at Franklin Academy for preserving educational excellence and 
continuously striving for the best quality education for our young 
people.

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