The Academy Museum
The stately white clapboard building on the east side of the Orange green is known as The Academy. It is the second two-story structure to stand at this location. The first was built in 1812 as a school for students who paid a small tuition, hence the name The Academy. Classes were held on the second floor, while the first floor was used as an assembly room. In 1878, this first building was moved and a new structure of similar design was built on the same site for use as a high school; it later became the Orange Town Hall and housed the town court as well. When the present Town Hall was completed in 1967, The Academy was turned over to the Orange Board of Education, which occupied the building until 1989, when it was leased to the Orange Historical Society.
The Academy also houses the Mary Rebecca Woodruff Research Center, which is the largest repository of Orange Historical materials. Appointments can be made for scholarly research visits and the staff also welcomes serious inquiries by phone or email.
The visitor will find a host of materials including primary source documents, artifacts, photographs and negatives, maps, historical newspapers and clippings, scrapbooks, and municipal documents such as tax, school, voting and property records. The latter may be supplemented by a short walk over to the Orange Town Hall.
Special subject strengths include the Woodruff and Clark seed companies, Emily Prudden, Tyler City, and the New Haven & Derby Railroad.
The Academy also houses the Mary Rebecca Woodruff Research Center, which is the largest repository of Orange Historical materials. Appointments can be made for scholarly research visits and the staff also welcomes serious inquiries by phone or email.
The visitor will find a host of materials including primary source documents, artifacts, photographs and negatives, maps, historical newspapers and clippings, scrapbooks, and municipal documents such as tax, school, voting and property records. The latter may be supplemented by a short walk over to the Orange Town Hall.
Special subject strengths include the Woodruff and Clark seed companies, Emily Prudden, Tyler City, and the New Haven & Derby Railroad.
The Academy through the years...
At Left: The Academy from postcard with inscription "Orange Conn. High School, June 30 1905 - Eva."
Below Left: Mary Rebecca Woodruff (seated, front row, second from left), author of The History of Orange, poses for a high-school graduation photo in front of The Academy in 1891. Right: Over a century later, the building forms the backdrop for a similar scene, with OHS President Ginny Reinhard and a tour group.
Below Left: Mary Rebecca Woodruff (seated, front row, second from left), author of The History of Orange, poses for a high-school graduation photo in front of The Academy in 1891. Right: Over a century later, the building forms the backdrop for a similar scene, with OHS President Ginny Reinhard and a tour group.
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Historical Displays at The Academy
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Olde School Days!
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Schoolmarm Reinhard holds class in The Academy School Room. Young scholars sit in a historic classroom setting, replete with period furniture, chalkboards, and antique stove.
