History

Gioulis notes that the Allegheny Collegiate Institute was “both privately and church owned.”  A.C.I. was founded in 1888 by three Alderson men—the Reverend J. H. Light, Chase Bare, and Frank Follansbee.  The Methodist Episcopal Church, South had wanted to create a “District High School” at Alderson and adopted A.C.I. as such.    Through the years the school underwent numerous ownership changes but maintained an association with the Methodist Church. 

 

It had 50 students that first year.  Available copies of the West Virginia Educational Directory show enrollment as low as 82 in 1912 and as high as 125 in 1920.  Since two teachers in 1908 were listed as primary teachers and two in 1920 were listed as preparatory teachers, this might suggest that A.C.I. served students at all grade levels.

 

The 1909 Educational Directory shows six faculty members, only two of whom had A.B. degrees.  Reverend L. G. Shires, the “Resident Principal,” taught Bible as well as math.  N. G. Caldwell, the “Lady Principal,” was one of the primary teachers and also taught French and German; another instructor taught English and history; another taught business subjects as well as art; another taught piano and voice; the final one taught expression.

 

By 1920 the faculty had grown to 10—in addition to a chaplain and a business manager.  The most conspicuous addition was the commandant of the military department—who also taught science, math, and mechanical drawing. Swope notes, “At some time  in  the  years after  1912  the  school  had  added  a  military  department  for  the boys  in  order  to  inculcate erect  bodily carriage and obedience.”  In 1912 The Daily Telegraph reported that 29 A.C.I. students with officers attended a week-long military encampment at Charleston.