By Helen E. McKinney
Executive Director, Shelby County Historical Society
Shelby County will be forever grateful to Julia Ann Hieronymus Tevis for opening her ground-breaking all-female Science Hill Academy in Shelbyville. The school celebrates 200 years in March 2025.
Destined to be a brilliant educator, Julia was born in Clark County on Dec. 5, 1799, to Pendleton Hieronymus (1775-1820) and Mary “Polly” Bush (1778-1833). When Julia was young, her family moved to Virginia, then to Washington, D.C., in search of better educational opportunities for her and her siblings. Her father became an “Indian agent” in Missouri, where he died in 1820.
After his death, Julia supported her mother and younger siblings with her salary as a school teacher. After taking a teaching job in Abingdon, Virginia, she met Rev. John Tevis (1792-1861), a Methodist minister from Kentucky.
Her reply to his proposal was, “Yes, provided …” The provision was that John must agree for Julia to open a school for girls in their home. In this school, students would learn to read and write and study Greek, Latin, French, mathematics and sciences—subjects often taught only to boys. Julia and John married in March 1824, and she got her wish.
Julia opened Science Hill Female Academy, a Protestant boarding school for girls ages 12-16, in Shelbyville on Monday, March 25, 1825, with just 18-20 pupils of different ages and learning abilities. By 1852, 250 students were enrolled. As enrollment increased, dormitory rooms were added, and many qualified teachers were hired.
Science Hill Academy was the first school of its kind west of the Allegany Mountains.
The school saw challenges over the years in the form of disease, war and natural disasters. The cholera epidemic in the 1830s nearly forced it to close. But it continued to grow steadily as parents sought higher learning for their daughters, and the education they received at Science Hill was unparalleled.
A usual school day consisted of morning chapel, classical prelude, singing of hymns, Bible reading and prayers. Bible study was required of all students, freshmen through senior year. An examination was given at the end of each school year.
Science Hill Academy was an accredited school of the Association of College and Secondary Schools of the Southern States. There was a Science Hill scholarship program that was of great benefit, especially during the Great Depression years, giving girls a chance to attend school who might not have been able to do so otherwise.
Students were required to attend school on Saturday, with Monday as their free day. Sundays were filled with church services and Bible study. An addition was built in 1826 to house a first-floor chapel and the second-floor dormitory.
The girls received an education that was well rounded in the arts, which included writing, music, singing, dancing and theater in the form of much-enjoyed plays. Students engaged in activities such as field hockey, tennis, basketball, badminton, archery and parlor games.
Between 1890-1900, 23 graduates completed their bachelor’s degrees at Wellesley College, and additional girls received degrees from renowned schools such as Vassar, Bryn Mawr, Stanford, Goucher, and New York, Chicago, California and Michigan universities. Three graduates earned M.D.s—one each from Rush Medical School, the University of Wisconsin and Johns Hopkins. Another earned a Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Julia and John operated Science Hill Academy together until John’s death in January 1861. Julia continued to run it alone until 1879. At that time, she sold it to Dr. Wiley Taul Poynter, who was a teacher and principal of the school until he died in 1896. His wife, Clara Davis Martin Poynter, took over as principal until her 1937 death. Clara was active in the suffrage and temperance movements and was a lifelong advocate for women’s social and political equality.
The Poynters’ daughters, Juliet and Harriet, ran the school until it closed in 1939. In 1947, they made an agreement with Mark A. Wakefield and Mark J. Scearce, who first rented the chapel/auditorium for their antiques business. Over time, Scearce acquired the property, which included the courtyard, restaurant space and entire east wing. The remaining Poynter-owned space was purchased in the 1960s.
The owners of Wakefield-Scearce Galleries did extensive renovation to preserve the property. In 1975, Science Hill became listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Shelby County Historical Society has in its collection various items pertaining to Science Hill, including programs, catalogs, letters, school desks, portraits, diplomas, class photos and sheet music.
To celebrate the bicentennial, Wakefield-Scearce Galleries is planning an open house on March 29 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The public is welcome to attend. Guests will be greeted by a Julia Tevis re-enactor and will learn stories of the school’s past, see special trades demonstrations and engage in other activities. A special ticketed fundraising event will be held that evening.
For more information, contact: Shelby County Historical Society at (502) 513-555, director@shelbykyhistory.org, or Wakefield-Scearce Galleries at (502) 633-4382 or info@wakefieldscearce.com.