Rockwood Academy

Rockwood Academy was a private school located at 477 Main Street South, Rockwood, Ontario. Founded in 1850 by William Wetherald, a Quaker, it operated until 1883. Competition with the provincial government's collegiate institutes founded in the 1870s had lessened demand for such private education. Its three-storey stone building, constructed in 1853, still stands in the town. Reputation of the Academy Wetherald had previously taught pupils privately in the evenings, and the number of these had grown to such an extent that he decided to open an academy school for older boys and young men. The original curriculum was reasonably standard, consisting of English, mathematics, and Latin, but was thorough. Tuition cost C$21 for three months, including room and board. This was not a large amount for the time; it enabled young men from modest backgrounds to attend, in addition to those whose families were wealthier. Rockwood Academy soon acquired a reputation of being superior and having higher academic standards than the grammar schools of Canada West. In 1864 Wetherald sold the school to Donald McCaig and Alexander McMillan and accepted a position as superintendent of Haverford College near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.