Alabama Female Institute

[1] [2][3][a] In 1829, Edward Sims, a business man, ardent Methodist, and a strong advocate of higher education of women, built a large brick house which he offered to the Methodist Conference for an academy for girls as long as the Conference would keep a school in it.

Armand P. Pfister, the author of the "University March," and Grand Secretary of all the Masonic orders in Alabama, was instructor in music.

[5] This charter, after granting the usual judiciary powers, and declaring the corporation perpetual, and giving the trustees power to establish and break the common seal at will, also empowered the trustees to make such by-laws as would not be repugnant to the laws and constitution of the State and of the U.S.

This charter also prohibited the trustees from dealing in notes, or bills of exchange, or exercising banking powers.

[3] There is a strange inconsistency between Mr. Sims's avowed intention of establishing a Methodist academy and the positive statement in the charter that the tenets of any one church should not be taught to the exclusion of others.

[3] It is uncertain whether the Methodist Conference ever accepted Mr. Sims's offer, but if it did, its connection with the school very soon ceased.

As this school continued for so short a time, little is known of it, no records are extant, nothing to show what the curriculum was, except the name "Academy."

Mr. Sims did not oppose their plans, but to some extent cooperated with this association in establishing the Tuscaloosa Female Academy, which was chartered January 15, 1831.

"[3] As it was not uncommon to call in the aid of the lottery for educational and civic purposes in that era, the charter also stated: "Said corporation shall have power to raise by lottery in one or more classes upon such scheme as they may devise, any sum or sums of money not exceeding fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), to be applied to the use of said Academy."

The trustees, thus granted almost unlimited powers, and provided with a lottery, indulged in "great expectations."

Ready, Esq., secretary of the board of trustees, made the following announcement:—[3] "A union between the 'Tuscaloosa Female Educational Society' and ' Sims's Academy' has been effected.

[3] Notwithstanding the favorable conditions under which the academy began its career, for some unexplained reason, it did not meet the expectations of its friends and they agreed to promote the establishment of the Alabama Female Institute, the trustees of the Tuscaloosa Female Academy having made extensive preparation for maintaining their school.

Courses of study were offered in English, history, geography, philosophy, mathematics, chemistry and music, and diplomas were awarded on the completion of the prescribed work.

[3] One of the successors of Mr. Williams was Miss Brooks, a native of New Hampshire and a graduate of Mount Holyoke College.

They retained charge of the Institute without interruption, except during a few months while Tuscaloosa was occupied by Federal troops, until Professor Stafford's death.

Mrs. Stafford continued in charge until 1888, when she sold the property to the city of Tuscaloosa for public school purposes and left the State.