Centenary Institute (Alabama)

Centenary Institute was a school in Summerfield, Alabama operated by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, from 1829 until the 1880s.

The Centenary Institute was founded in 1829 as Valley Creek Academy, a local school, but was turned over to the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1838.

For the next two decades, the school was the largest in central Alabama, enrolling approximately 500 students.

J. N. Montgomery was president from 1856 until the Civil War; he was followed by Richard H. Rivers, William J. Vaughn, and R. K. Hargrove.

The Institute saw its fortunes decline precipitously during the war; by 1865 buildings were in need of repair, and in 1867 the school saw but three graduates.