Female Academy tour elicits an ‘awesome’ from preservationist

ASHEBORO — A noted preservationist took a tour of the Asheboro Female Academy, led by Kathie Thompson, a leader in protecting the building at 530 W. Walker Ave.

Gloria Halstead of High Point is the North Carolina Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) historian. She was in Asheboro for a District 5 meeting of DAR, which includes some 10 counties. She agreed to a tour of the Female Academy, which was built in 1839 and was one of the state’s earliest academies for women.

During the tour, Thompson said that several leading fathers in Randolph County, including future governor Jonathan Worth, wanted their daughters to have the opportunity to have more education than was generally available at that time. The group raised $500 to build the academy and girls from several surrounding counties enrolled, many of them boarding with local families. The students were up to 15 or 16 years old.

Much of the Female Academy is of the original materials used in 1839, Thompson said, while preservationists have added antiques, such as a candelabra.

It was constructed on property at the southwest corner of Fayetteville and Salisbury streets. Later, W.J. Armfield Jr., founder of the Randolph of Bank, bought the building to use for storage and living quarters for servants. At Armfield’s death in 1968, the building was given to the Randolph County Historical Society and moved to its present location on land owned by the Asheboro City Schools.

Thompson said maintenance of the Female Academy is funded mostly by grants and donations. One room of the building is a classroom with tables and chairs along with chalk boards. The second room is equipped with a large table and chairs to allow for meetings.

More recently, a building with public restrooms has been erected behind the Female Academy. It’s used to accommodate groups such as school children on field trips.

Halstead said of the tour, “I think it’s awesome. Congratulations to Kathie for doing this. I really love preservation. I’m president of the High Point Preservation Society.”

Halstead also served as a lawyer in Washington, DC, and was involved in the preservation of a number of buildings there.