Moore Academy was founded in 1882 by John “Trotwood” Moore, who was an author, archeologist, and poet. The initial school was a two-story wood frame building. The present brick structure was completed in 1923. Its style is eclectic and typical of early 20th-Century educational facilities with a t-shaped plan, central arched entrance, bracketed eaves, and decorative brickwork at each end of the facade. Moore Academy was widely acclaimed as one of the preeminent educational facilities in Alabama until its closing in 1989. The buildings and grounds were donated to the Moore Academy Alumni Association, Inc. in 1994 and restoration began in 1995. This school is one of the 73 properties included in the Pine Apple Historic District that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Provided is a b&w picture that shows students in front of the initial school building (photograph courtesy Alabama Department of Archives and History).
Moore Academy is located next to Highway 10 in Pine Apple, AL (31.867083,-86.989944 – Google Maps).
John Trotwood Moore’s childhood home was Elmcrest at Judson College in Marion, AL.