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If you look at a map of the Depreciation Lands
located on the north side of the Ohio River, you will find a plot
of land amounting to about 3,000 acres that was granted to the
Trustees of Washington Academy in August, 1793. The grant itself
was located northwest of the Ohio River and included the mouth
of the Connoquenessing on Big Beaver Creek. Known as "Morrison's
Hunting Ground," it also encompassed parts of the present-day
Borough of Ohioville. Just seeing that on the map and applying
the old standard of "common sense," leads one to think
that there was indeed an early school, either named after or founded
by George Washington, established there. After all, why would
an institution own that much land and not use it? Unfortunately,
the test of "common sense" fails here. Washington Academy
was never located in Beaver County, and it was not founded by
George Washington.
A merger of three smaller Presbyterian schools, Washington Academy
was chartered by the state and first opened in April of 1789 in
the town of Washington, Pennsylvania. In 1865 the Academy, then
known as Washington College merged with their rival, Jefferson
College, to create present-day Washington & Jefferson College.
In 1789, supporting the chartered academies and colleges was a
major problem for the cash poor state. In order to endow the academies
and colleges, Pennsylvania gave large grants of land so that each
institution could use it to generate income. The 3 , 000 acres
in Beaver County was used in this manner, and never served as
the location of Washington Academy.