Proctor Academy

Proctor Academy is a coeducational, independent preparatory boarding school for grades 9-12 located on 3,000 acres (12 km²) in Andover, New Hampshire.

History

Origin

Andover Academy was established in 1848 by the Town of Andover. The idea of the school spawned from a sewing group conversation between the wives of the area's prominent families, in the living room of attorney Samuel Butterfield. The women shared a strong conviction that their town needed a school for its expanding population. On June 23, 1848, the incorporation of the academy was approved, with Samuel Butterfield as president, Walcott Hamlin as secretary, and True Brown and John Fellows as executive committee members.

The academy opened its doors in August 1848, on the second floor of the church on Main Street, with many of the desks, chairs and chalkboards donated by the Butterfields. Mrs. Eliza Butterfield set up the curriculum with Dyer H. Sanborn as the principal and Miss Eliza Wingate as "preceptress". The first term had 43 girls and 65 boys enrolled, but within four years the school had grown to just over 250 students.