Allen Academy

This school originated as Madison Academy, founded in 1886 in Madisonville by John Hodges Allen (1854-1920), an educator from Mississippi. When his brother Rivers O. Allen (1865-1925) joined him in 1896, the institution became Allen Academy, a private boarding school for boys. During the summer of 1899, the Allens moved the school to Bryan. In the early years of the 20th Century, enrollment steadily increased. The campus was enlarged and new buildings erected to accommodate the students. During World War I, military training was introduced. In 1925 John Allen's son Nat Burtis Allen (1892-1946) became director of the school. During his tenure, the academy continued to grow and gained national recognition. When he died in 1946, the campus contained over 300 acres, including a farm and dairy. His son Nat Burtis Allen, Jr. (1919-1973) guided the institution until 1973 and led in establishing broader curriculum. Allen Academy is the oldest accredited, non-sectarian preparatory school for boys operating in Texas. Its graduates include leaders in government and business. Today the institution is coeducational and offers a broad range of scholastic programs for boarding and day students. (1997)

Allen Academy is a historical marker in Bryan, Brazos County, dedicated in 1978. It is one of 54 historical markers documented in Brazos County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 172 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.6788, -96.3621 near Bryan. The nearest cataloged historic site is Allen Academy Memorial Hall (Gone) (historic place), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include Allen, R. O., House-Allen Academy (Gone), Armstrong House-Allen Academy (Gone), and Black Education in Bryan.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5041008661. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.