Bradwell Institute (1871)

Bradwell Institute was established in 1871 from the Hinesville Academy which was organized in 1841. The academy was closed during the War Between the States but was reopened and reorganized following the war by Samuel Dowse Bradwell, the son of Colonel Bradwell and Isabelle Fraser Bradwell. He was captain of the Liberty Volunteers, a military organization in the county. The name, Bradwell Institute, was given the new school honoring the founder of the first school in Hinesville.

The first building was a small frame structure located in the same block as the church. It was paid for by the county commissioners, and tuition was paid by the students. This building was soon replaced with a two-story frame building. In the beginning the classes were conducted by Captain Bradwell, who served as principal of the school for more than twenty years. In 1877 an advertise­ment of the school appeared in the Hinesville Gazette announcing the faculty and courses. High standards were set for the school and the long scholarly essays, which were read at commence­ment, exhibited a knowledge of the classics.

Bradwell Institute became famous throughout the state, and large numbers of students were enrolled from surrounding counties. The Moore House and other inns furnished accommodations for the boarding pupils.

Following his retirement from the school, Cap­tain Bradwell was elected state senator in 1888-1889 and later served as school commissioner for the state. Later, he became president of the State Normal School in Athens, which today is the University of Georgia.