Pine Apple school bears name of prominent 19th century literary figure

John Trotwood Moore

Today – Aug. 26 – marks the 162^nd anniversary of the birth of one of the most remarkable men to ever call Wilcox County home - a man whose namesake is still attached to one of the foremost educational institutions in county history.

John Trotwood Moore Jr. was born on Aug. 26, 1858 in Marion, the county seat of Perry County, to John and Emily Moore. Moore eventually went on to graduate from what is now Samford University in Birmingham and then he got a job working at his hometown newspaper, The Marion Commonwealth. In his early twenties, he began teaching school in Butler County, a job that would eventually lead him to found Moore Academy at Pine Apple.

Moore Academy is located on the west side of State Highway 10 in Pine Apple, and if you visit this location today you’ll find a historical marker that was erected by the Moore Academy Alumni Association in 1996. That marker reads as follows: “MOORE ACADEMY – ‘A Great Adventure of the Mind’ – Founded in 1882 by John Trotwood Moore, who became a famous author, archeologist and poet laureate of the State of Tennessee, the original two-story wood frame building served the Pine Apple area from 1882 until the present brick structure was completed in 1923. The 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 façade. 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 marker is dedicated to those students, teachers and administrators who have passed through these doors, and in the words of John Trotwood Moore, ‘To him that will, faith finds a pathway home.’ Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage – June 30, 1995.”

During his time at Moore Academy, Moore married Florence W. Allen, and in 1885 they moved to Tennessee, where Moore launched into a full-blown literary career. Moore went on to write for a wide variety of publications, including Clark’s Horse Review, Trotwood’s Monthly, the Taylor-Trotwood Magazine and The Saturday Evening Post. He also published a number of books, including “Songs and Stories from Tennessee,” “A Summer Hymnal: A Romance of Tennessee,” “The Bishop of Cottontown: A Story of  the Southern Cotton Mills,” “Ole Mistis, and Other Songs and Stories from Tennessee,” “The Old Cotton Gin,” “Uncle Wash: His Stories,” “The Gift of the Grass: Being the Autobiography of a Famous Racing Horse,” “Jack Ballington, Forester,” “Hearts of Hickory: A Story of Andrew Jackson and the War of 1812” and “Tom's Last Forage.”

Moore was such a prominent literary figure in Tennessee that Tennessee’s governor appointed Moore to the position of State Librarian and Archivist in March 1919. Moore served in this position up until his death in May 1929. Today you can visit Moore’s grave in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville - many, many miles from the Wilcox County school that still bears his name.