Pine Forge Academy is a co-educational Seventh-day Adventist boarding school that serves grades 9 through 12. It is located in Berks County, Pennsylvania

Berks County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...

. The land for the school grounds was donated to the founders of the school by the family of Thomas Rutter, who was an abolitionist during the 1700s.

History

Pine Forge Academy is one of four remaining African-American boarding schools. It was originally named Pine Forge Institute, and was later changed to Pine Forge Academy as attendance grew.

Campus

The Pine Forge Academy campus is located on 575 acres of land which was donated to the founders of the school by the family of Thomas Rutter, an abolitionist during the 1700s. The house in which Thomas Rutter and his family lived in is still located on the campus and is considered an historical landmark by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The land is also used by the Allegheny East Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Student Housing

There are two dormitories that currently house students: Handy Hall for male students and Kimborough Hall for female students. The student cafeteria is located under the Kimborough Hall.

Choir and Creative Arts

There are various groups that students can join, two of them being the choir and creative arts groups. The Pine Forge Academy Choir is a nationally recognized choir which travels across the country. The Creative Arts drama-ministry group, which is sometimes accompanied by the choir, is a drama group which presents Christian values through skits and plays.

Interesting Facts

Cafeteria Burning

The student cafeteria was once a stand-alone building located on the campus. The basement of the female dormitory, Kimborough Hall, was outfitted as a cafeteria after a student supposedly burned down the original cafeteria during the 1970s after an argument with his girlfriend.

Underground Railroad

It is believed that a stop on the underground railroad is located on the campus of the academy. There is also a network of tunnels that lie beneath the school grounds.

Notable alumni

Barry C. Black, the 62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate, is an alumnus of Pine Forge Academy. He was the first African-American, the first Seventh-Day Adventist and the first military chaplain to hold the office of chaplain in the United States Senate.