On Nov. 20, 1818 the Georgia Assembly approved an act calling for the formation of a coed school for Jefferson. It was called Jackson County Academy and was also called Jefferson Academy. In Dec. 1859, the charter was amended to change the name to the Martin Institute through the private endowment made by William Duncan Martin. The Martin Institute was the first privately endowed educational institute in the United States. In 1885, a fire destroyed the building. The trustees of the Martin Institute secured nine acres of land and built a brick building with a slate roof. The new Martin Institute was completed and occupied in 1886. The building had 5 classrooms on the first floor, and the second floor contained rooms for music, chapel, vestibule, and new stage. Later, additional rooms, a columned front, and dormitory, athletic, and home economics buildings were added to the campus. On the 13th of Jan. 1942, the school was destroyed again by fire, set by a student hoping to avoid going to school. The school was not rebuilt.