Lincoln Academy (Kings Mountain, North Carolina)

Lincoln Academy was an elementary school and secondary school, including boarding students, for African-American children in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, United States. It was founded in 1886 by Miss E. C. Prudden (or Pruden).

In 1888, the American Missionary Association (AMA) of the Congregational Church took over the administration, and the school became co-educational in 1889.

Established on 50 acres (20 ha) at All Healing Springs, the school was situated at the foot of the Crowder's Mountain. It was 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of the town of Kings Mountain and 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Gastonia, on the national highway from New York City to Atlanta, Georgia.

The African-American girls' school was founded in 1886 by Miss E. C. Pruden, a Christian missionary from Massachusetts. It was turned over to the American Missionary Association in 1888, and for more than 20 years, under the principalship of Miss L. S. Cathcart and other leaders, the school grew. It admitted boys in 1889.

In the following decade, enrollment increased, a new building was constructed, and dormitories were added. Cathcart Memorial Hall was added in 1900, and additional buildings were added over the following 20 years.

In 1916, there were 12 teachers and more than 200 students, 68 of whom were boarding students, the others being day students of the region. The Academy had 11 buildings. A mother's meeting was held weekly to discuss problems. Reading circles were conducted by two teachers. The pastor of the Lincoln Academy Church also influenced instruction. Principal I. Alva Hart stated at the time:

The state of North Carolina began the process of converting the academy into a public school in 1922. The school added the eighth grade program in 1938–39, and the academy attained accreditation through the North Carolina State Board of Education at that time. In 1943, the AMA sought community activism for the school, with Edgar D. Wilson becoming the official director in the following year. Gaston County took over the school's administration in 1947, but the AMA continued to serve the students who were boarding. When new public schools for African-American students opened in 1955, the academy was shuttered.

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