The settlement has been called an "old academy town" for the schools for college-bound students. Public speaking was encouraged for boys. The Bakersfield Academic Association was established in 1839, which built a three-story building to house a Methodist Church and the South Academy. It was the first building for Bakersfield Academy, which opened in 1840. Jacob Spaulding was hired as headmaster and Mary, his wife, was a drawing instructor and preceptress. In 1851, there were 271 students from New England, other parts of the United States, and Quebec. They had a staff of 14 people. The academy suffered a loss of reputation when Spaulding left the school in 1852 to become a principal for Barre and its well-endowed academy.