Henry Barkey founded Barkeyville in 1851. In 1881, an academy opened in Barkeyville, in Venango County, Pennsylvania. These dates mark different points in the town’s history: the founding of the town and the history of an academy connected with the Church of God and Findlay College.
Academy and Educational History
The Barkeyville Academy served as a private high school before public schools were established in Pennsylvania. Its founder was Rev. John R. H. Latchaw. Five of the six presidents of Findlay College had connections to the Barkeyville Academy before moving to the college. This connection extends beyond the history of a single local school, while remaining tied to a specific sequence of events: the presidents’ connection to the academy came before their move to the college. Two perspectives thus come together: the academy’s role as a private high school and its connections to later academic careers.
The Church of God and Local History
The Barkeyville Academy began in the Church of God meeting house in Barkeyville. Henry Barkey was also closely connected with this church: he donated the land for the Church of God and the cemetery and helped build the church. His grave is behind the church. The land donation, church construction and grave connect the town’s founder with Barkeyville’s religious history. Education and the church also intersect in the academy’s history, whose beginnings were in the meeting house.
The restoration of the former Barkeyville Academy is another historical connection between church and school. Rev. Robert Guy received an award for it; he was pastor of the Barkeyville Church of God. Thus, the academy’s history includes both its former purpose as a private high school and the later restoration of its former building.
Other Memorial Sites and Recreation
In 2008, a full-size derrick was erected along I-80 in Barkeyville. A Memorial Stone in front of a building in Barkeyville commemorates veterans. These connections add further themes to the town’s educational and religious history: the derrick is a structure with a specific year of construction, while the Memorial Stone is dedicated to remembering veterans.
Barkerville Community Park welcomes families and children to picnic, play and celebrate. Thus, community activities also feature in the town’s profile alongside its historical connections. While the academy, Church of God and Memorial Stone reflect different aspects of history, the park’s invitation specifically includes picnicking, playing and celebrating.
Historical Context in the Surrounding Area
The surrounding area also adds to Barkeyville’s history. In Mayes Forks, the house at the northwest corner was a prominent hotel and a post office and stagecoach station in the early 19th century. The associated historical marker is in Wesley, north of Barkeyville. This helps situate the connection geographically: the history of the hotel and stagecoach station belongs to Mayes Forks; the marker is in Wesley. This regional context adds the history of lodging, mail and stagecoach travel to Barkeyville’s own connections, without conflating the locations.
Discover more destinations: Sugarcreek, Oil City.
For the broader travel overview: Venango County.
