Cross Roads, Henderson County
A group of pioneers from Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana founded the Science Hill community when they arrived in this area in 1846. Their hope for the settlement was that it would become a cultural and educational center for the county. Soon after their arrival, the residents started mills, cotton gins, mercantile businesses, churches, and schools. The decade of the 1850s was one of growth and progress for Science Hill. A Methodist church was organized by the Rev. William D. Sansom, and the Science Hill Masonic Lodge began meeting in 1857. Members of the Lodge and other citizens helped found Science Hill academy, which opened in 1858. The first school of higher education in Henderson County, the academy offered classes in arithmetic, geography, history, elocution, Latin, Greek, natural science, and logic. Educator A. J. Fowler (1815-1886) was instrumental in its founding and served as first principal. During the harsh years of the Civil War and reconstruction, families began moving away from Science Hill. The academy closed in 1872. By 1878 the Masonic Lodge had only 12 members, and its charter was surrendered. Science Hill became a ghost town, leaving only its history as a reminder of the community.