Kavanaugh Academy
a.k.a. Kavanaugh High School
241 E. Woodford St., Lawrenceburg, KYConstructed in the 1880s as the home and office of Dr. Charles W. Kavanaugh. this building also housed Mrs. Kavanaugh's school. It is a large house with spacious porches and an Ionic colossal order portico. It is probably the most widely known private dwelling in Anderson County. From 1904 to - 1909, it was the Kavanaugh Academy; from 1909 to 1920, the Anderson County High School; and from 1920 to 1949, the Kavanaugh High School.
Dr. Charles W. Kavanaugh received his M.D. degree in 1885 and began his practice in Lawrenceburg. In addition to his medical practice, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in St. Louis, VicePresident of Kentucky Midland Medical Society, Mayor of Lawrenceburg; -- and he was active in church and civic affairs.
Rhoda Kavanaugh, or "Mrs. K." as she was affectionately known, dedicate ed her life to teaching, and built the school into an institution recognized nationwide for its instruction.' Mrs. Kavanaugh, already a popular teacher at the time of her marriage to Dr. Kavanaugh, opened a school for small children in their home in 1903. At first, she was the school's only teacher. When additional faculty members were required, she continued as principal. Largely through the efforts of Mrs. Kavanaugh, a $40,000 gymnasium, the first in Anderson County, was built behind the dwelling and school. Dr. Kavanaugh died in 1930, but Mrs. Kavanaugh remained with the school until her retirement in 1945.
Though this school gained wide recognition for its scholastic and athletic accomplishments, it gained national recognition as a preparatory school for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. The first of these students enrolled as private students in 1914 and, altogether 150 young men attended the school. Because of its excellent training and the accomplishments of its graduates, the school was frequently referred to as "Little Annapolis." Among its former students were several distinguished naval officers who graduated from Annapolis; they included fourteen Captains, five Rear Admirals, one Vice Admiral, and one Admiral. Distinguished army officers who graduated from West Point included: four Colonels, one Brigadier General, and one Major General. Other Kavanaugh alumni gained prominence in politics, education, and religion.
At Mrs. Kavanaugh's school, emphasis was placed on rigorous physical and intellectual training. Alumni have described the academic courses and physical discipline of the school as being more strenuous than that of the service academies, themselves.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.