Sarah Lincoln Academy

Rev. Dr. William Jones Rankin, the second pastor of Faith United Presbyterian Church, was educated at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and began his pastorate with the newly rebuilt Faith Church and Emmanuel Church (Southern Pines) congregations in 1894. Due to his influence, the original members of Faith were augmented by the influx of well-educated African Americans from the North. As with most Presbyterian churches in the nineteenth century, the congregation soon founded a school, a private academy for their young people, for whom no primary education was available. It was initially known as "The School House in the Woods" or "The School in the Pines" and was run out of the Rankin home. Over the course of several years, the school expanded, additional teachers were hired, and a modest campus was constructed. It was chartered by the Northern Presbytery as Sarah Lincoln Academy in 1896. In 1903, the school became part of the Presbyterian Church USA's Board of Missions. The academy closed in 1932 when public school options became available.