Robert E. Lee School
The county of Henry was chartered in 1821; the city of Paris in 1823. By 1825, land had been donated and funds had been pledged by 60 prominent citizens to provide a location for education. On a date that is not documented, the Paris Male Academy began classes. A new brick building was built in 1848. Notable alumni of the ante-bellum period include General J.D.C. Atkins and Governor James D. Porter.
In 1861, the fifth regiment of the Tennessee Infantry was organized on the Academy grounds Classes were suspended during the Civil War, resumed after the war and continued until 1880, when the building burned.
The Male Academy moved to another location and a new building was built in 1881 to house Paris’s first public school. From the early 1890’s until 1906 when Grove High School was built, the City High School was located here. Around the turn of the century, the name was changed to Robert E. Lee School. From 1906 until classes ended in 1975, Lee School operated as an elementary school. Offices of the Paris Special School District were located here from 1975 until 2001. When the District moved to new offices, there was no apparent plan for the historic building.
Beginning with a December, 2000 resolution by the John Babb Chapter of the DAR, there was a groundswell of community interest in saving and using the historic building. An Ad Hoc Lee School Committee began in January, 2001, with a charter as a non-profit organization issued on May 25, 2001. The founding Board of the Association was elected in September, 2001. A year later, in September, 2002, the Board accepted the deed to the historic building and land. Restoration of the building began with funds from individuals, local government, industries, civic clubs, and ultimately from the Tennessee Historical Commission.
After gathering input from the community and considering many options, the Board decided to establish the Lee School Academy for the Arts. The building was methodically restored, beginning with the Main Classroom Building and finishing with the restoration of the 1909 vintage Lunchroom to be used as a community room. Courses were first offered in the Summer of 2004. Since then, offerings have expanded to include a wide variety of courses of interest to all ages. The school is now truly the center of arts for Paris and Henry County. The halls have been equipped with museum grade lighting and hanging system to provide a venue to display the work of local artists. Artists maintain studios in the building and The Tennessee River Fine Arts League is housed there.