Pleasant Retreat Academy

Pleasant Retreat Academy is a two-story brick building in Lincolnton featuring four bays, a gable roof, and a fieldstone foundation. The structure occupies approximately two acres of land on East Pine Street.

The building was constructed between 1817 and 1820 and operated as a school until 1878. After this period it was adapted for residential use and later served as a public library.

This institution served as a training ground for individuals who later became prominent in American political life. It reveals how educational institutions functioned as centers for developing future leaders during the early republic.

The building is located on East Pine Street in Lincolnton and can be viewed from the exterior. Visitors should be aware that as a historic structure, public access may be limited depending on current conditions.

Each gable end displays a partially exposed chimney with a distinctive shoulder detail, a feature from early 19th-century construction techniques. This design choice reflects how builders of that era solved heating needs with the materials and methods available to them.