John Willoughby: Greene Publishing, Inc.
At the corner of Duval St. and Base St., where CVS Pharmacy now stands, was once a building known as the St. Johns Seminary of Learning.
St. Johns Seminary of Learning was founded in 1850 after eight acres of land was acquired. The Seminary was founded upon a cornerstone, laid by the Free and Accepted Masons of Madison Masonic Lodge Number 11. There is speculation as to what exactly was offered at the Seminary, but in 1886, the Seminary became the basis for Madison High School.
The building was designed and built by William Hammerly, who was credited with the building of the Smith-Goza mansion, as well as the Chuleota, the home of John McGehee. According to Tommy Greene's Madison County: From the Beginning, after the Smith-Hughes Act passed in 1917, providing federal funds for vocational education, a vocational agricultural training program was started at Madison High School.
In 1907, W.B. Cates established the Florida Normal Institute, as part of Madison High School. The Institute was for the purpose of training teachers for all residents in the State of Florida. On Feb. 13, 1999, the last remaining building of the institute, the dormitory, burned to the ground.