The Rockwood Academy [#21}
This magnificent old structure was built in 1850 as a school for boys. It operated as a school until 1883. William Wetherald, a Quaker, was its first principal and railway magnate J. J. Hill, who is commemorated in a plaque on Guelph Street, was its most illustrious student. In keeping with the religious inclination of the Quakers, the Academy provided a simple but strict and thorough education. After its years as a school, the Academy passed through numerous hands and had fallen into sad disrepair when purchased by Josef Drenters in 1960. It became literally his life's work to restore the Academy and its outbuildings. Today, as well as the main building, a log barn is habitable and the chapel on the property has been beautifully restored. It is said that Josef greatly resembled old Principal Wetherald and believed, in his mystic way, that he might be a reincarnation of this man, sent to save the Academy from it derelict state. The restoration of this grand building has been called by some "Josef Drenter's Greatest Sculpture".Josef Drenters bequeathed the property to the Ontario Heritage Foundation with an agreement that it still be available to the Drenters family as a residence. Andreas Drenters, a sculptor, and his family still live in the Academy. Because it is a private residence, it is not open for tours. The movie Agnes of God was filmed at the Academy.