On Dec. 13, 1841, the first building of the new home for Darlington Academy was ready for occupancy.

Darlington Academy was founded with the help of a $150 state appropriation and governed by a board of trustees that held its first meeting on May 21, 1836. In 1877, the academy became jointly run with the public school system.

By 1891 the original stone building was in significant disrepair. A new two-room frame structure was built on the site, using the original stone for the foundation.

The building closed as an academy in 1916, when Maryland ceased financial support of academies, but continued as a public school with additions and remodeling until 1936, when the current Darlington Elementary School was built.

Today the 1891 building on Shures Road still stands, serving as a Masonic Lodge.

[Source: Harford Historical Bulletin, Number 94. Fall 2002. Research: Harford County Public Library.]