Robert W. Traip Academy Records

Robert W. Traip Academy was founded in late 1905 as a private preparatory school. The funds used to construct the school came from the will of the late Robert W. Traip, who died in 1864. Mr. Traip was a direct descendent of one of Kittery's original settlers dating back to the 1600's. After the death of his last heir in 1897, an endowment was established to start an academy. Actual construction began in 1905. The first class in 1909 graduated ten students. The total enrollment at the Academy was twenty-seven students. During World War II, the population of Kittery grew. Over 12,000 people were employed at the Navy Yard. The student population continued to grow well into the 1960's. Traip Academy remained a private school, under contract with the town of Kittery, until 1967. The Academy property was sold to the town of Kittery and the proceeds of that sale are held in trust. The Board of Trustees of the Robert W. Traip Academy Trust awards scholarships and funds special projects for the school and students. Over the years, separate buildings were added to the original 1909 school. The major renovation and construction project started to modernize the school in 1989. Unfortunately, the original 1905 Academy building was demolished. The new facility opened in 1993.