On this site, from 1818 to 1932, stood the Pictou Academy. Founded by the Presbyterian minister and educator Thomas McCulloch, the institution introduced non-sectarian higher education to the maritime provinces. Modelled after the Scottish academies and universities, it emphasized logical argument, scientific practice and equality of educational opportunity. Its unsuccessful struggle to obtain permanent governmental support and university status in the 1820s marked an early and critical stage in the development of the reform movement in Nova Scotia.