Pearman Estates

About the Area:

Oak Ridge, North Carolina, incorporated in 1998, is described by some “as the best place in the world to live.” More than 100 years ago, Oak Ridge was described by J.A. Holt, then principal at the Oak Ridge Institute, as "finely wooded and well watered with the finest of freestone water and commanding an extensive view of mountain ranges and foothills. The Blue Ridge, the Pilot, Saurtown, Moore's Knob, the Pinnacles of Dan, all loom up...within a range of 50 miles. The fine oak groves and natural shaded lawns make it an ideal place for a residence."

Oak Ridge Institute was established in the community in 1852 by the Society of Friends (Quakers) as a "finishing school" for boys. From 1875 to 1914 Oak Ridge was led by two brothers, Professors J. Allen and Martin Holt. Under their leadership the Oak Ridge Male Institute became one of the best prep schools in North Carolina, with business and humanities departments, literary and debating societies, and sports teams which regularly played Wake Forest College (University), the UNC-Chapel Hill, and Trinity College (later Duke University) in football and baseball. Several of the academy's baseball players went on to play in the major leagues. Despite the school's public name, women were admitted as students during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During the First World War the Junior Reserve Officer Training Program (JROTC) was admitted to the campus. In 1926, Thomas Early Whitaker described the setting of his beloved Oak Ridge Institute (now the Oak Ridge Military Academy) as "in the hill country of northwest Guilford, 1040 feet above sea level; noted for its healthfulness; accessible to the cities of Piedmont North Carolina;…a rural community of law-abiding, progressive citizens." With affectionate pride, he concluded: "It has been called 'God's Country.'"

In 1929 Oak Ridge officially became an all-male military secondary school, adding a junior college several years later. During World War II, 127 of the academy's alumni were awarded a Purple Heart and 27 earned the Silver Star. In 1972 Oak Ridge became the first military high school in the United States to admit female cadets. ORMA is the third-oldest military school in the United States still in operation. Its rural roots are deep. Citizens voted to incorporate in 1997 to preserve this special heritage.