The last-standing structure of the Choctaw Academy the nation's first federally controlled Native American boarding school sits on farmland in Georgetown, Scott County, and a new discovery about one of its students could bring fresh attention to the deteriorating site.The Choctaw Academy was established in 1825 on U.S. Vice President Richard M. Johnson's Scott County farm. It was the first federally controlled boarding school for Native Americans, following a treaty in which the Choctaw secured a perpetual $6,000 annual education fund from the federal government. The academy educated more than 600 boys from 17 tribes. Some students went onto Transylvania University and studied law and medicine.Georgetown Ophthalmologist Dr. Chip Richardson acknowledges the complicated history of Native American boarding schools but says the academy's role in American history must be remembered."I think you could say this was the most unique place in antebellum America, and as much as the Native Americans pulled support at the end, I think the degree of impact this left is immeasurable," Richardson said.The building still standing on the site would have served as a dormitory, but Richardson says his latest discovery isn't about a structure it's about a person who studied at the Choctaw Academy and went on to do remarkable things."In 1842, a Native American by the name of Joel Barrow was accepted to Transylvania University. He chose a course of study in medicine, and graduated in 1844. What's really interesting about Joel Barrow, he not only defended his thesis but he went back to his tribe in 1848 to serve them as a physician and I have proof of that in a newspaper article I found," Richardson said.Records point to few Native American physicians with a college medical degree from that era.With help from author Christina Snyder, Richardson traced Barrow's story. Barrow was known as Arcmuggue to his Potawatomi people. Richardson confirmed the story through the Choctaw Nation's Historical Preservation Officer, including an article announcing Barrow as a tribal doctor."It says 'We're announcing this individual Joel Barrow as a servant to the tribe in the capacity of physician, and he went to Choctaw Academy and graduated from Transylvania.' There's no question we're talking about the same person at this point," Richardson said.Richardson says Barrow may be the first Indigenous, college-trained physician in America and deserves recognition."What we're doing right now is getting the state to recognize Joel Barrow through legislative resolution and I hope that opens the door for more public interest in this story," Richardson said.For Richardson, that attention is urgent as the Choctaw Academy continues to deteriorate."I've been looking for a long time to get an angel to save the Choctaw Academy because I don't think there's a more important place in antebellum America," Richardson said.You can support restoration efforts of the Choctaw Academy here. ...read more read less