Sarah Pierce

Sarah Pierce (1767-1852) was the youngest of the seven children of John Pierce (1730-1783), a Litchfield potter, and his first wife, Mary Paterson (1731-1770). She was educated in New York or Hartford, and began teaching in the dining room of the Pierce home when she was about 25 years old. Sarah Piece ran a school in Litchfield between 1792-1833; initially known as the Female Academy, it was incorporated as the Litchfield Female Academy in 1827. It was one of the most select boarding schools for girls in its time. Over it's 41 year history, the school graduated over 3000 students from fifteen states and territories, Canada, and the West Indies.

According to needlework historian Betty Ring, Miss Pierce had little talent for needlework, but wrote plays for her students and published a history textbook. She probably instructed students in needlework and painting in her early years, before another teacher took over needlework instruction in the later years of the Litchfield Female Academy.