The phrase "all things useful and all things ornamental," coined by Benjamin Franklin, describes the stated mission of most of the approximately 6,000 educational academies flourishing in America in the mid-19th century. Built upon the roots of Latin grammar schools, the academies evolved to include courses in many areas, from classical studies to mathematics and science and trade and industrial education. An examination of vocational education in 25 private academies located in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1860 showed that the academies, if not especially effective as instruments for vocational instruction in certain occupational fields, have still made an important contribution to the vocational cause. They mobilized the transition of vocational preparation from its traditional locus in the work place toward a much greater emphasis on school-based programs. Responding to the demands of technological change, academies were among the vanguard of educational institutions attempting to provide their students with skills and competencies useful in the industrial and commercial world. They led the experimental educational movement toward more practical education, which is evident in vocational education today. (KC)