Millersburg Military Institute

History

The Millersburg Military Institute dates back to Col. T. F. Johnson’s Female Seminary, a female branch of his military school located at Blue Lick Springs, that was located in the city from 1850 to 1852.(4) In September 1852, Reverend John Miller M.D., pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church South in Millersburg, bought the Baterton residence that had been used for Col. Johnson’s Seminary and opened the Millersburg Male and Female Seminary.(5) Just two years later, it passed into the hands of Reverend George S. Savage and his wife in the fall. By then, enrollment had increased to 130 and rose the following year to 166. In 1856, the name was changed to the Millersburg Male and Female Collegiate Institute and the Kentucky Legislature chartered the school.(6)

In September 1857, Reverent T. F. Shellman began work to establish a male and female conference school and induced Millersburg to undertake the building of a house for the proposed school. The idea at the time was to engraft it upon the already established Millersburg Male and Female Collegiate Institute which had outgrown its building. One year later, a building committee purchased grounds just outside the northern limits of the city and laid the foundations of a large building for the institute as the school was to be called.(7)

In September 1858, the Kentucky Conference met in Millersburg to propose to the stockholders of the institute that, if they would enlarge the building and present it to the Conference, that body would endow the institution with $100,000 and convert it to a male college. The stockholders agreed upon the offer.(8) The Male Department of the Millersburg Male and Female Collegiate Institute was set off as the Kentucky Wesleyan College in 1859. The Female Department continued on as the Millersburg Female College in the old building by Reverend Savage.(9)

Male students attended the Millersburg Female College during the Civil War. In 1872, Reverend George T. Gould was associated with Judge Savage in the control of the Female College and two years later, Reverend H. W. Abbett was added to its management. In 1875, Savage severed his connection and just two years later, Gould would become sole proprietor, remaining in that position until 1884.(10)

On December 29, 1878, the entire building was consumed in a fire. The school continued operations the very next day in rented houses throughout the city, and a new structure for the Female College was begun in March 1879. It was completed later that September.(12)

The college suffered financial losses and Gould had to relinquish the proprietorship of the College in 1884 to Reverend Morris Evans, who gave up the position one year later to Reverend Cadesman Pope. In June 1897, Pope retired and Reverend C. C. Fisher assumed the presidency.(13)

In 1890, the Wesleyan College was relocated to Winchester.(11)

On October 9, 1907, fire once again struck the Millersburg Female College. A new building was erected soon afterwards,(14) and in 1915, the Female College was renamed to Millersburg College.

Military Institute

In 1893, the building that housed the Kentucky Wesleyan College was established as the Millersburg Training School by Col. C. M. Best of Virginia. The condition of the building prohibited boarding any students inside until 1898, at which time the property was purchased by Col. Best from the Methodist Church. Immediately, the grounds were improved and the facility was converted into a boarding school. During that year, the military curriculum was added and the name was changed to the Millersburg Military Institute.(15) The first class graduated 17.(17)

In 1903, a new classroom building was constructed that allowed the Institute to enroll 28 cadets.(17) New buildings were later constructed to jump the enrollment cap to 70.

In 1920, Col. Best sold it to the Bourbon County Board of Education and it became Bourbon County High School, however, during the first school year 1920-21, Millersburg Military Institute was conducted by Col. Nelson and his assistants in the old school building.(15)

In the spring of 1921, the old Allen homestead in Millersburg was purchased and used as the administration building for the Military Institute.(3)(15) Over time, six other buildings would be added to the campus.(15) Between 1897 and 1922, the school graduated 205. Between 1922 and 1944, the school graduated another 183 cadets.(17)

In the 1930s, the Millersburg College became the home of the Junior Division of the Millersburg Military Institute.(14) In 1953, Col. Leslie Blankinship assumed the position of president of the Millersburg Military Institute.(15)

The Allen House contained administrative offices, faculty apartments and the infirmary. Classroom facilities included Rankin Hall with 13 classrooms, an adjoining 6,000 volume library and 4 classrooms in the Memorial Gymnasium building. Miller Hall housed 70 students and 3 faculty members and Gamble Hall seated 100 students at mealtime. The lower level of Gamble Hall was used as a student center and post exchange while Moffett Hall was used for storage and JROTC activities. The Rees Athletic Field was the location for football, soccer, baseball and track, and tennis courts were nearby. The campus extended for 18 acres.(16)

Students were also required to attend a church of their choice in Millersburg or Paris.(16)

Recent troubles

Trouble began at the military school several years ago. It closed briefly in 2003 after it was discovered there was not enough money to complete the school year. After a furry of support from parents and alumni through fund-raising, enough funding was raised to see that the students complete the school year and have a commencement for the graduating seniors.(2)

The military institution continued on into 2004 but faced declining enrollment, never hitting the critical mass level that was needed to sustain the school in the long-run. The debt load on the school began to mount to one million by 2005. It did not help matters with the school's creditors were unwilling to give the school additional funding. The alumni, tired of "throwing good money" to the struggling facility, forced the school to look at other options for keeping the 100+ year old institution alive.(1)

Up until June 2006, there were plans in place for the conversion of the military institute into the Forest Hill Preparatory School in a vein effort to attract a more diverse student body and to increase enrollment.(1) The school, once boasting over 80 students just three years ago, had fallen to just 45 students in spring 2006; the goal was to boost this number back to 80 with the conversion. In order to try and fund the conversion and pay the teachers, an auction of school and military memorabilia took place in July. This did not raise much money, according to O'Connell.(1)

The plans to "de-emphasize" military education also caught the fire from many alumni, who took the conversion news with disappointment. The lack of support from much of the alumni, as a result of the plans, drove many to stop financially support the school.(2)

This historic military institution closed on August 10, 2006, surrounded by a growing debt of two million after 113 years of operation.(1) Unlike its previous closure in 2003, there was not an outpouring of support for the reopening of the school. No ceremony was conducted; the school's web-site was taken off-line within days of closure.(2) Many, including the wife of the president of the school, was left "in the dark" about its closure.

There are currently no plans to reopen the Military Institute, according to a former school trustee, Ted O'Connell, who also noted that the entire board just "quit." The land that it sits on could be sold for development, he added.(1)

Possible reopening

On September 12, 2008, United States Army Cadet Corps Inc. purchased the former military school with the goal of converting the site into its new national headquarters, as well as a training center for various Corps programs.(18) The Corps, based in Dayton, Pennsylvania, stated that it will offer an "army-oriented career exploration" program for males and females aged 12 to 18. The program's intention is to give students a firsthand view of military life.(18) The site would also become home to the Corp's summer training programs.

The Corps had planned to convert their Dayon, Pennsylvania location into the new headquarters after purchasing it more than one year ago, but shifted direction after locating the Millersburg location for sale on eBay.(19) Deposit Bank of Carlisle, who assumed control of the property in Kentucky, had listed it on the popular auction web-site six months ago.

On April 24, 2009, the Corps hosted the first Millersburg Military Ball, with a keynote speech by Mr. James McEachin, a seasoned actor, and a Silver Star and Purple Heart veteran of the Korean War who is also an Army Reserve Ambassador and a member of the U.S. Army Cadet Corps Board of Advisers.(20) The city of Millersburg hosted the Parade of Cadets on the following day that evolved into a celebration of military heritage with groups from across the Mid-Atlantic converging on the city to participate in an event that restored the military identity to the community.(21) More than 30 units participated in the commemoration of the 113 year history of Millersburg Military Institute.

Links

1. United States Army Cadet Corps at Millersburg

Sources