The Michigan Military Academy, also known as M.M.A., was an all-boys

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

prep school in Orchard Lake Village,

Oakland County Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 1,274,395, making it the second-most populous county in Michigan, b ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. It was founded in 1877 by J. Sumner Rogers and closed in 1908 due to

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

. Some journalists have referred to the school as the ''Second

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

.'' The property was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1982 as the Orchard Lake Schools Historic District.

Early history and establishment

In 1858, Joseph Tarr Copeland, a

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

who would later serve in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, purchased several acres of land and began to build his retirement home on the shores of Orchard Lake. Most of the 90 acres (364,000 m²) he owned were used for

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

purposes, and he was slowly selling tracts of land for development. The area was popular with tourists, so in 1871 Copeland converted his residence, a large,

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

-like home on the shores of Orchard Lake, into the Orchard Lake Hotel. Business was good for a few years but development in the area forced many vacationers to seek seclusion farther north and the

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the "Lon ...

forced Copeland to find profit elsewhere. In 1877 Copeland sought to sell his home and the land around it. J. Sumner Rogers, who was a professor of Military Science and Tactics at

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

High School, had wanted to establish a creditable military prep school in the Detroit area for some time. Seeing the opportunity at hand, Rogers bought the land with the help of some wealthy Detroiters, and later that year he established the Michigan Military Academy. He modeled the academy after West Point and its success was immediate.

Peak years

Over the course of its 30-year history, Michigan Military Academy had 2,558 enrollments and 458 graduates. The graduating class of 1893 played a prominent role in the

World Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, and many of the classes won National Drill Competitions. On June 19, 1879,

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

General in Chief General in Chief has been a military rank or title in various armed forces around the world. France In France, general-in-chief (french: général en chef) was first an informal title for the lieutenant-general commanding over others lieutenant- ...

of the

, delivered a variant of his famous "War Is Hell" speech to the graduating class. A total of 10,000 people arrived to listen to Sherman's speech, and the press reported that it was the largest number of people ever to gather within the township's boundaries (at that time the village of Orchard Lake was part of West Bloomfield Township). Some claim that he said: "There is many a boy here today who looks upon war as all glory, but, boys, it is all hell"; however, the published text of Sherman's address does not contain that line. Future City of

Mayor, Cadet

John C. Lodge John Christian Lodge (August 12, 1862 – February 6, 1950) was an influential politician from Detroit, Michigan, serving as mayor from 1922 to 1923, in 1924, and from 1927 to 1929, and spending over 30 years on the Detroit City Council. Biogra ...

, recorded his memories of the Sherman speech, "At one of our graduation exercises the speaker was General William T. Sherman. He was not eloquent, and he didn't have a very pleasant voice; it was somewhat shrill."

Student life

With a tuition of $500 per year in the 1800s (about $16,000 in 2022), M.M.A. attracted mostly sons of wealthy

upper class Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status, usually are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper class is gen ...

businessmen. There were three levels of training at the school: Infantry, Artillery, and Cavalry. The

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

s wore gray and white uniforms, modeled after those that were worn at West Point. Students with musical abilities were encouraged to join the

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...

. All cadets were taught to use a

.45 This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets in the to caliber range. *''Length'' refers to the cartridge case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods), a package of related merchandise * Cartridge case or casing, a ...

caliber In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel Gauge (firearms) , bore – regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether the f ...

Springfield rifle, and the academy had an 8-inch siege mortar and

Gatling gun The Gatling gun is a rapid-firing multiple-barrel firearm invented in 1861 by Richard Jordan Gatling. It is an early machine gun and a forerunner of the modern electric motor-driven rotary cannon. The Gatling gun's operation centered on a cyc ...

s at its disposal for military drills. There were a few accidents; in 1884, a cadet drowned during a training exercise in the lake. In 1889, another cadet drowned during a midnight swim. The cadets had a busy schedule, even on weekends. Rogers and his staff allowed for holiday parties and arranged dances with nearby all-girls schools. Discipline was harsh and there were many athletic and extracurricular activities and the students were encouraged to participate. There were several hundred dropouts throughout the academy's history.

Campus

There were a total of 19 buildings on the campus. The oldest building on the campus is Copeland's "castle", built in 1858, and it is still in use. The Academic Building (pictured above) was completed in 1890 and it was the center of academic life on campus. Additional buildings, include a Riding Hall (1881), Cadets Barracks (1884), Engine House (1889), Gymnasium (1896). There were also several barns, and these and many other buildings were demolished, replaced, or destroyed by fire throughout the academy's short history. As Rogers extended the campus, he dug a network of tunnels to connect most of the buildings. In the event of an attack, the tunnels would provide easy access across campus. The tunnels also led to a large bomb shelter under the Engine House. The tunnels are now used for plumbing, electricity,

ethernet Ethernet () is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 198 ...

, and other utilities.

Bankruptcy and post-peak years

In the early 1900s, the school went bankrupt. In 1900, a massive building project, with a total of nine buildings at a cost of $350,000, was undertaken by Rogers. Unable to pay off the huge sums of money owed for the new buildings, the academy quickly sank into debt. Added to this, during two days in December of the same year, students and teachers protested against mistreatment and unsatisfactory meals. Rogers, who was terminally ill at the time, quickly fired several teachers whom he blamed for instigating the complaints. Rogers died in September 1901 and management of the school was left to Rogers' widowed wife, and Rogers' friend Gen. Charles King, who assisted with disciplinary and military duties. Enrollment declined sharply, and the academy was closed in 1908.

Notable faculty and administrators

* George Oscar Cress, professor of Military Science and Tactics from 1904-1908 *

Adelbert Cronkhite Adelbert Cronkhite (January 6, 1861June 15, 1937) was a career officer in the United States Army. He was notable for his command of the 80th Division (United States), 80th Division during World War I. He also served as interim commander of IX Cor ...

, professor of Military Science and Tactics, 1891-1892 *

Henry W. Lord Henry William Lord (March 8, 1821 – January 25, 1891) was a merchant, diplomat and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He served as the United States consul to Manchester, England and as a U.S. Representative from the state of Michigan ...

, U.S. Congressman, MMA trustee from 1878 to 1880 * J. Sumner Rogers, founder and superintendent *

Harry Lovejoy Rogers Harry Lovejoy Rogers (January 29, 1867 – December 12, 1925) was an officer in the United States Army. A specialist in quartermaster and food service activities, Rogers attained the rank of major general, and was most notable for his service as ...

, son of J. Sumner Rogers, school quartermaster from 1887 to 1898, U.S. Army major general He was the school's quartermaster with the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

from 1887 to 1897, and commandant of cadets from 1897 to 1898. * Frederick S. Strong, US Army major general who served as a professor of military science from 1884-1888 and 1892-1895, and superintendent from 1902 to 1904 * Edwin B. Winans, professor of Military Science and Tactics from 1897 to 1898

Notable alumni

* Harry Archer, musician and composer * Daniel Read Anthony Jr., U.S. Congressman from Kansas, 1907-1929 *

Sewell Avery Sewell Lee Avery (November 4, 1874 – October 31, 1960) was an American businessman who achieved early prominence in gypsum mining and became president of the United States Gypsum Company (1905–1936). At the beginning of the Depression, he ...

, chairman of the board of

Montgomery Ward Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business and later also a leading department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The curren ...

* John A. Bloomingston, college athlete and attorney *

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he ...

, author of the

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

novels. He later spent time on the school's faculty. *

Kurtis Froedtert Kurtis Froedtert (September 8th) was an American industrialist and benefactor from Milwaukee. Early life and education Froedtert was born June 3, 1887 in the basement of a building near 6th and Vliet Street in Milwaukee (his parents insisted on a m ...

, Physician, businessman, and philanthropist * George Schuyler Hodges, artist, inventor, and automobile executive *

Frank P. Lahm Frank Purdy Lahm (November 17, 1877 – July 7, 1963) was an American aviation pioneer, the "nation's first military aviator", and a general officer in the United States Army Air Corps and Army Air Forces. Lahm developed an interest in flying f ...

, U.S. military aviation pioneer, brigadier general in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

mayor of Detroit This is a list of mayors of Detroit, Michigan. See History of Detroit, Michigan, for more information about the history of the incorporation of the city. The current mayor is Mike Duggan, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2014. History o ...

from 1923–1924 and 1927-1928 * Fenton R. McCreery, U.S. diplomat *

Truman Handy Newberry Truman Handy Newberry (November 5, 1864 – October 3, 1945) was an American businessman and political figure. He served as the Secretary of Navy between 1908 and 1909. He was a Republican U.S. Senator from Michigan between 1919 and 1922. Biogr ...

, United States Senator from Michigan, 1919–1922 * Sylvester H. Scovel, war correspondent *

Walter Cowen Short Walter C. Short (April 2, 1870 – March 5, 1952) was a career officer in the United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, a ...

, MMA faculty 1890-1891, US Army brigadier general *

Frederic L. Smith Frederic Latta Smith (February 6, 1870 – August 6, 1954) was a pioneer of the automobile business. He was one of the founders of the Olds Motor Works in 1899 and of General Motors Corporation in 1908. He was also the president of the Associa ...

, automobile executive * George Veazey Strong, commander of the

Military Intelligence Corps The Military Intelligence Corps is the intelligence branch of the United States Army. The primary mission of military intelligence in the United States Army is to provide timely, relevant, accurate, and synchronized intelligence and electronic ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Clayton Teetzel Clayton Tryon Teetzel (August 27, 1876 – July 29, 1948) was an American sportsman and athletic coach. He played American football and competed in track for the University of Michigan from 1897 to 1899 and later coached football, basketball and t ...

, college athlete and coach *

Harry Van Surdam Henderson Edmund "Harry" "Dutch" Van Surdam (September 28, 1881 – May 28, 1982) was an American football player, coach, and official, musician, composer, bandleader, and superintendent of the El Paso Military Institute. Van Surdam played colleg ...

, athlete, musician, superintendent of El Paso Military Institute

The Seminary and other schools

Two years after the Academy closed, in 1910, Fr. Joseph Dabrowski, the director of the Polish Seminary of Detroit, purchased the campus and moved his school there. The seminary has stayed there to this day. It is now called

SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary is a four-year private Polish seminary in Orchard Lake, Michigan, United States. The seminary, taking its name from Saints Cyril and Methodius, was founded in 1885 in Detroit, Michigan, to prepare candidates for ...

. The campus is also home to

St. Mary's Preparatory St. Mary's Preparatory is a co-educational, Catholic, college preparatory high school with a Polish-American heritage in the Detroit suburb of Orchard Lake Village, Michigan. Its mission and message is "1. God; 2. Family; 3. St. Mary's." Overvie ...

, and

Madonna University Madonna University is a private Roman Catholic university in Livonia, Michigan. It was founded as the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Junior College by the Felician Sisters in 1937. It became Madonna College in 1947 and Madonna Unive ...

Livonia, Michigan Livonia is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 95,535 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which ranked it as Michigan's ninth most-populated municipality. Livonia is a part ...

holds some classes on the campus.

Notes

Notes and references

Bibliography

* * Bohnett, Brian J., ''Them Was The Days: Edgar Rice Burroughs and the History of the Michigan Military Academy'' (2001) * Martinez, Charles H., ''Song of the Heron: Reflections on the History of West Bloomfield'' (2004) * Merrill, James M., ''William Tecumseh Sherman'' (1971)

External links

The Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society website about the Academy

{{Authority control Defunct United States military academies Schools in Oakland County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Oakland County, Michigan Educational institutions established in 1877 Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Defunct schools in Michigan 1877 establishments in Michigan