Orchard Lake
Schools / Joseph Tarr Copeland
Date Visited: August 24, 2019
Stop: #51
We did not know that we had reached a milestone at our last stop (Orchard Lake Chapel) – our 50th site visited since we began our Michigan Wines and Signs quest 84 days ago. So, as we got back into our car at the Orchard Lake Chapel, my only thoughts were on making sure we did not inadvertently pass by any historical markers like we almost did with our last stop. Checking our Google Maps file, I noticed that there was at least one more historical marker in the area that we could visit before we called it a day. Jumping back onto Commerce Road, we continued east until we got to Indian Trail, at which point I turned right and headed south along the eastern shoreline of Orchard Lake. On our left was the Orchard Lake St. Mary’s campus. We had been to this campus several times in the past – all to watch our son, David, play hockey, at the beautiful ice arena located there, known as the S.M.A.C. But for as many times as we had been there, we never had taken the time to explore the campus, so we had no idea that there was an historical marker located onsite. The coordinates we had from our Gold Source gave us a location, so we parked nearby, and set out to find the marker. True to form, the marker was not located where our Gold Source said it would be, so we had to search the area. It actually took us quite awhile to find it because the marker was nearly 300 feet away and somewhat obscured by foliage and the shadows being cast as the sun set over Orchard Lake. However, our perseverance prevailed and we found it under a tree and next to The Castle.
The Castle is not the topic of
the historical marker, but it is by far the most unique and recognizable
building on the campus. It does play a
prominent role in the history of the campus, as we soon learned by reading the
historical marker. There are actually
two subject matters for this sign. The
“front” side is dedicated to Orchard Lake Schools. The Castle was actually the first building
built on what would eventually become a military school. Joseph Tarr Copeland bought 90 acres of land
in this area and set his sights on building his retirement home on the shores
of Orchard Lake. In 1858, that home
became a reality - a Romanesque Revival house resembling a Norman castle. By 1877, Copeland decided to sell his home
and the remaining land he had in the area.
The buyer was a professor of Military Science and Tactics at Detroit
High School. Joseph Sumner Rogers had
wanted to start a creditable military prep school in the Detroit area, and with
financial help from some wealthy Detroiters, he purchased the Copeland property
and established the Michigan Military Academy.
Rogers modeled the school after West Point, and it became a very
successful endeavor.
The Academy became very
prestigious during its 30-year history.
It had a total of 2,558 enrollees and 458 graduates. Tuition was $500 per year in the 1880’s, and
many of the enrollees were the sons of wealthy upper-class Detroit area
businessmen. There were three levels of
training at the school – Infantry, Artillery, and Cavalry. The cadets wore uniforms modeled after those
worn at West Point, they were taught to shoot a .45 caliber Springfield rifle,
and those with musical skills were encouraged to join the marching band. Many of its classes won National Drill
Competitions. One of the Academy’s most
memorable days occurred on June 19, 1879, when 10,000 people arrived on the
campus to listen to a commencement speech given by William Tecumseh Sherman,
the General in Chief of the US Army, and Civil War hero. Sherman gave a variant of his famous “War is
Hell” speech.
The campus consisted of 19
buildings with the aforementioned “Castle” being the oldest. The Academic Building was completed in 1890
and it was the center of academic life on campus. Additional buildings included
a Riding Hall (1881), Cadets Barracks (1884), Engine House (1889), and a Gymnasium
(1896). All of these buildings are still
standing and are still in use.
In the early 1900’s, the
Academy went bankrupt, due in large part to an aggressive and expensive
expansion plan the included the addition of 9 new buildings at a cost of
$350,000. Rogers was unable to
effectively manage the debt incurred by this plan and the Academy sunk into
financial turmoil. At the same time,
students began to protest the harsh conditions and treatment they endured at
the Academy, acts of defiance that Rogers believed many of his staff members
instigated. As a result, he fired many
of these teachers. With the campus
embroiled in debt and turmoil, Rogers died in September of 1901, and management
of the academy was left to his wife and to his good friend, General Charles
King. Enrollment began to decline
precipitously, and by 1908, the Academy closed its doors. The Academy had many notable alumni who went
on to serve the US as politicians or military officers. Two alumni of note: Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author of the Tarzan
Novels, and John C. Lodge, former mayor of Detroit and the namesake of the
Lodge Freeway in Detroit.
In 1910, Fr. Joseph Dabrowski,
the director of the Polish Seminary of Detroit, purchased the former military campus
and moved his school there. The seminary
has remained there since, although it is now called SS. Cyril and Methodius
Seminary. The campus is also home to St.
Mary's Preparatory, which has a rich history of graduating elite athletes.
The “back” side of the
historical marker is devoted to Joseph Tarr Copeland. He was born in New Castle, Maine on May 6,
1813 and died on his 80th birthday in Orange Park, Florida. He and his wife, who died January 10, 1888,
are buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Pontiac, Michigan. The historical marker focuses on the 34 years
that he lived in Michigan.
He and his wife moved to St.
Clair in 1844. He became very involved
in politics, holding many different political offices, even serving as Senator
in the Michigan Legislature for a year (1850-1851). In 1851, he was elected Circuit Judge and concurrently
became the 14th Michigan Supreme Court Justice.
After his election, he moved to Pontiac and began amassing large
quantities of land in northern Michigan (during a six-year period beginning in
1854, he acquired nearly 6,400 acres of timberland). He had become extremely interested in the
lumber industry and opened the first saw mill in Bay City. Copeland resigned his position as Circuit and
Supreme Court Judge in 1857 due to health reasons and moved to West Bloomfield Township. In 1858, he built the “Castle” overlooking
Orchard Lake.
When the Civil War began,
Copeland offered his services and was commissioned and mustered on August 22,
1861 as a Lieutenant Colonel in the 1st Michigan Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. During the war, he rose through the ranks and
eventually became a Brigadier General.
He was relieved of his duties on the eve of the Battle at Gettysburg
due, in large part, to his advanced age.
He took lesser military positions throughout the remainder of the war
and finally resigned in November, 1865 and moved back to West Bloomfield
Township.
As Copeland settled into
retirement, he began to sell off tracts of his property for profit. As the area gained popularity with summer
tourists and vacationers, Copeland enlarged his home and converted it into the
Orchard Lake Hotel in 1871. Business at
the hotel was good for several years, but as the area continued to develop,
many of the tourists and vacationers sought areas further north to escape the
hustle and bustle of city life. The
Panic of 1873 created additional financial hardship for Copeland. In 1877, he sold his home and surrounding
property to Joseph Sumner Rogers, and in 1878, he and his wife moved to Orange
Park, Florida.
This was a lot of history to
take in and absorb so late in the day.
It was time for some exercise, so Kathy and I spent the rest of our
visit exploring the campus. Since school
was not in session, we practically had the whole campus to ourselves. We walked through the quad enjoying the
architecture of the buildings comprising this area of the campus. As usual, we took plenty of pictures, and
ended our visit with a drive through the rest of the campus. It was finally time for dinner, so we left
the campus and continued our journey east, deciding finally to stop at Red Ox
across from the Oakland University campus.
We ate outside in their patio area - the perfect venue to end our busy
day.
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