Tupelo Military Institute

Last updated
Tupelo Military Institute
Tupelo Military Institute.jpg
A postcard of the school from 1914
Location
,
Information
School type Military academy, boarding school
MottoWe build the man
Established1913 (1913)
FounderGeorge Washington Chapman
StatusClosed
Closed1936 (1936)
Enrollment70+ (1936) [1]
Campus size16-acre (65,000 m2)
MascotBlack and Red Tigers

Tupelo Military Institute was a college-preparatory military school in Tupelo, Mississippi designed to prepare boys for entrance to college or university. Founded in 1913 by George Washington Chapman, it closed in 1936. [2]

The 1920s have been hailed as the "boom years," when the dormitories were filled and the school received full accreditation by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges. In 1928, it became a member of the United States Association of Military Schools and was recognized for its outstanding curriculum.

In addition to daily military drills, athletics played an important role. All major sports were offered, including football, baseball, basketball, track, tennis, swimming, boxing, and wrestling. Perhaps the school's most famous athlete was Guy Bush. Bush pitched the baseball team to success. In 1923, he was signed by the Chicago Cubs and won a game for them in the 1929 World Series, though the team lost the championship to the Philadelphia Athletics. In the 1932 season, Bush was a 19-game winner.

On September 25, 1927, a fire, possibly caused by faulty wiring, destroyed the school's main dormitory. A new dorm, utilizing much of the ground-floor structure of the original, was finished by Christmas. [1]

In early 1936, after a visit with local banking officials, Chapman decided to sell the 16-acre campus to the city of Tupelo to be used as a state-sponsored junior college. On April 5, 1936, the campus was not damaged and the cadets were unharmed by the 1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak, one of the most destructive in state history. [1]

As of 2007, there are some visible signs of the former campus in west Tupelo on Clayton Avenue, bordered on the south by Blair Street and on the north by West Jackson Street. In the few buildings that do remain are housed the Inspirational Community Baptist Church and some apartments. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupelo, Mississippi</span> City in Mississippi, United States

Tupelo is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. With an estimated population of 38,300, Tupelo is the 7th most populous city in Mississippi and is considered a commercial, industrial, and cultural hub of North Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi State University</span> Public university in Starkville, Mississippi, US

Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity" and has a total research and development budget of $239.4 million, the largest in Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toccoa Falls College</span> Christian liberal arts college in Toccoa Falls, Georgia

Toccoa Falls College is a private evangelical Christian college in Toccoa Falls, Georgia, founded in 1907. The campus occupies 1,100 acres (450 ha), bordering the Chattahoochee National Forest and is home to Toccoa Falls, a 186-foot (57 m) high waterfall. It is affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The college is also a member of Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickerson Field</span> Outdoor athletic stadium in Boston, Massachusetts

Nickerson Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the Northeastern United States, on the campus of Boston University (BU) in Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium is owned by BU, and is the home field for some Boston University Terriers athletics programs, including soccer and lacrosse. It was also the home of the Boston University Terriers football team until the program was discontinued following the 1997 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Houston State University</span> Public university in Huntsville, Texas, US

Sam Houston State University is a public research university in Huntsville, Texas. Founded in 1879, it is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and the first in Texas. The school is named for Sam Houston, who made his home in the city and is buried there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dillard University</span> Private college in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

Dillard University is a private, historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 and incorporating earlier institutions founded as early as 1869 after the American Civil War, it is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacksonville University</span> Private university in Jacksonville, Florida, US

Jacksonville University (JU) is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Located in the city's Arlington district, the school was founded in 1934 as a two-year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College until September 5, 1956, when it shifted focus to building four-year university degree programs and later graduated its first four-year degree candidates as Jacksonville University in June 1959. It is a member of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). JU's student body currently represents more than 40 U.S. states and approximately 45 countries around the world. As a Division I institution, it fields 18 varsity athletics teams, known as the JU Dolphins, as well as intramural sports and clubs. Among the top majors declared by JU students are aviation management, biology, nursing, business, and marine science.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Baptist University</span> Private university in Dallas, Texas, U.S.

Dallas Baptist University (DBU) is a private Christian university in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1898 as Decatur Baptist College, Dallas Baptist University currently operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Hurst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapman University</span> Private university in Orange, California

Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its founding affiliations with the Christian Church and the United Church of Christ, but is a secular university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delta State University</span> Public university in Cleveland, Mississippi, US

Delta State University (DSU) is a public university in Cleveland, Mississippi, a city in the Mississippi Delta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. M. Roberts Stadium</span> American football stadium

MM Roberts Stadium, also known as "The Rock", is an American football stadium located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is the home of The University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lon Morris College</span>

Lon Morris College (LMC) was a private junior college located in Jacksonville, Texas, United States, and was the only school affiliated with the United Methodist Church that was owned by an individual conference and not the denomination as a whole. Lon Morris was an accredited two-year institute of higher learning, which provided instruction in the arts and sciences with a core curriculum emphasizing liberal arts. While Lon Morris taught as many as 350 students in a semester, enrollment reached more than 1,000, a new record, in the fall of 2009. The school was 30 miles (48 km) south of Tyler. The person who last held the title of college president was Dr. Miles McCall; he resigned effective May 24, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College</span> Community college in Perkinston, Mississippi, U.S.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) is a public community college with its main campus in Perkinston, Mississippi. It was founded as Harrison County Agricultural High School in 1912. MGCCC has three campuses and six centers: The main campus in Perkinston; the Jackson County Campus is in Gautier; the Harrison County Campus is in Gulfport; with the George County Center in Lucedale; the West Harrison County Center in Long Beach; the Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Center in Gulfport; the Keesler Center at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi; the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport; and the Bryant Center at Tradition in Harrison County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Becker College</span> Private college in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

Becker College was a private college in Worcester and Leicester, Massachusetts. Becker College traced its history from the union of two Massachusetts educational institutions—one founded in 1784 and the other in 1887. The college closed at the end of the 2020–21 academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Southern Mississippi</span> Public university in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, US

The University of Southern Mississippi is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, master's, specialist, and doctoral degrees. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association</span> Defunct American college athletic conference

The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) was one of the first collegiate athletic conferences in the United States. Twenty-seven of the current Division I FBS football programs were members of this conference at some point, as were at least 19 other schools. Every member of the current Southeastern Conference except Arkansas and Missouri, as well as six of the 15 current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference plus future SEC member University of Texas at Austin, currently of the Big 12 Conference, formerly held membership in the SIAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Bush</span> American baseball player (1901-1985)

Guy Terrell Bush was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, nicknamed "the Mississippi Mudcat".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campus of Texas A&M University</span>

The campus of Texas A&M University, also known as Aggieland, is situated in College Station, Texas, United States. Texas A&M is centrally located within 200 miles (320 km) of three of the 10 largest cities in the United States and 75% of the Texas and Louisiana populations. Aggieland's major roadway is State Highway 6, and several smaller state highways and Farm to Market Roads connect the area to larger highways such as Interstate 45.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Bible College</span> Canadian Christian college in British Columbia

Columbia Bible College (CBC) is an evangelical Mennonite Bible College in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. It is affiliated with two regional Mennonite conferences, British Columbia Mennonite Brethren and Mennonite Church British Columbia. Columbia is accredited by the international Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), and is registered with the British Columbia Private Career Training Institution Association (PCTIA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio Valley University</span> Private Christian College in Vienna, West Virginia, U.S.

Ohio Valley University was a private Christian college located between Parkersburg and Vienna in West Virginia. Founded in 1958, the school integrated education with teachings of the Christian faith. The college was physically located on two separate campuses totalling 267 acres (108 ha). At one time, OVU offered bachelor's degrees in more than 30 different subject areas, but scaled back its academic options as enrollment numbers and financial stability dropped significantly. The college was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and was placed under academic probation in 2020 by the Higher Learning Commission due to ongoing long-term financial struggles. In December 2021, the OVU Board of Directors voted to close the college after the Fall 2021 semester. The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission voted to revoke OVU's authority to grant degrees shortly thereafter. Seniors were allowed to finish their degrees without the loss of any credit hours in the spring semester of 2022 at several other institutions of higher education related to Churches of Christ through "teach out" agreements.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Molders of men: the Tupelo Military Institute introduced a new form of education to north Mississippi in the early 1900s". The Free Library by Farlex. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  2. "Local historians tell forgotten story of Tupelo Military Institute". Daily Journal. Retrieved September 30, 2021.