Ohio Military Institute
Encyclopedia
The Ohio Military Institute (1890-1958) was a higher education institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1890, it closed in 1958.
; Murat Halstead
, the great editor; and Bishop John M. Walden
, of the Methodist Episcopal Church
.
Farmers' College was begun perhaps a generation too soon for permanent success. The community had not yet accepted the concept that inspired the enterprise. To quote the language of a very old letter used in early materials, "The distinctive feature of Farmers' College is the practical character of its course of instruction *** to qualify our youth for a higher position in any of the industrial pursuits." The idea expressed is today the most powerful force directing the trend of thought in education.
The history of Belmont College covers a period of transition, during which the older institution was returning gradually toward its source for the training of boys. The real progenitor of the Ohio Military Institute was Cary Academy, established in his own home on College Hill
by Freeman Cary
, in the year 1832.
The Cary family were pioneers
in this part of Ohio
. The father came from New England
to Cincinnati as early as 1802. A few years later he purchased a large farm on the present site of College Hill. There his two sons, Freeman G., the elder , and Samuel F.
, grew to manhood. Sisters Alice
and Phoebe Cary
, the well-known poetesses, were cousins, and lived nearby, in what is now North College Hill
. Both the Cary boys were graduated from old Miami University
at Oxford
, then in its infancy. Freeman's ambition was to become an educator, and upon his graduation, he opened an academy for boys at his home. The old house still stands, a well-known landmark of the village.
Cary's Academy, when opened, received four pupils, but before the year closed the eager young scholar was teaching more than a score of boys. Mr. Cary was encouraged to build, on a plot of ground just in front of the present location of the school, a small brick school building. Shortly afterward he constructed a handsome addition. Meanwhile, the school increased readily in numbers, until during the last year of the old Academy, more than 120 students were in attendance. In the twelve years during which Mr. Cary conducted his school, some 1,200 boys from all parts of the West and the South came under his instruction. His Academy was, at that time, the leading private school west of the Allegheny Mountains
. He was assisted in the work by an efficient corps of instructors, several of whom were very able men, who afterward became eminent educators. Probably most loved because of his personality, and the most revered and respected because of his work, was Dr. Robert H. Bishop
. He came from Miami University to Cary Academy during its last year, He remained to fill the chair of Philosophy and History in the faculty of Farmers' College, Shortly before his death, in 1855, he requested that his body and that of his wife might find a last resting place on the College grounds. The letter begging this simple boon is one of the most precious archives of the College.
The story of Freeman Grant Cary's life is very largely the history of his Academy and of Old Farmers' College established by him in 1847, when the cornerstone of venerable old Cary Hall was laid by good Dr. Bishop. He lived to be almost eighty years of age. It is a great source of satisfaction to us, who cherish the memory of his career with admiration and high respect, to know that his ideals are living, moving forces in education today. Furthermore, the Ohio Military Institute is proud to acknowledge the great debt which it owes to the founder of old Cary's Academy; it is indeed a high privilege to be able to carry to a fuller fruition the work that inspired the youth and manhood of so eminent an educator as Freeman G. Cary.
From one wall the strong features of the Founder look down upon the boys assembled in the beautiful old schoolroom of Cary Hall; from the other the benign countenance of Dr. Bishop gazes with mild eyes. Their personalities still pervade the old room as with presence. It is a great privilege for a boy to be educated in such an atmosphere of sound culture and amid such high traditions. Cary Hall of ancient memory, the Bishop Mound, the many points of historic interest in the village—all impress the student that he is linked irrevocably with an honorable and useful past. Such associations themselves are a liberal education.
History
The Ohio Military Institute was established in 1890, on the Foundation then known as Belmont College, and in the earlier days, as Farmers' College. The history of the college goes back almost to the beginnings of education in the West. Farmers' College was one of the first institutions of higher culture established beyond the mountains. It had a long and useful career. The roster contains the names of President Benjamin HarrisonBenjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
; Murat Halstead
Murat Halstead
Murat Halstead was an American newspaper editor and magazine writer. He was a war correspondent during three wars.-Biography:He was the son of Griffin Halstead, a farmer...
, the great editor; and Bishop John M. Walden
John Morgan Walden
John Morgan Walden was an American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He also gained notability as a newspaper editor and journalist, as a State Superintendent of Education in Kansas, as an officer in the Union Army, and as an Official in his Christian denomination.-Birth and family:John...
, of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
.
Farmers' College was begun perhaps a generation too soon for permanent success. The community had not yet accepted the concept that inspired the enterprise. To quote the language of a very old letter used in early materials, "The distinctive feature of Farmers' College is the practical character of its course of instruction *** to qualify our youth for a higher position in any of the industrial pursuits." The idea expressed is today the most powerful force directing the trend of thought in education.
The history of Belmont College covers a period of transition, during which the older institution was returning gradually toward its source for the training of boys. The real progenitor of the Ohio Military Institute was Cary Academy, established in his own home on College Hill
College Hill, Cincinnati
College Hill is a residential neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Originally a wealthy suburb called Pleasant Hill due to its prime location, it was renamed College Hill because of the two colleges that were established there in the mid-nineteenth century...
by Freeman Cary
Freeman Cary
Freeman Grant Cary was an educator in Pleasant Hill, Ohio. He was born April 7, 1810 and died August 26, 1888.Cary attended Miami University graduated with honor in the class of 1831. His brothers were William Woodward Cary, Samuel Fenton Cary. He started Cary Academy and originated Farmers'...
, in the year 1832.
The Cary family were pioneers
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
in this part of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The father came from New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
to Cincinnati as early as 1802. A few years later he purchased a large farm on the present site of College Hill. There his two sons, Freeman G., the elder , and Samuel F.
Samuel Fenton Cary
Samuel Fenton Cary was a congressman and significant temperance movement leader in the nineteenth century. Cary became well-known nationally as a prohibitionist author and lecturer.-Life:...
, grew to manhood. Sisters Alice
Alice Cary
Alice Cary was an American poet, and the sister of fellow poet Phoebe Cary .-Biography:Alice Cary was born on April 26, 1820, in Mount Healthy, Ohio near Cincinnati. Her parents lived on a farm bought by Robert Cary in 1813 in what is now North College Hill, Ohio. He called the Clovernook Farm...
and Phoebe Cary
Phoebe Cary
Phoebe Cary was an American poet, and the younger sister of poet Alice Cary . The sisters co-published poems in 1849, and then each went on to publish volumes of her own...
, the well-known poetesses, were cousins, and lived nearby, in what is now North College Hill
North College Hill, Ohio
North College Hill is a city in Hamilton County in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio approximately ten miles north of downtown Cincinnati. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,397...
. Both the Cary boys were graduated from old Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
at Oxford
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census. This college town was founded as a home for Miami University. Oxford...
, then in its infancy. Freeman's ambition was to become an educator, and upon his graduation, he opened an academy for boys at his home. The old house still stands, a well-known landmark of the village.
Cary's Academy, when opened, received four pupils, but before the year closed the eager young scholar was teaching more than a score of boys. Mr. Cary was encouraged to build, on a plot of ground just in front of the present location of the school, a small brick school building. Shortly afterward he constructed a handsome addition. Meanwhile, the school increased readily in numbers, until during the last year of the old Academy, more than 120 students were in attendance. In the twelve years during which Mr. Cary conducted his school, some 1,200 boys from all parts of the West and the South came under his instruction. His Academy was, at that time, the leading private school west of the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
. He was assisted in the work by an efficient corps of instructors, several of whom were very able men, who afterward became eminent educators. Probably most loved because of his personality, and the most revered and respected because of his work, was Dr. Robert H. Bishop
Robert Hamilton Bishop
Robert Hamilton Bishop was a Scottish-American educator and Presbyterian minister who became the first president of Miami University in Ohio...
. He came from Miami University to Cary Academy during its last year, He remained to fill the chair of Philosophy and History in the faculty of Farmers' College, Shortly before his death, in 1855, he requested that his body and that of his wife might find a last resting place on the College grounds. The letter begging this simple boon is one of the most precious archives of the College.
The story of Freeman Grant Cary's life is very largely the history of his Academy and of Old Farmers' College established by him in 1847, when the cornerstone of venerable old Cary Hall was laid by good Dr. Bishop. He lived to be almost eighty years of age. It is a great source of satisfaction to us, who cherish the memory of his career with admiration and high respect, to know that his ideals are living, moving forces in education today. Furthermore, the Ohio Military Institute is proud to acknowledge the great debt which it owes to the founder of old Cary's Academy; it is indeed a high privilege to be able to carry to a fuller fruition the work that inspired the youth and manhood of so eminent an educator as Freeman G. Cary.
From one wall the strong features of the Founder look down upon the boys assembled in the beautiful old schoolroom of Cary Hall; from the other the benign countenance of Dr. Bishop gazes with mild eyes. Their personalities still pervade the old room as with presence. It is a great privilege for a boy to be educated in such an atmosphere of sound culture and amid such high traditions. Cary Hall of ancient memory, the Bishop Mound, the many points of historic interest in the village—all impress the student that he is linked irrevocably with an honorable and useful past. Such associations themselves are a liberal education.