Where Gumbo Was #476
The former campus of historic Augusta Military Academy is a quieter place than when during its hundred-plus year history as a military prep high school, but the days of its history can still be seen in its museum, housed in the former home of its founding family. And congratulations to ProfessorAbe, who was able to recognize it as the solution to this week's puzzle!
Soon after the American Civil War ended in 1865, Confederate veteran Charles Summerville Roller began teaching at the Old Stone Church in nearby Fort Defiance, Virginia. By 1874 he founded the Augusta Male Academy and incorporated military discipline into its classical curriculum. Roller renamed it the Augusta Military Academy (AMA) in 1890 and it was the first military preparatory school in Virginia.
In 1919 the Academy became one of the first schools in America to adopt a Junior Officers’ Reserve Training Corps Program. The Academy’s international reputation for excellence in secondary-level military education attracted more than 7,000 students from the United States and abroad before it closed in 1984. The museum opened in 1999.
After passing through the entrance gates into the driveway, the first things that caught my eye were the cannon and the imposing “Big Barracks” building dominating the property. Years after the closure of the academy, the property and buildings to a church organization and redeveloped into a campground.
Some of the buildings were repurposed by the church organization for their needs, while others including the “Big Barracks” were not able to be rehabilitated and have been left to decay.
Those outbuildings—former Academic Building and Fieldhouse—and the barracks are not open to the public and can only be viewed from the outside where signs permit.
The Main Barracks called “Big Barracks” by former students contained dorm rooms with sparse accommodations for two students. The barracks surrounded a courtyard which now can only be seen through a partially open door which I found. Behind the Academic building was a very tall chimney which I assume was part of the power plant for AMA.
The museum itself is located on the AMA grounds in the Roller-Robinson House, circa 1870, which is on the U.S. Interior Department register of historic designated places. On the walkway is the original school bell from 1886 and many commemorative bricks from prior alumni and their families. There are permanent and rotating exhibits in the museum.
Spring cleaning day, 1927
After entering the museum, the first item in sight is the Battalion Commander’s mess hall bell to garner attention for special announcements. Inside the museum are many sports trophies, uniforms, weapons and vintage photos. The bunk beds looked familiar to me, but my Army bed was green, not white and we had eight soldiers to a room in our barracks.
Class pictures. The museum building is in the background in one, and the picture was taken on the porch in the other
Personal tours are given by volunteers. Chris was my personal tour guide and had extremely good in-depth knowledge of all artifacts and answered all of my questions in detail. This gave me a very rich experience and appreciation for the AMA cadets.
One interesting story was that of Bill Brooks, Class of 1962 who after serving two tours in Vietnam with the 82nd Airborne, joined the French Foreign Legion and served in Djibouti, Africa. His white kepi and photo are on display.
Also on display is the flight jacket of Tom Roller, Class of 1936 who flew transport planes during WW2 “Over the Hump”. His flight missions were from India over the Himalayas to supply the Chinese war effort against Japan.
If you have military experience you will probably know the significance of commander’s coins in the large display. Unit commanders and military organization heads conferred them upon subordinates for exceptional achievements. I was fortunate to be a recipient of a number of these coins during my overseas military missions.
After signing the guest list at the museum, I was delightfully surprised to receive a thank you card in the mail with a handwritten note from Chris the volunteer guide. A first for me on my travels and visits.
The museum's walk includes a growing collection of bricks placed by Alumni Association members as a fundraiser
The AMA Museum is open from 10am to 4pm on Wednesday through Sunday from November 1st to March 31st, and Tuesday through Sunday from April 1st to October 31st. Admission is free, but voluntary donations are encouraged. Parking is ample and free of charge.
The museum is located at 1640 Lee Highway, Fort Defiance, Virginia 24437
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