Lake Maxinkuckee Its Intrigue History & Genealogy Culver, Marshall, Indiana

Retrospect Culver MIlitary Acadmey - 1919  



' 1919 - May 21

Interesting Retrospect

Summary of Culver Military Academ';s Quarter-Century of Achievements

    Twenty-FIve years, the first quarter century of Culver Military academy, will be rounded out when the class of 1919 passes through the iron gate on June 11 and the formal command "dismissed"brings the session of 1918=1919 to a close.

    his span of years has witnessed a wonderful growth of the insitution on the banks of Lake Maxinkuckee, a groth which all believe must have surpassed even the fondest dreams of its founder.

    If RIp van WInkle had fallen asleep among the trees on the East side in the autumn of 1894 and had roused himself from his long slumber to the year of our Lord 1919 the changes that he would witness would be as great as those which the famous hero of Irving's tale saw when he came back from his long nap in the Catskills.

    The history of Culver begins with a fish story. Years ago when Henry Harrison Culver, a wealthy manufacturer of St. Lois, was ordered by his physicians to take a vacation or suffer physical break down he came to Lake Maxinkuckee, near which he wooed and won his wife. As the tale is told, he had been here only a day or tow and was fishing out in Aubbeenaubee Bay when a magnifient bass struck his bait and leaped into the air. The struggle was so exciing and the prize such a beuty that Mr. Culver decided that this was the spot for him.

    He was a man filled with constructive dreams and out of these finally came the idea of a school on the north shore of the lake, a school that might in time occupy the position of the great publice schools of ENgland.

    The first Sessions

    The idea first took material shape in the summer of 1894, when a group of eighteen boys from a school in College Hill, Cincinnatti, came to the lake and were organises as the first summer schoool.

    In this little group was D. C. Braden, now president of the Culver Legion

    In September the first session of the winter school opened with Dr. J. H. MacKenzie as the first superintendent.

    The enrollment was about twenty-five, and among thoses figures were still familiar to us as Braden, K. K. Culver, of the Board of Trustees, and Quartermaster Major Hand
    Up to this time the school was using a group of frame buildings which had originally been erected to serve the purpose of' a Chautaugua which had been conducted on the grounds. With structures of this kind it was inevitable that fire should visit them and it is really a fortunate thing that thi happened early in CUlver's history and this determined Mr. Culver, once for ll, to make the material part of hia institution absolutely fire proof.

    Thenfire came in February, 1895 but the loss was restricted to the buildings and some of the belongings of cadets. Before the ashes had ceased to glow the founder of the school was on hand with architects and builders and on the 16th of May 1895, the corner stone was laid of the present Main barrick, the first of long series of new buildings constructed of brick, steel, stoner and iron. It was to this building in September with an attendance of thrity-one students.

    Colonel FLeet Comes

    A year later, in September, 1896, another f fire marked the second great stride in the story of Culver. Out at Mexico, Mo., was a thriving young military academy, which had been ably directed by that scholarly and soldierly gentleman, whom so many generations of Culver men learned to l ove, Col. Alexander F. Fleet. It was in this September, soon aftter his school had opened, that fire visited him and destroyed the entire main structure. Mr. Culver had known of Col. Fleer's work and upon the instant that he heard of the misfortune at Col. FLeet's school, a characteristic message from him was on the wire. "You have the boys and I have he buildings, let's get together".

    They go together and the result was that COl FLeet with his aculty and practically his entire student body within anoter week were settled on Lake Maxinkuckee and the next great chapter in Culver history was being written with Col. Fleet as the superintendent. WIth Col. Fleet there came to Culver Capt. now Maj. GLassock, who has directed the academic affairs of the academy ever since and for the past two years has been acting superintendent. With him also came Maj. Greiner, then instructor in physics and a member of the tactcal staff, to become later commandant of cadets with results familiar to every man who has worn the uniform. Col. FLeet continued as superintendent for fourteen years, his wise direction contributing to the steady growth in numbers and equipment and his personality impressing itself on the boys who passed through its halls.

    In the interval the East, West, and South Barracks were added to the Main, and a riding hall, gymnasium and hospital were built.

    The number of cadets in the winter school had grown to nearly 400, and its name and fame had gone abroad throughout the conutry. The institution had taken firstrank among the private military schools and was being designated year after year by the war department was one of the "distinguished" or "honor: institutions.
    < r> "Greater Culver"

    In January 1897, there came to CUlver a young man graduated a year before from the Virginia Military institute who came to Culver as commandant of cadets. This was Major, now Colonel L. R. Gignilliat, whose wealth of new ideas, whose tremendous enery and whose keen scanning of the future has been an enormous factor in Culver's growth. Therefore when Col. Fleet retired from active work in 1910, having laid the foundation of the school sure and broad, Col Gignilliat was the man called to succeed him.

    In the spring of 1909 the trustees had announced a tremendous program of enlarged plans and hugh ependitures to bring about that which was called the "Greater Culver". One of the first big problems carried out under this plan was the beautifing of the grounds. Hitherto a bare, bald expanse of gravel formed the companu formation ground and ran to sheer to the barrack walls. Now the landscape artist was brought, into service and flower and shrub and the gleam of grass began to beautify the nattractive corners and borders. The wealth of Indiana woodland and swanp contributed its vebernum and sumac, its arrow wood and wild rose, its hawthorne and elder to the Culver campus. plendid new walks were laid that curved in great sweeps around the buildings and skirted the hills and parade ground. The borders blossomed with shrub and flower so that every barrack is now in a bower of green and color.

    The magnificant new mess hall was put into construction and was dedicated in APril 1911 with Governor Thomas R. Marshall of Indiana, the poet Wilbur D. Nesbit and other distingusihed men among the guests.

    The destruction of the old gymnasium was followed by the new one as soon as brick and morar could be brought together.

    The North barrack and the splendid new administration offices were added and the capacity increased to more than five hundred cadets.

    The fire that wrough the destruction of the horses of the old troop in 1915 was a signal for the splendid new ridinh hall and stables built on a magnificent scale and looking own in its splendot over the new drill and athletic grounds to the lake beond.

    The present year sees the growth continue with another barrack which will bring the capacity to 675 cadets, and with the splendid new Memorial Library, the description of which introduces this issue of the Vedette.

    Of Studies

    The academic hisory of the academy parallels that of its material side. From its inception, however, Culver has never pretended to go beyond the secondary school grade and to prepare its men for college or to give them an all round training which would enable them to enter into business live at once. These ends have been pursued vigorously under the guidence og Maj. Glascock and the academy now stands on a broad basis of recognition with the other great preparatoru schools of the country.

    As a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools its certificate is received wherever men are admitted by that method and a number of its cadets each year face the formidable college boar examinations for entrance to the conservative BigFOur of eastern colleges.

    The erection of two academic building in 1916 gave additional class room space and supplied the public speaking and dramatice departments with splendid facilities for ther specialized work.

    Drill is Broadened

    From the early days of close order drill to the varied millitary instruction of the present time a Culver is a far cry. Today the Culver cadet competes his course with a variety and thoroughness of military instruction that the West Pointer of a generation ago could scarcely boast. Not only has he been put through the intricacies of ordinary squad and company drill, but he has probably added calvary to his accomplishments, knows his Morse code, can signal with arms, flags, field telegraph, wireless or se,aphone, is peraps initiated into the wonders of field artillery can land a hand grenade in the enemy's trench, is a wielder of the bayonet and furthermore is able to lead his squad, platoon or company, through field maneuvers which approximate the conditions of actual warfare. To this result the labors of Col. Gignilliat and Maj. Greiner as the two commandanrs in a long term of years have contributed most materially.

    The Black orse troop is known wherever the name of Culver is heard. To many indeed this is the first introduction to the great school on Maxinkuckee.

    WHen Mr. Culver heard in 1897 of the impression created by Troop A of Cleveland at President McKinley's inauguration he at once set about obtaining some of cleveland's famous black horses withwhich to start a cavalry deparment in the academy. The black horsetroop was the result. There has been a line of troop commanders reaching from Capt. Winter down to Capts. Rossow and Armstrong of our own day. The tropp has taken part, in many historic occasions. After visits to the St. Louis fair and to celebrations at Indianapolis and elsewhere the great opportunity came when vice president Marshall rode down Pennsylvania avenue on inauguration dau 1912 escorted by Culver's pride. It was the vice president's pride, too, and it gace Culver the finest piece of publicity which we ever enjoyed. four years later troop and battalion were again in the great procession of March 5 when Indiana's vice presidentand Woodrow WIlson took the oath of office for the second time. In the interval the great fire at Culver had swept away the horses of the old troop and had sent a shudder to the heart of every Culver man. Again, however, the new proved even finer than the old and no such body of horses and no finer body of horsemen are to be found than those who wear the Culver insignia today.

    SUmmer School Launched

    Back in 1902 Maj. Gignillliat, then commandent of cadets, was enabled to carry out another plan of his which seemed to him to fill a real need in the world. He had long felt that there was something contradictory in the fact that society kept a boy in school in nine months of the year, directing and enlarging his mental processes and then turned the boy loose, absolutely without direction and at the same time affording h im the finest of vacations.Out of this came the Summer Naval School in 1902 and Lake Maxinkuckee became alive for two months with the splash of oard and the spread if sails. A few years later the SUmmer Calvary School wasbrough into b eing for those whose tastes preferred horses to boats; and then a year or two still later the hopes of many a youngster were reaoized when the Woodcraft school made it possible for the younger boys to don a Culve uniform in the Summer school. Now each summer sees a thousand boys in the three departments at Culver and many a one get his first liking for the place so that he returns for the regular winter session.

    Com T. H. Gignilliat was the first of those to command the naval forces of the Summer school and the line had ended today in the fine figure of Admiral Albert Ross, who exemplifies the finest traditions of the service at sea.

    High School Camp.

    Years ago Col Gignilliat sensed the growing importance of military training especially for high school boys. To spread the interest he received the co-operation of the academy trusteees in carrying on a two week's camp in the spring of 1915 where 200 high school boys from Indiana were given an intensive training course and the possibilities of such instruction were demonstrated. This first amp was given absolutely free to all these boys. A year later the plan was extended to include 500 boys from Indiana and adjacent states, two thirds of these paying the bare cost of food and the other third being given the two weeks in camp.

    The same plan was carried out once more in 1917, when 600 boys were in attendance and for the first time the Chicago schools began to appreciate the possibilities of these camps, so that today Camp Roosevelt of the Chicago schools is giving to thousands of high school cadets from that city the sort of training which took its start at Culver.

    Culver's O.T.C.

    The first training camp for officers to be held in the country after the United States had entered the war was at Culver. Within a few days of our entrance into the great struggle the academy had called to her a large number of the old men and some who were not Culver men for the intensice instruction in the duties and work of the officer. This camp was carried through to the very opening of the government camps late in May, and the majority of the men went directly from Culver to Fort Benjamin Harrison or Fort Sheidan where they stepped at once to the front by reason of their previous training.

    In 1916 a special alumni camp was held for a week just before commencement when 75 old boys came back and revived their military training and ejoyed therir reunions together. This year the academy hopes to multiply the nmber at the reunion in June by ten, and to make this week in JUne one which no alumnus will willingly miss.

    In the Great War.

    Culver in the great war is stilll recent history, the whole of which has not yet been written. Those who have followed the Vedettw knows that that approximatel 1,300 CUlver men have served in the various arm of the service, and that 39 academy officers answered the call to arms and that the great service flags of the school contain 55 gold stars. The memory of the dead and the acts of the living willl be commemorated in the Memorial building whose corner stone will be laid in June. This magnificent new structure will be vastly more than a memorial because it is intended to become a great meeting place of past and future generations of Culver men. The building is dedicated to the memory of the dead and uses of the living.

    I closing this lookbackward over the first quarter century of Culver history one is inclined to regard the founder's greatest contribution to be not in the buildings or plans which he himself formulated or even in the dream that he dreamed, but that he passed on this dream to his sons and daughter who have striven to make of the academy the embodiment of that father's dream.

    It is this ideal out of the past, it is the increasing volume of tradition and custom that gathers ina cadet corps itsel, it is the loyal and uniring devotion of academy officers, it is all thses that cause "her imaged battlements: to linger in memory and to cause her graduates to sing,
      Long may she stand of schools in all the land most glorious

      Bright with her colors and her flashing guns


1883-1893 ~ ~ 1894-1899 ~~ 1899-1919 ~~ 1920-1944 ~~ 1945-1969. ~~ 1970-present