Hargrave Military Academy - Early History

Early History

Hargrave Military Academy was founded in 1909 as the Chatham Training School (CTS). CTS and its predecessor, the Warren Training School, were general training schools for boys. In 1925, it was renamed in honor of one of its founders J. Hunt Hargrave, a well-to-do local farmer. The renaming was part of the school's evolution into a military high school, and is detailed in Colonel Aubrey H. Camden's 1959 book "Fifty Years of Christian Education in a Baptist School: A Historical Record of Hargrave Military Academy:

"In the early twenties, national magazines served as an advertising medium for solicitation of students. Out-of-state inquiries soon convinced the management that Chatham Training School was being interpreted to mean an institution for incorrigibles. It was deemed wise to change the name to Hargrave Military Academy. This change in name served two purposes. First, it corrected a misunderstanding as to the type of clientele desired. Second, it established a permanent memorial to Mr. J. Hunt Hargrave, who sponsored the school with deep convictions, devout faith, and collateral security from 1909 until his death in 1935."

T. Ryland Sanford resigned as President of CTS on February 19, 1918 and recommended to the Board of Trustees that Aubrey H. Camden, then the Dean, be his successor. Camden assumed the position of President on June 1, 1918 and would remain there for more than twenty years.

In response to appeals from patrons and students for military training to be made part of the available academics, a formal government inspection was conducted and H. W. Thomas joined the Hargrave faculty as the first commandant in January 1919. Hargrave has been approved for Junior ROTC (JROTC) numerous times since then, but many in the Hargrave community, most notably the Board of Trustees, feared that the addition of that program would put too much emphasis on military studies and lessen academics. Hargrave has consistently operated independent of JROTC, creating its own uniforms and cadet rank structure.

Hargrave saw a significant rise in interest regarding its military aspects upon the attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into the Second World War. During this time, cadets had to live in buildings near the Hargrave campus rather than on campus as they normally would have.

On February 20, 1950, a fire ravaged the Academy, destroying the Old Building, Hargrave Hall, and Founders Hall. Not one cadet or staff member was harmed in the fire, but Sanford Hall alone remained, and at the time that building lacked heat and other accommodations. After an assembly before Colonel Camden in the Sanford Hall auditorium, a two-week vacation was declared. This was to allow time for Hargrave staff to work out a way to continue the regular academic schedule.

Colonel Camden, in his book on the first fifty years of HMA's history, writes:

"This institution was encouraged after the fire by many expressions of confidence in the form of letters, telegrams, and voluntary gifts from friends, patrons, and alumni. These communications came not only from Chatham and Virginia but from the North, South, East, West, and abroad... all the hearts and minds of these people were uplifted by the thought that from these ashes would be born a greater Hargrave."

On July 28, 1951, Colonel Joseph H. Cosby succeeded Colonel Aubrey H. Camden as President of HMA. Enrollment was at 214 for his first year as President, consisting of 183 boarding cadets and 31 day cadets.