The rise and fall of Jackson's Military Academy

The land where the current Jackson High School stands on Missouri Street has been home to many different schools serving the Jackson and the surrounding area. The Jackson Military and Finishing School opened in 1899 in the former Carlisle Training School after it closed its doors. An earlier article noted the Methodists of Southeast Missouri elected a board of curators Oct. 1, 1892, and purchased the L.H. Davis property which had a southern-style residence and large grounds. This became the Carlisle Training School 1897-1898.

The original building burned in 1897, and the community helped build a three-story brick building that would become the Military Academy. In one article a photograph shows cadets lined up for mess on the south side of the building with the Old City Cemetery across the street. It appears the front of the building faces what is now Missouri Street. It was described in a 1908 school publication as being perched on a knoll overlooking the city. Today, the high school sits a little lower due to removing previous buildings and leveling the land.

The first year enrollment at the academy reported 85 students -- 50 cadets were housed in the dormitory, 10 additional cadets had to live at home in Jackson, and 25 women lived at home. The building was described as a handsome building with steam heat and a recently installed acetylene gas lighting plant. The third floor was occupied by the chapel, which allowed for many forms of entertainment. Double parlors were located on the first floor. Annual tuition was $250. Tuition for the department of fine arts cost an additional $75.

The school produced non-commissioned officers and maintained close ties to the local National Guard. In 1909, a student accidently shot and killed himself while cleaning his gun. The school closed its doors in 1909 and was sold to the Jackson School District for its growing school system.

The building would serve as the Jackson High School until it was torn down in 1920, allowing room for a modern high school building. That building was razed in 2017 to expand the offerings of the current high school.

Closing the academy was blamed on the accidental shooting, according to some articles. The school had seen declining enrollment, and Cape Girardeau had been awarded title for a Normal School in 1873 which experienced increasing enrollment. The closing of the school may have been due more to the transition from the wealth of the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era's attempt to correct many of the problems created in the previous period. The early 1900s saw a time of expansion, consolidation and efficiency that permeated all parts of U.S. society, including education.

The end of the Jackson Military Academy and Finishing School is like turning the pages of a chapter in a book on the history of Jackson. Eventually, you reach the end of the chapter and begin a new one. This appears to be the case of the Jackson Military Academy in 1909.