Orchard Lake in Oakland County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Orchard Lake Schools / Joseph Tarr Copeland
Photographed By Kathy Garman, August 24, 2019
1. Orchard Lake Schools Marker
Inscription.
Orchard Lake Schools, also, Joseph Tarr Copeland. .
Orchard Lake Schools. Orchard Lake School Historic District comprises eleven buildings constructed between 1858 and 1924. The oldest, a massive Romanesque Revival house resembling a Norman castle, was built in 1858 by one-time Michigan Supreme Court justice Joseph Tarr Copeland. In 1877 Copeland sold the property to Joseph Sumner Rogers, who established the Michigan Military Academy on the site. Six of nine structures built in a quadrangle reflect the Romanesque Revival style. In 1909 the school, once considered “the leading military institution in the country, outside of West Point,” closed. The site was sold to Saints Cyril and Methodius Seminary, the nation’s first Polish seminary. Father Joseph Dabrowski founded the seminary in 1885 in Detroit. The present complex, evolved from the seminary, includes Saint Mary’s Preparatory School and Saint Mary’s College.
Joseph Tarr Copeland . Maine native Joseph Tarr Copeland (1813-1893) graduated from Harvard College and studied law before coming to Michigan during the 1840s. In 1851 he was elected circuit judge, serving concurrently on the Michigan Supreme Court. Upon his retirement from the bench in 1858, he built this house. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 he was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the First Michigan Cavalry. Within a year he rose to brigadier general. Copeland retired to his home in 1865. With a group of Pontiac investors Copeland enlarged the house, creating the Orchard Lake Hotel. From this site tourists boarded the Pride of the Lake and traveled to Apple Island. The panic of 1873 ruined the venture. Copeland sold the property in 1877 to Colonel Joseph Sumner Rogers who established the Michigan Military Academy on this site.
Orchard Lake Schools
Orchard Lake School Historic District comprises eleven buildings constructed between 1858 and 1924. The oldest, a massive Romanesque Revival house resembling a Norman castle, was built in 1858 by one-time Michigan Supreme Court justice Joseph Tarr Copeland. In 1877 Copeland sold the property to Joseph Sumner Rogers, who established the Michigan Military Academy on the site. Six of nine structures built in a quadrangle reflect the Romanesque Revival style. In 1909 the school, once considered “the leading military institution in the country, outside of West Point,” closed. The site was sold to Saints Cyril and Methodius Seminary, the nation’s first Polish seminary. Father Joseph Dabrowski founded the seminary in 1885 in Detroit. The present complex, evolved from the seminary, includes Saint Mary’s Preparatory School and Saint Mary’s College.
Joseph Tarr Copeland
Maine native Joseph Tarr Copeland (1813-1893) graduated from Harvard College and studied law before coming to Michigan during the 1840s. In 1851 he was elected circuit judge, serving concurrently on the Michigan Supreme Court. Upon his retirement from the bench in 1858, he built this house. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 he was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the
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First Michigan Cavalry. Within a year he rose to brigadier general. Copeland retired to his home in 1865. With a group of Pontiac investors Copeland enlarged the house, creating the Orchard Lake Hotel. From this site tourists boarded the Pride of the Lake and traveled to Apple Island. The panic of 1873 ruined the venture. Copeland sold the property in 1877 to Colonel Joseph Sumner Rogers who established the Michigan Military Academy on this site.
Erected 1995 by Michigan Historical Center, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number S430.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1858.
Location. 42° 35.629′ N, 83° 21.491′ W. Marker is in Orchard Lake, Michigan, in Oakland County. Marker can be reached from Indian Trail, 0.2 miles south of Commerce Road, on the left when traveling south. The marker is located on the Orchard Lake St. Mary's Preparatory campus on the north side of "The Castle.". Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3535 Commerce Rd, West Bloomfield MI 48324, United States of America. Touch for directions.
The historical marker can be seen on the far left hand side of the photo, across from the main entrance.
Photographed By Kathy Garman, August 24, 2019
4. "The Castle"
As seen from the parking lot off of Indian Trail.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 21, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 19, 2020, by John Garman of Rochester Hills. This page has been viewed 282 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 19, 2020, by John Garman of Rochester Hills. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
