Castle Heights Military Academy Historic District

Lebanon, Tennessee's Castle Heights Military Academy Historic District traces its history back to the year 1902. David Mitchell, president of nearby Cumberland University, led the charge to create a coeducational private school that would prepare young boys and girls for college. Mitchell enlisted architect Tom Chamberlin and W.D. "Bud" Seagraves to build a main administration building. The building was completed in 1902 and was designed in the Collegiate Gothic architectural style. The building is three stories high, sheathed in red brick, and sits on a foundation constructed of Cookeville, Tennessee sandstone. The building functioned as a dormitory, gymnasium, recitation room, dining hall, and kitchen. On the first day that the school was opened for classes, ninety-four boarding students and an additional fifty-nine day students enrolled. The school's headmaster became Dr. Lahan Lacy Rice. Shortly after the construction of the administration building, the Rutherford Parks Library, the Mildred Armstrong Hospital, and the President's House were all constructed in the span of 1902-1905. Shortly before the United States entered World War I, Rice made the decision to convert the school into an all boys military academy. Rice said of the decision "several hundred students volunteered and helped win the war." Rice continued to operate Castle Heights until 1921, when he sold the school to some faculty members. From 1921 to 1928 the school went through a series of financial issues and declared bankruptcy twice. In 1928, the school was sold to book publisher Bernarr McFadden. McFadden emphasized a new culture of athletics and physical fitness for the school. Castle Heights began to compete in athletics, most notably basketball, on a national scale. During a tour of the United States, the Castle Heights team won four of the five games they played including a victory over West Point Military Academy. By the start of the school year, Castle Heights saw the largest enrollment in their history with 200 students. To put this into perspective, no more than fifty students had enrolled at Castle Heights during the previous decade. Under McFadden's watch, the school also expanded with the 1936 purchase of the David Mitchell house and farm, and the 1941 construction of the McFadden Auditorium. McFadden's heirs operated the school until 1974, when it was sold to Lebanon banker J. Roy Wauford Jr., newspaper editor Carl Wallace, and teacher J.B. Leftwich. In 1973 the school opened its doors to girls once again. For the next decade the school functioned as normal, however the outbreak of the Vietnam War and the impact when it was over led to a decline in the school's enrollment. Another factor was the creation of other private schools in close proximity to Castle Heights. By 1986, the school was closed. Perhaps the school's most famous alumni are Gregg and Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band. Upon closure of the school, most of the buildings were either sold or razed. The administration building was sold to the City of Lebanon and now serves as their city hall. Other buildings still extant include the Rutherford Parks Library, Mildred Armstrong Hospital, the Mitchell House, the presidents house, and the laundry room. In 1995 all these buildings, with the exception of the Mitchell House (listed in NR in 1979), were listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a district.

At Moore Historical Consulting my #1 priority is historic preservation. Do you own a historic home, commercial building, or farm? If so contact me today to learn more about the historic preservation strategies I offer. These include nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, nominations for a Permanent Conservation Easement, nominations to the Century Farms program, and writing text for historic makers. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring and preserving your past fun and easy.