St. Emma Military Academy and St. Francis de Sales

St. Emma Military Academy
Belmead in 1845, before St. Emma Military Academy
Location
3505 Belmead Road, NW of JCT of Rtes. 663 & 600,
near Powhatan, Powhatan County, Virginia, U.S.
Coordinates37°37′24″N 77°58′45″W / 37.62333°N 77.97917°W / 37.62333; -77.97917
Information
Other nameSt. Emma Industrial and Agricultural Institute (1895–1946)
Established1895
Closed1972
St. Francis de Sales
St. Francis de Sales c. 1900
Location
3500 St. Emma Road

near Powhatan, Powhatan County, Virginia, U.S.
Information
Other names"Rock Castle"
Established1899 (1899)
Closed1970

St. Emma Military Academy, formerly known as St. Emma Industrial and Agricultural Institute, was a private boarding school for African American male students, constructed in 1895 in Powhatan County near Powhatan, Virginia, US.[1][2] It shared a campus with St. Francis de Sales, a private boarding school for African American female students. The two school grounds are separated by a small creek. The schools were founded by Edward and Louise Morrell, in partnership with Katharine Drexel, and they had a Catholic religious affiliation.[3]

Pre-history

Main article: Belmead (Powhatan, Virginia)

The main school building for St. Emma's Military Academy was a former plantation house for the Belmead plantation, designed as a two-story Gothic revival style by architect Alexander Jackson Davis for Philip St. George Cocke (1809–1861), and constructed about 1845.[1][4] It was also known as Belmead-on-the-James,[5] located on the James River, this was a working plantation with some 124 enslaved Black people who maintained the property.[4][6] Some 130 formerly enslaved people were buried on the plantation land between 1835 and 1865.[1][4]

After the American Civil War ended in 1865 the Belmead plantation was left vacant, and eventually it was purchased in 1895 by Louise Drexel Morrell, her husband Edward de Veaux Morrell.[1]

A few years later in 1899, Katharine Drexel purchased the Mount Pleasant plantation across the river.[1]

Early years

See also: Katharine Drexel and Edward de Veaux Morrell

These schools were started and sustained by three Philadelphian philanthropists; Louise Drexel Morrell, her husband Edward de Veaux Morrell, and sister, Katharine Drexel.[1][6][7][8] Louise and Katharine were the daughters of Francis Anthony Drexel, a wealthy banker and the namesake of Drexel University.[9] Upon his death, the daughters used their inheritance to help the disadvantaged and the disenfranchised youth of this country.[9]

History of St. Emma Military Academy

St. Emma Military Academy was founded as St. Emma Industrial and Agricultural Institute at 3505 Belmead Road.[10] The school initially offered domestic skills and core academics.[1] The students came from the United States, Africa and the Caribbean to attend.[4] Additionally Native American students attended the school.[11]

The Roman Catholic Congregation of the Holy Spirit (also known as the Holy Ghost Fathers) assumed control and operations of St. Emma in 1947, and changed the name to St. Emma Military Academy and making it the only military school for African Americans in Virginia.[1] After the restructuring it was often referred to as the, "West Point of prep schools," emphasizing discipline, respect, teamwork, and leadership.[12]

St. Emma Military Academy closed by 1972 due to declining enrollment and the advancement of integration among other things.[6] The school had graduated over 10,000 young black men during its existence.[4]

History of St. Francis de Sales

Its sister school was St. Francis de Sales, a high school for African American and Native American female students, constructed in 1899, on the historic Mount Pleasant plantation at 3500 St. Emma Road.[1][6] It was nicknamed "Rock Castle".[1] Located on the eastern side of the Belmead property, St. Francis de Sales is approximately three quarters of a mile from the plantation-era mansion. This school was designed by Virginia architect C. L. Dodd Jr.[10] Located in the northeast corner of the main building is the school's chapel, which was designed by Pennsylvania architect Henry Albert Roby, and has an interior clad in ornate marble.[10] During the days of slavery the property could support around two hundred people.[13]

Established by Katharine Drexel, the founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, St. Francis provided a high school education for the girls. The building housed not only classrooms, parlors, and dining rooms but also dormitory rooms for both the students and sisters in charge of teaching. St. Francis de Sales closed in 1970.[4][6]

Closure and legacy

St. Francis de Sales closed in 1970, and St. Emma Military Academy closed in 1972.[4][5][6] It is estimated some 15,000 to 20,000 students attended both schools during the years of operation.[14] In the 1970s, several of the original structures from both of the schools were demolished, however the Belmead mansion and the main building and chapel of St. Francis de Sales are still intact, as well as a few other former school buildings.[1][14]

The history of the two schools is documented in the book by Robert A. Walker Jr., The Black Military Academy on the James River: A Memoir of a True Story From 1895–2005 (2024).[2][3][15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Earle, Laura Byrd (May 1, 2024). "Boarding Schools for Black Students Offered a Unique Education for more than 70 years". The Valentine Museum. Retrieved 2025-07-16.
  2. ^ a b McQuade, Greg (June 19, 2020). "Former cadets push to save old African-American military academy". CBS 6 News Richmond WTVR-TV. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  3. ^ a b Hope, Heather (February 3, 2023). "Honoring Black History: Legacy of nation's only Black military academy lives on". WRIC-TV ABC 8News. Archived from the original on 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Zuber, David (February 28, 2022). "St. Frances de Sales School (1896–1970); St. Emma Military Academy (1899–1972)". BlackPast.org. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  5. ^ a b Huffstetler, Ann (February 11, 2014). "Belmead on the James". University of Richmond Newsroom. Retrieved 2025-07-16.
  6. ^ a b c d e f McDonald, Lena (May 15, 2023). "Virginia Landmarks Register Spotlight: Rosemont of Powhatan County – DHR". Virginia Landmarks Register. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  7. ^ Davis, John H. (1993). The Bouviers: From Waterloo to the Kennedys and Beyond. National Press Books. ISBN 978-0-915765-84-3.
  8. ^ "St. Francis de Sales, "Rock Castle" Virginia". Sisters Of The Blessed Sacrament. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  9. ^ a b Loughlin, James. "Francis Anthony Drexel." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 5 August 2019 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  10. ^ a b c "Historic Properties in Virginia Associated with African American History and/or Designed by African American Architects and/or Associated with the Civil Rights Movement in Virginia" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
  11. ^ Mason, Glen (April 5, 2023). "Column: An education that was part of Virginia's history". The Princess Anne Independent News. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  12. ^ "West Point of Prep Schools: St. Emma is the Nation's only Negro military academy." Ebony magazine, September 1, 1955, pg 86
  13. ^ Couture, Richard T. (1980). Powhatan: A Bicentennial History. Virginia Book Company.
  14. ^ a b Lazarus, Jeremy M. (May 5, 2016). "Nuns to sell St. Emma's-St. Francis property in Powhatan". Richmond Free Press. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  15. ^ Haggard, Valley (October 25, 2006). "Recently Read". Style Weekly (book review). Retrieved 2026-01-25.

Further reading

  • Walker Jr., Robert A. (July 30, 2024). The Black Military Academy on the James River: A Memoir of a True Story From 1895–2005. Outskirts Press. ISBN 978-1977276681.
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