In 1885, Orvon Graff Brown leased a property from the city of Germantown, Ohio and established the Twin Valley College and Ohio Conservatory of Music. The music program was subsequently eliminated in favor of military studies, and in January, 1894 the institution name was changed to Miami Military Institute. The Miami Military Institute operated at the site until dwindling enrollment during the Great Depression caused it to close its doors. A church camp, which came to be known simply as “Camp Miami,” was later operated at the site for a number of years. This collection contains photographs of the cadets and faculty of MMI during its years of operation, and depicts annual military encampments, sporting events, cadets performing military exercises, and at play.
Orvon Graff Brown was the oldest of six children of the Reverend William Kennedy Brown and Martha McClellan Brown, a prominent local family. Mrs. Brown was a nationally known leader in the temperance movement as well as a strong advocate of women's rights and suffrage. Orvon Graff Brown was married to Lulu Reed. Several of Orvon’s brothers also served as faculty for the Miami Military Institute. Also included in this collection are photographs from the scrapbook of Kleon Thaw Brown, youngest son of the Rev. and Mrs. Brown, during his years of attendance at Miami Military Institute. Kleon was married to Katharine Kennedy Brown, a prominent figure in politics during the era.
For more information on this collection, please view the collection finding aid or visit Wright State University Special Collections and Archives.
