Howe History Stories

This imposing granite and bronze memorial to Dr. John Heyward McKenzie was given by the Howe School™ Alumni after his 1920 death. He became Rector in 1895; under his guidance Howe became a topflight military prep school.

Here is the “New” Howe Gymnasium when it really was new (1930). The “Old Gym” was in the basement of Howe Hall. The New Gym was re-named the Thomas Parker Gym in honor of Thomas Parker ’39, inventor of the “Drumstick” ice cream treat, in appreciation of his major donation of replacement windows and other work on the building.

When Dr. McKenzie became Rector in 1895, he added military to the Howe Grammar School™ grades 7-12 and established a Middle School for grades 7 to 10 and an Upper School for grades 11 and 12, although the grades were called “Forms” numbered from Sixth Form which was equivalent to 12th Grade, down to First Form, equivalent to 7th Grade. The “forms” usage is from the English school tradition.

HMSAA has assisted six grad students in Architectural Preservation at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend with their exceedingly thorough research into the John B. and Frances Howe House to nominate it for the National Register of Historic Places.

Students of Architectural Preservation at Notre Dame are developing a National Register nomination for the Original Howe House, more recently known as The Vicarage. Our Association has been providing them information about the building.

In this view we see the first porch and a view of “The Flats” which is original to the building but extended it to the east for more rooms. There were masters apartments in this building. Later one of apartments, the southwest rooms on the main floor, was occupied by the “A” Company Tactical Officer (adult School staff member).

This plat of the Howe Military School™ campus appeared in the 1919 catalog, but it dates prior to 1914 as it doesn’t show the Mothers’ Chapel addition as the south transept of St. James Chapel which was built in 1914. The building labelled “Lower School” later became the first Administration Building, after the first White Hall was built by adding a gymnasium wing to the east and a dormitory wing to the south of the Club House during the 1920s.

By 1950 the early 20th-Century campus buildings had become worn and obsolete. The Academic Building had burned down in 1946. A prominent industrialist had sent his son Kenneth, to Howe, a 1940 graduate

The original building was designed by Chicago architect John Sutcliffe, who designed many Episcopal church buildings; he favored the English Tudor Gothic Revival style of St. James Chapel.

This map on the last page of the 1909 Howe School™ catalog caught my eye, lifelong rail buff that I am. On the lower border of the map appears “Poole Bros. Chicago” which tells me that this is an official railroad map.

One night during my 7th grade year, a few of us were sitting around discussing how happy we were, or weren’t. We were complaining about not having free time and not being able to do what other kids outside of a military school got to do. So we decided that we were going to run away and show everyone we meant business.

For many decades, Howe Military School™ catalogs called it the Refectory, “young gentlemen dining together.” Cadets always called it the “Mess Hall.” The student dining accommodations from 1884 to 1895 are largely unknown. With the arrival of Dr. McKenzie in 1895, the enrollment went from dozens to over a hundred, so better facilities were needed.