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Hargrave Participates in Averett Aviation Day

Hundreds gathered on Friday, March 17, for Averett University’s Department of Aeronautics’ annual Aviation Day. Held in an airplane hangar at Averett’s George J. Falk Flight Center at Danville Regional Airport, alumni, current students, prospective students and their families, aviation partners and University faculty and staff joined to kick off the day. Nearly 30 high school students … Read more

Hargrave Hosts 34th Annual Order of the Sabre Banquet

Hargrave’s 34th Annual Order of the Sabre Banquet was held on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina. The banquet began with a cocktail reception where members of the Order could mingle and catch up. After cocktail hour, Mr. and Mrs. John Alexis ‘89, the emcees for the night, welcomed … Read more

Hanging of the Greens 2021

Hanging of the Greens is Hargrave’s annual Christmas program and serves as the unofficial conclusion to the beginning of the Chatham community’s Christmas festivities (“Christmas in Colonial Chatham”). Traditionally, a Hanging of the Greens service marks the beginning of the Advent season. Advent looks with hope to the coming celebration of the nativity of Jesus at Christmas as well as with expectation to His eschatological return at the Second Coming.

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Founder’s Day

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In the late nineteenth century, leaders of the Roanoke Baptist Association envisioned the establishment of a Baptist school to educate the youth of Pittsylvania County.

Two visionary Chatham businessmen, Jesse H. Hargrave and his son, John Hunt Hargrave, put flesh to the dream, purchased 36 acres of land as well as a house and joined with the Reverend T. Ryland Sanford, Pastor of Chatham Baptist Church, to establish Chatham Training School in September 1909.  The school opened with 17 boarding students and 18 day students under the direction of Headmaster Charles Warren.
 
On July 18, 1911, Chatham Training School was granted its formal charter by the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Reverend Sanford was elected as the school’s first president.  In 1918, he was succeeded by Aubrey  H. Camden, the Dean of Students.    In response to the nation’s participation in the First World War and the appeals of both parents and students, military training was approved as an integral part of Hargrave’s curriculum.

Chatham Training School was renamed Hargrave Military Academy in 1925 to honor John Hunt Hargrave whose sustaining interest, devout faith, and collateral security contributed greatly to the realization of the Roanoke Baptist Association’s dream of providing local youth a quality education.

In the fitting words of President Camden, “Divine in precept, militant in name, gallant in spirit, rich in knowledge, Hargrave Military Academy manned with virtuous workers and entrusted with the men of tomorrow, stands to inspire its alumni and to be honorable unto God.”

Therefore, the Ninth President of Hargrave Military Academy (Col Wheeler L. Baker) designated September 9th as “Founder’s Day” and directed that this message be communicated to Hargrave students, teachers, staff, alumni, and alumnae, wherever they may be gathered, to remember and to celebrate Hargrave Military Academy’s rich and illustrious history.

Veterans Day Parade Pictures & Video

First of all, thank you for your patience as we edited and uploaded our media from the Veterans Day parade. We have also included the footage from other ceremonies that took place throughout the day in the parade video. Please be forewarned, some technical issues limited the available video footage, but we tried to include … Read more