Educational reformer Harlan Page Davidson founded Northwestern Military Academy in Highland Park, Illinois in 1888. For years many of the cadets came from northern Illinois, but enrollment broadened when the academy moved to the shores of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in 1915.
The Davidson family (Harlan Page and especially his son Royal Page) continued to operate the school until 1944, when the main line of the family died out. During this period the academy gained national fame with the Bycicle Corps (traveling to Washington DC), and even more with its cadet-produced armored cars.
The Lake Geneva campus commanded a magnificent view of the lake. For many years sailing and boating were important parts of the cadet life, signified by the addition of "Naval" to the academy's original "Military" title.
In 1944, the Academy's operation passed to the Episcopal Church. Financial constraints led to the sale of surplus academy property in the early 1970s. In 1995, the school merged with St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin, to become St. John's Northwestern Military Academy.
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