The Eagleswood Military Academy was a private

military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

in Perth Amboy, in Middlesex County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States, which served

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ar ...

educational needs. The Eagleswood Military Academy was started by Rebecca Spring (1812–1911) and

Marcus Spring Marcus Spring (October 21, 1810 – August 22, 1874) was, with his wife Rebecca Buffum Spring, the creator of the Raritan Bay Union, a utopian community in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Early life He was born in Northbridge, Massachusetts, in 1810 ...

(1810–1874) in 1861 in the vicinity of the Route 35/Smith Street intersection. The Springs initially started the

Raritan Bay Union The Raritan Bay Union was a utopian community in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, active from 1853 until 1860. History Raritan Bay Union the community was started by Marcus Spring and his wife Rebecca Buffum Spring (1811–1911). Theodore Dwight Weld wa ...

, as a

utopian A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', describing a fictional island society ...

community in 1853, but the Union closed in 1860. Rebecca had the bodies of A.D. Stevens and A.E. Hazlett, from

John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, buried on her property. In 1899 the bodies were disentereed and moved, with the bodies of other raiders (see

John Brown's Raiders On Sunday night, October 16, 1859, the abolitionist John Brown led a motley band of 22 in a raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (since 1863, West Virginia). Most were much younger than him, and varied dramatically in social ...

) to the

John Brown Farm State Historic Site The John Brown Farm State Historic Site includes the home and final resting place of abolitionist John Brown (1800–1859). It is located on John Brown Road in the town of North Elba, 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Lake Placid, New York, where ...

, near

Lake Placid, New York Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,303. The village of Lake Placid is near the center of the town of North Elba, southwest of Plattsburgh. ...

. The grounds, approximately , were recorded in the largest survey conducted by

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading Transcendentalism, transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural su ...

. The Eagleswood Mansion was located on the grounds. The house was listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as the George Inness House and was demolished in 1993.

George Inness George Inness (May 1, 1825 – August 3, 1894) was a prominent United States, American landscape painting, landscape painter. Now recognized as one of the most influential American artists of the nineteenth century, Inness was influenced b ...

, the American painter, stayed at the home in the 1860s. Edward L. Kemeys (1843–1907) was another artist who spent time in residence at Eagleswood. The start of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

caused many of the Academy's teachers to join the war effort and the school was forced to close, having inadequate staff and enrollment to continue its existence. Several years later, the site became the Eagleswood Park Hotel until 1888, when the Eagleswood estate was sold by the

Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company The Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company was a life insurance company that was chartered in 1845 and based in Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The company was headed by Frederick Frelinghuysen (1848–1924). The company w ...

to Calvin Pardee. He built a ceramic tile company on the site.

Notable students

Ralph Munroe Ralph Middleton Munroe (April 3, 1851 – August 20, 1933) was an American yacht designer and early resident of Coconut Grove in south Florida. His home, now The Barnacle Historic State Park, is the oldest house in Miami-Dade County still stand ...

* Louis Comfort Tiffany

References

{{reflist Perth Amboy, New Jersey New Jersey in the American Civil War Educational institutions established in 1861 1861 establishments in New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places Demolished buildings and structures in New Jersey Buildings and structures demolished in 1993

Notable students

See also

References