City: Mcdonogh, MD

Category: Education

Telephone: (410) 363-0600

Address: 8600 McDonogh Rd.

Description: The American Civil War orphaned thousands of children and destroyed much of the South, including its schools. Philanthropist John McDonogh must have had this on his mind, for when he died, he willed money to fund a public school system in Louisiana and the McDonogh Farm School for orphaned boys in Maryland. McDonogh opened in 1873 on its 800-acre campus with a multiracial student body that worked the farm, growing vegetables, raising pigs, and milking cows. The original headmaster, Col. William Allen, who had fought with the Confederacy under Stonewall Jackson, imposed a military discipline and the military uniforms the boys wore were Confederate gray. Today, the school’s original mandate to serve students in need is still much in evidence, but the school has changed a lot over the years. Now coed, with just over 1,300 students from kindergarten though 12th grade, the semi-military atmosphere was dropped in 1971, and the farm no longer exists, save for the horse barn and riding facilities. Every McDonogh student learns to ride, and horsey amenities include riding rings and yearly horse shows. Other athletic pursuits include the more conventional football, lacrosse, tennis, golf, and swimming. Teachers, and students, live on campus, eat in the dining hall, and take part in campus life. The college preparatory curriculum is competitive, and 100 percent of McDonogh’s graduates go on to further education.