Bass Drum, Barbour Hall Military Academy Band, circa 1950s- 1979
Barbour Hall was founded in 1902 in Kalamazoo as a boys’ school. Under the direction of Monsignor Francis O’Brien and the Sisters of Saint Joseph, it opened with financial assistance from Levi Barbour and was named in honor of his mother, Betsy Morton Barbour. In 1941, Barbour Hall adopted a military program, changing its name to Barbour Hall Junior Military School. The school closed following the 1978-1979 academic year.
On the side of this drum are the signatures of the last students from the class of 1979. They wrote, “Thank you Sister Michel” on it, which is in reference to Sister Michel Burrell (1927-2013), who was a longtime teacher in a variety of Catholic schools in Michigan. While working in the Kalamazoo Diocese, her teaching focus was instrumental music.
Object #2018.53.16