Orchard Lake Hotel Woodcut

In 1872, Joseph Tarr Copeland entered into partnership with a group of Pontiac businessmen to expand his Castle into the splendid Orchard Lake Hotel. However, the Panic of 1873 and poor management drained away the financial resources of the hotel. Despite Copeland’s personal efforts, it was closed in 1877. The third era of fame for the Castle/Residence/Hotel structure began shortly after the closing of the Hotel when Col. J. Sumner Rogers, Professor of Military Science and Tactics in the Detroit High school under a Presidential Appointment, acquired the property for the establishment of the MICHIGAN MILITARY ACADEMY which opened in September 1877 with Col. Rogers as Superintendent.