Millersburg Military Institute

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Historical Marker # 2407 in Millersburg commemorates the Millersburg Military Institute (MMI), which was established in 1893.

Colonel C. M. Best, a native of Virginia, founded the MMI in the former Kentucky Wesleyan College building on Main Street. In 1898, Col. Best purchased the land from the Kentucky Methodist Conference and converted the school into a military boarding school. In 1920 Col. Best closed the school, but the citizens of Millersburg established a corporation to continue the military school and purchased the home of Sanford Allen at the current location on Main Street.

The Allen home was built in 1852 by William Nunn, a prominent citizen of Millersburg who was also a supporter of education. Nunn sold his home to the father of Sanford Allen and it became the nucleus for MMI. Later, other buildings were added to the complex, including a classroom building, a gymnasium, and a chapel.

After 2003 Millersburg Military Institute became Millersburg Military Academy and operated as a military boarding school until 2006. The Army Cadet Corps purchased the property in 2008 and Forest Hill Military Academy opened in 2012, continuing the military school tradition in Millersburg.

Millersburg is located on Hinkston Creek in the northern section of Bourbon County. The community was settled as early as 1779 by several families. The first mill on Hinkston Creek was built by John Miller, and later another by John's brother William. The town prospered in the early years of Kentucky's settlement. It was well located on the Limestone Road connecting Lexington with Maysville and the Ohio River. Before the Civil War, and until after World War I, Millersburg was the educational center of Bourbon County. During those years it supported a number of educational institutions, including: Millersburg Male and Female Academy, Kentucky Wesleyan College, (both male and female sections), and MMI.