Culver Military Academy  

Inaugural parade History

Part of the Black Horse Troop first appeared in the Inaugural parade for President McKinnely he was first elected in 1896. The photo is the 80 horse honor guard of the 1^st Cleveland Calvary Troop A as in appeared in the Inaugural parade.


In 1913 the Black Horse Troop appeared in the first Inaugural parade for President Woodrow Wilson

ACADEMY STIRS UP BIG FUSS

Culver Military Academy has stirred up a big fuss in Washington by its request that the cadets be permitted to march near the front of the inaugural parade as an escort to Vice President Marshall. It now looks as if the school would certainly be permitted in procession.

Capt. W. A. Fleet, of the Academy, is now in Washington attempting to gain a place for his cadets. He first visited Gov. Wilson at Princeton, and learned that the coming executive had no objection to the plan to honor his colleague, if it could be arranged satisfactorily. Armed with this word, he hastened to the capital, only to be frowned upon by Gen. Wood, who has charge of the military part of the parade. The general impression seemed to be that the procession was originally arranged in honor of President, and that his running mate should not share in the glory. However, at meeting which Senator Shively and Capt. Fleet had with Gen. Wood, it was finally decided that the Vice President-elect shall have an escort and that it shall be the Culver Horse Troop. Sixty of the troopers will form the escort and will bring their mounts them from Indiana. - - Rochester Sentinel, Saturday, February 1, 1913

WILSON NEIGHBORS' FAREWELL.; They Give a Loving Cup to Him at an "Old Home" Sort of Farewell.
New York Times
March 2, 1913, Sunday
Page 1, 1467 words

PRINCETON, N.J., March 1. -- Fifteen hundred residents of Princeton, including college students, invaded Gov. Wilson's home to-night and gave him a rousing send-off. The whole affair was characterized by a note of personal affection unusual in such cases. There was nothing formal about it, and the tone of good-will and sincere personal regard were manifest both in the actions of the crowd, ... President-Elect Wilson is seen at the right. BLACK HORSE TROOP OF CULVER MILITARY ACADEMY, VICE PRESIDENT MARSHALL'S ESCORT OF HONOR CULVER MILITARY ACADEMY ARROW INDICATES STAND IN FRONT OF WHITE HOUSE FROM WHICH ...



The Vedette
Vol. XVII Number 14 pg. 1
Saturday February 1, 1913
IN PARADE AT INAUGURATION

Woodrow Wilson will now be properly installed in the presidential chair and his grand march fown Pennsylvania avenue on March 4 will have the proper eclat for the Culver battalion will be on hadn to lend the prestige of its presence.

The Black Horse Troop will once more be prominent feature of the big parade though none of the old blacks which won the plaudits in 1897 when cleveland's Troop A escorted President McKinley, will be ther to recognize the old scense. The battalion of infantry, too, will be in the lead of the second division of the grand march.

The announcement that the battalion would go to Washington put new life into the military work at once. Back went the shoulders, the salutes became snappy, the manual and foot moevements accurate.

the troop is resplendent in new trousers with yellow stripes that herald their approach afor off, and they are alreayd talking of more horses and more members, and speculating upon the imposing appreance that one hundred horse would make on March 4.

Plans are not fully matured, but it is probable that the battalion will leave Culver on the Saturday before inauguration and will return the next Friday, thus having four days in the clear for Washington.

WILSON TAKES OFFICE TO-DAY AS 28TH PRESIDENT;
Slips Quietly Into the Capital While Suffragists Are Parading.
Special to The New York Times
March 4, 1913, Tuesday
Page 1, 3545 words

The Culver Troop consists of sixty boy troopers from the military academy at Culver, Ind., each mounted on a shining coal-black horse, with tan saddle and gray saddle blanket bearing the Culver monogram in yellow leather. These, with about 200 infantry cadets of the same academy,

also found of this day in Garner of Texas - A Personal History by Bascom N. Timmons pg. 70 wrote: ...The Vice-President had as his escortt the Black Horse Cavalry from Culver, Indiana, each of the sixty troopers on coal-black horse with a tan saddle and gray blanket, bearing the Cuvler monogram in yellow leather. The Culver uniforms were pearl gray with broad white cross belts and rope trimmings...

After the inaugural ceremony in 1913, Woodrow Wilson and former President Taft took their places in an open landau and, to the blare of trumpets, moved off, followed by Vice President Thomas Marshall's carriage. A guard of honor from the crack Essex Troop of Newark, New Jersey, rode beside the Presidential carriage while the mounted cadets from the Culver Military Academy of Indiana smartly brought up the rear of the six carriage procession.

and the again in 1917 for President Wilson 2^nd Inaugural parade. Thus began the seed for tradition for the troop. Since then the Black Horse Troop, boasting the Academies' very best horsemen and horses, have journeyed to back Washington, D.C. to participate in the Presidential Inaugural Parade.

AWAIT INAUGURAL IN SOLEMN MOOD; Crowd at Capital Is Small, and Talk, in Level Tones, Is All of War. WILL TAKE THE OATH TODAY President to be Sworn Amid Official Labors by Chief Justice White. Air of Strained Expectancy. AWAIT INAUGURAL IN SOLEMN MOOD Gleeful Partisans Absent. PARADE SMALLER THAN USUAL President to Retake the Oath at East Front of Capitol. WOMEN KEEN TO MARCH. Between 1,000 and 2,000 Expected in the Inaugural Parade. SUFFRAGE CORDON TODAY. Will Encircle White House in Federal Amendment Demonstration. NEW YORKERS ARRIVE. Gov. Whitman Heads Empire State Delegation for Inauguration.
Special to The New York Times.
March 4, 1917, Sunday
Page 1, 3 4118 words

WASHINGTON, March 3.--Tomorrow at noon the President, sitting in his official room at the Capitol and signing bills, will drop his work long enough to rise and raise his hand and say "I do" to Chief Justice White, who will have interrupted him to administer the oath...

...Vice President Marshall will be escorted by the Black Horse Troop of Culver Military Academy, from his hime state of Indiana...

MARSHALLS GIVE A BALL.; Culver Cadets Entertained by Vice President and His Wife.
Special to The New York Times.
March 6, 1917, Tuesday
Page 13, 241 words
Washington, March 5. - There was a real inaugural ball in Washington tonight, with cards of invitation, instead of tickets of admission. The hosts were the Vice President and Mrs. Marshall. The scene was the ballroom of the New Willard. The guests of honor were the 500 cadets from the Culver Military Academy in Indiana, whose Black Horse Troop acted as escort to the Vice Presindent in the inaugural parade today, was it did four years ago.

To meet these young vistors Mrs. Marshall invited several hundred girls including the youthful maidens of the entire official circle and a score or so from private schhols in Washington, as well as numerous out of town visitors. She also oinvited some older friends; but it was a young people's party.

The superintendent of the academy and Mrs. Gignilliatt, who accompanied the cadets to Washington, assisted the host and hostess in receiving. Mrs. Marshall wore a very rich gown of orchid tulle and gold lace with a train of cloth of gold. Mrs. Gignilliat wore white tulle over cloth of silver with silver lace


They returned in 1957 for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's 2^nd Inaugural Parade and have returned regularly since.

1961 The Black Horse troop was at the was almost at the end of the parade because the parade slots were full and Culver was able to take one of Montana's spare slots.

This was that in the past years the placement in the Inaugural Parade was based on the date that the parade unit's home state had entered into the Union.

The final railroad trip for the Black Horse Troop came in January of 1965, from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at LaPaz.


In 1969 Robert Hartman and David Gaskill sought to get Culver moved up in the parade they were asked if the Black Horse Troop could carry 100 flags. The Black Horse troop ended up to carrying 60 flags and they were placed near the head of the parade. It is related that the flags had their own airplane seat for which a ticket was purchased.

In 1972 "The Clock' was called out of retirement to lead the Black Horse Troop in the Inaugural Parade for President Richard Nixon's 2nd inauguration. 85 horses in all and each rider carried an American flag.

Indiana Gelding to Lead Cavalry at the Inaugural
January 19, 1973, Friday
Page 16, 825 words
The Clock, a sleek, black gelding, will travel 700 miles to prance down some 20 blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue on Saturday. It will be his fifth consecutive inaugural parade, and he was brought out of retirement to do it...

1985 Thoe they went to the Inaugural Parade the Culvver Mounted Black Horse Troop never rode in the 1985 Inauigural Parade. There was no Inaugrual Parade because of severe and bitter cold weather, President ROnald Regan held the ceremonies indoors.


In 1993 the Black Horse Troop was not asked to be in President Bill Clinton's Inaugrual parade. They were overlooked it is said by many for the Marching Briefcases and gay and lesbain enteries.

1997 Presidential Inaugural Parade
The New York Times
Published: January 19, 1997
The 53d Inaugural Parade steps off at 2 P.M. tomorrow, leading along Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House...Inaugurak Parade...Culver Black Horse Troop...

On January 18, 2001, Inaugural events commenced for George W. Bush as the 43rd President of the United States. The theme of the 54th Inauguration is 'Celebrating America's Spirit Together.'

The Culver Academies Black Horse Troop & Equestriennes was 19th in order by a listing of Inaugural parade.

Jack Vaughn and Pioneer Vaughn Petroleum CEO Robert Vaughn are active Culver Military Academy alumni. They marched with Culver’s “Black Horse Troop” in George W. Bush’s 2001 inaugural parade.

The 55th inaugural parade was January 22, 2005 - President Bush's 2005 Presidential Inaugural theme was "Celebrating Freedom, Honoring Service".


The Culver Academies Black Horse Troop & Equestriennes was 23rd in order by a listing of Inaugural parade.

Inaugural dreams come true for young equestrians

By Amy Doolittle
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
January 20, 2005

A group of students from the prestigious Culver Academies in Indiana will get to live out the dream of a lifetime today as they and their four-legged friends march in the Presidential Inaugural Parade down Pennsylvania Avenue.

The 62 Black Horse Troopers and 23 Equestriennes will put into practice three months of learning how to handle the magnificent horses in formation and dealing with parade noise.

Today will mark the 14th time that the Culver Black Horse Troop, the boy's unit, has participated in an inaugural parade. It will be the fifth trip to Washington for the Equestriennes, the girls' unit.

"The reality of a trip to Washington creates so much enthusiasm with the students that the extra work seems enjoyable," said Ed Little, the school's director of horsemanship. "The Black Horse Troop and Equestriennes will be the most impressive units in the parade. It's great fun to continue the tradition and show the world what we have here in Culver."

At the Prince George's Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, where the Culver horses were being housed yesterday, the students were busy grooming the horses as they prepared to practice for the parade in the 25-degree weather and snow.

Riding in the inaugural parade is the highlight of most of the equestrians' four years at the academies. To many, the inaugural preparations are cause for great excitement and little sleep.
"I usually can sleep into about noon, and I couldn't sleep past 7:30 today," said Shane Guliani, 17, who is originally from Orlando, Fla.

Even with the expected highs of 36 degrees today, the Culver riders didn't seem to notice — or care about the frigid temperatures. They are prepared for the cold: They've been practicing since October in Culver, Ind., where average winter temperatures are 22 degrees.

"This is almost a heat wave compared to what we've been going through," Mr. Little said.

Each carrying an American flag, the students will ride in formation three to four wide for the boys and two to three wide for the girls. The group is 17th in line to march in the parade, which begins at 2 p.m.

Savannah Kranich, a senior at Culver and co-captain of the Equestriennes, said she will ride in the front of the girls' group on her chestnut-colored horse named Sam.

Savannah, 17, decided to attend Culver because of its horse program. She has been riding since she was 9 years old, she said, and sees the opportunity to ride in the inaugural parade as a dream come true.
"Before I even came to Culver, I wanted to be the captain during an inaugural parade," she said, "so this is pretty neat."

Most of Savannah's classmates didn't have horsemanship experience before they attend Culver, Mr. Little said.
"About 85 percent of our students didn't ride before they came to Culver," Mr. Little said.

But out of Culver's 750 students, about 90 are part of the equestrian program.

Shane said he had no interest in riding until after a Culver graduate "talked my ear off for an hour and convinced me to get into troops," he said. "The rest is history."

Thomas Yarrington, a squadron commander and a native of Mexico, said marching in the parade is an honor.

"It's an honor to ride. I'm very excited about it," he said. "We've all been looking forward to it. We were all crossing our fingers that we would get in."

Culver Academies is one of the last cavalry schools.

The Black Horse Troop from Culver Military Academy is the largest mounted unit in the United States. The troop, founded in 1897, made its first appearance in 1913 as an escort for former Indiana governor and then Vice President Thomas Marshall.

The troop typically sends 90 horses and riders and has appeared in every inaugural parade from Dwight D. Eisenhower's second inaugural in 1957 to the inaugural of President George Bush in 1989. Earlier, the troop appeared for both of Woodrow Wilson's parades in 1913 and 1917.

The troop returned to the parade in 1997 for President Clinton's second inauguration and performed in President Bush's first inaugural parade in 2001.

The Equestriennes made their Presidential Inaugural Parade debut in 1989 and have joined the Black Horse Troop in every inaugural parade since then.

Thus the Black Horse Troop has had the honor of appearing in more inaugural parades than any other private or public high school contingent. To date they have participated in 14.

• Melissa Brosk contributed to this report.

Washington - Today, In keeping with its commitment to hold inaugrual events that celebate our common values and reflect the diversity and history of our great nation, President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden's Inaugrual Committe offically extended an offer to the Culver Academies to march in the 56th inaugraul Parade...

"I am honored to invite these talented groups and individuals to paritcipate in the Inaugural Parade,"...are proud to have them join us in the parade."....

Culver, In. December 2009 - Culver Academies' Black Horse Troop and Equestriennes have received and accepted an invitation to participate in the Obama-Biden Presidential Inaugrural Parade in Washington D.C. on Jamuary 20, 2009. This will marked the 15^th time hat the Culver Acadmies has participated in the Inaugrual Parade...