Camden Military Academy traces back its tradition from three institutions:
Carlisle Military School (1892–1977), Camden Academy (1950–1957), and the present-day Camden Military Academy. The current campus was also formerly occupied by the Southern Aviation School (1940–1944). Carlisle Military School was founded in 1892 in the city of
Bamberg, South Carolina as the Carlisle Fitting School of
Wofford College. In 1932, Colonel James F. Risher took over the school and continued to run it as an all-male military boarding school. In 1958, his son Colonel William Risher became Headmaster at Carlisle. The school operated until 1977, closing not too long after James F. Risher's death in 1973. The Southern Aviation School was founded in 1940 by
Woodward Field (Camden airport) to train pilots during
World War II. The academy built many classrooms and barracks to house American and British pilots. Over 6,000 pilots graduated from the academy. After the academy closed in 1944, German prisoners of war were briefly kept in the barracks. The campus and airfield were then left nearly abandoned with many warplanes left behind until 1950. Some buildings built for the Southern Aviation School have been refurbished and are still in use today. Camden Academy was founded in 1950 by the citizens of Camden as an all-male military boarding school built on the former campus of the Southern Aviation School. The school lasted until 1957. In 1958, Colonel James F. Risher, the president of
Carlisle Military School, purchased Camden Academy in 1958, and the name was changed to Camden Military Academy. His son Lanning P. Risher was the school's first headmaster and served in the position for 36 years, while his other son William Risher was put in charge of Carlisle. In 1974, Lanning Risher led Camden Military Academy through a reorganization as a
non-profit,
tax-exempt institution.