South Carolina Methodists began an institution on this site in 1892, naming it Carlisle Fitting School for James H. Carlisle, president of Wofford College from 1875 to 1902. It served as a coeducational preparatory institution for Wofford. Colonel James F. Risher (1889-1973) leased Carlisle in 1932 and purchased it in 1938, renaming it Carlisle Military School by 1943. It educated young men from the US and many countries until closing in 1977.