in the years after the war of 1812, the commonwealth of virginia built and maintained several arsenals to store weapons intended for use by the state militia in the event of invasion or slave revolt. in the 1830s lexington attorney john thomas lewis preston belonged to a debate club known as the franklin society. in 1836 he made the case to the society that the arsenal in lexington could be put to better use as a normal school for providing education on practical subjects, as well as military training to individuals who could be expected to serve as officers in the militia if needed.