Julia Allegre, George Current, and Rhoda Current deeded land to the Delaware School Township on July 15, 18761. Shortly after, the township constructed a two-story, three-bay brick building with a hipped roof and cupola to serve as a schoolhouse. Though originally the schoolhouse at Albany was designated as Delaware Township’s District 1, the town eventually operated its own, separate, school system.
The structure was abandoned after the 1889 construction of a new, graded schoolhouse three blocks west2. After the school was replaced, it served as a dwelling3 before the Muncie-Portland Traction Company purchased it for use as an interurban traction station and powerhouse. The company added an L-shaped addition that wrapped around the north and west sides of the original structure and remodeled the schoolhouse to match the Italianate style of the new additions4.
The Muncie & Portland line was acquired by the Union Traction Company in 1916 and was discontinued in 1930. In subsequent years, the old building has been home to a variety of businesses, including an auction house5, the Albany Sales & Service Ford dealership, and a Pizza King restaurant. In 1979, it was even proposed to become the town’s new municipal building6.
In 2021, the Beautification Committee of Albany, Inc. announced plans to renovate the structure. Little of the building’s appearance remains from its days as a school aside from some original windows that can be seen, bricked up, from the inside. I took a deeper dive into the building, along with some of Albany’s other interurban infrastructure, here.
Sources Cited
1 Delaware County, Indiana. (18766, April 7). Deed Book 41. p. 120.
2 Albany County’s Second Largest Town, Rich In History (1927, September 25). The Muncie Star. pp. 40-41.
3 (1899) Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Albany, Delaware County, Indiana. Sanborn Map Company. map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress.
4 Naetzker, C. (1980, May 7). The Albany Traction Terminal: A Symbol From The Past. Ball State University. print.
5 Public Auction. (1945, October 6). The Muncie Star. p. 12.
6 Kurz, K. (1979, June 5). Albany Traction Station Proposed as Town Center. The Muncie Star. p. 10.
