Anderson Township’s District 8 Schoolhouse -known as the Brown or Smoky Row school- was a two-room schoolhouse that held classes for two grades in each room1. It was named Brown either due to its location on what later became Brown Street in Anderson or as a reference to the family that gave the thoroughfare its name. The Smoky Row moniker came from an early resident walking to town one chilly morning. Noting the chimneys warming the area’s houses, he described the scene as a “smoky row”. The name stuck2.
In those days, there was no 29th Street and the schoolhouse sat in the middle of a swamp3. Nevertheless, the Smoky Row/Brown schoolhouse was annexed by the city of Anderson sometime prior to 19014. Although the building was expanded throughout the years, it appears to have closed around 1904, when its students were likely sent to Anderson’s original Washington Elementary School, built in 18965.
After its closure, the old District 8 school was used as a Sunday school for several years. In 1907, George Estabrook purchased the school to use as a home6.
Estabrook added pillars to the north side of the school and completed other renovations: instead of lowering its high ceilings, Estabrook raised the floor, creating a basement7. Estabrook named the old schoolhouse ‘Derriton’, apparently after his old home estate in native England. A large sign proclaiming his name for the building was visible for many years8.
Today, the building’s still a home. It sits right behind Lindo Michoacán on 29th Street. Lindo’s tortas are some of the best in town!
Sources Cited
1 Mrs. Farmer Recalls Year At Smoky Row (1962, November 19). The Anderson Daily Bulletin. p. 4.
2 Smoking Home Chimneys Gave ‘Smoky Row’ Name (1962, November 5). The Anderson Daily Bulletin. p. 4.
3 (See footnote 1).
4 Atlas and Directory of Madison County, Indiana (1901). The American Atlas Company. Cleveland. map.
5 Washington School, Anderson, Indiana (2008). The Anderson Public Library Indiana Room. Indiana Memory. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
6 Supt. Carr Drove Wagon For Pupils During Flood (November 12, 1962). The Anderson Daily Bulletin. p. 4.
7 (See footnote 6).
8 ‘Derriton’ Had Very Special Meaning For Mr. Estabrook (1968, December 16). The Anderson Daily Bulletin. p. 4.
