Perry Township’s District 3 schoolhouse, known as Rees, stood for nearly a century and a half. I’m glad I took take photos of the building before it disappeared! Of all the schoolhouses I’ve driven to and researched, it was my favorite.
The first school on the land of Lafayette Whitney was built in 1853. A frame structure, it was the first of Perry Township’s erected in response to a state law that provided for the operation of free, common schools1. Initial classes were taught by Jane Branson2.
The schoolhouse was originally numbered as Perry Township’s District 43, and it appears as though the original building was replaced by a brick structure in 18594. By 1881, all nine schoolhouses in Perry Township were brick5, and the school was designated as District 3. Locals knew the building as the Rees schoolhouse due to its location on land originally owned by that family6.
Along with District 4, the District 3 school closed at the end of the 1905-06 school year so its students could attend the new consolidated school in District 97. Bertha Bryan of Muncie was its last teacher8.
I first encountered the building more than a hundred years after it closed. I loved how it emerged from the foliage like a secret that only revealed itself to people who drove past slowly and took the time to look for it! The building was a landmark for me as I drove the back way to Prairie Creek Reservoir and parts beyond. It served as a home for years after it was decommissioned.
The old Rees schoolhouse had been abandoned for many years before it and an adjoining property were sold to a new owner who demolished it. In some small way, Its legacy lives on here.
Sources Cited
1 Helm, T. B. (1881). Mount Pleasant Township. In History of Delaware County, Indiana: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. book, Kingman Brothers.
2 Kingman, A.L. (1874). Map of Delaware County, Indiana : from recent & original surveys, made expressly for this map, drawn, compiled and published by A.L. Kingman and assistants. map, Chicago, IL; A.L. Kingman.
3 (See footnote 1).
4 Delaware County Office of Information & GIS Services. (2021). Parcel ID: 1232300005000. Delaware County, Indiana Assessor. map, Muncie, IN.
5 (See footnote 1).
6 Bradbury, R.B. (1935, September 29). The Old Timer. The Muncie Sunday Star. p. 16.
7 Kemper, G. W. H. (1908). Education in Delaware County. In A Twentieth Century History of Delaware County, Indiana, Volume 1. book, Lewis Publishing Company.
8 Delaware County Public Schools. (1905). School directory, Delaware County public schools, Delaware County, Indiana 1905-1906. Muncie, IN.
