In 1855, the Monroe Township Trustee in Delaware County gave David Courtney $725 to build some schoolhouses1. Although the record doesn’t specify which schools he erected, he received roughly three times what other contractors were paid for constructing a single structure.
It’s likely that Courtney erected three frame schools, or perhaps two if they were brick. One was probably the precursor to the District 6 school that was constructed on John Lenox’s farm2 around 1860, that took his name3.
The Lenox schoolhouse was the first in Monroe Township to close due to consolidation. It did so during the fall of 1902 when its students were sent to Cowan4. At that time, the building was located on property owned by the Ross family5.
Since then, the building has been expanded several times and is now used as a home.
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 Delaware County Office of Information & GIS Services. (2021). Parcel ID: 1511200013000. Delaware County, Indiana Assessor. map, Muncie, IN.
4 Kemper, G. W. H. (1908). Education in Delaware County. In A Twentieth Century History of Delaware County, Indiana, Volume 1. book, Lewis Publishing Company.
5 Delaware County Map, 1900 (2018, October 1). Map Collection, Indiana Division, Indiana State Library.
Hi I was surprised to see this information on My House. Mornoe township school house #6. We have live her now 5years. I enjoyed reading about the beginning of my now Home. Very Cool
I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for being a steward of such a great old building!