After more than a century, Valley Grove Elementary School in Madison County, Indiana, continues to use the name of its progenitor. It’s a modern structure, but the original Valley Grove schoolhouse standing nearby is the only surviror of six common institutions in Union Township1.
In 1880, an early version of the institution sat on land owned by the Forkner family on East County Road 100-South. It was four-fifths of a mile east of Valley Grove Road2. The extant one-room schoolhouse was built in the 1890s3 and sits at the southeastern corner of the same intersection. It served Union Township’s District 6 and was named based on its location.
In 1910, the schoolhouse -along with Union Township’s Clem, Keesling, and Chesterfield schools- was temporarily closed because of a measles outbreak4. The one-room schoolhouse closed for good in 1920, when a two-story, three-room building was built to its south5. The new structure appears to have led to the closure of the District 4: Keesling and District 5: Clem schoolhouses6.
The 1920 school at Valley Grove was remodeled and expanded in 1958 during a project that added eight classrooms to its northeastern corner7. It was enlarged again in 1978, when the 1920 portion of the building was demolished in order to add two kindergarten classrooms. The Valley Grove school was expanded once again in 19878.
Today, Valley Grove Elementary is still a going concern within the district of Anderson Community Schools. In 1932, its predecessor was purchased by Mary Givens for $4009. Today, the building is used as a home.
Sources Cited
1 Bibbs, R. (2020, March 8). Valley Grove Elementary School celebrates 100 years of educating rural Anderson students. The Herald Bulletin. Web. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
2 Kingman Brothers. (1880). History of Madison County, Indiana with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches. Chicago, IL.
3 (See footnote 1).
4 Measles Close Schools (1910, February 8). The Alexandria Times-Tribune. p. 4.
5 Schools In Union Are Advanced (1958, July 17). The Anderson Daily Bulletin. p. 1.
6 Plat Book of Madison County Indiana (n.d.) W. W. Hixson & Co. Rockford, IL. map. Map Collection, Indiana Division, Indiana State Library.
8 Anderson Firm Given Contract At Valley Grove (1957, October 31). The Anderson Daily Bulletin. p. 1.
9 Old School is Sold (1932, November 11). The Alexandria Times-Tribune. p. 1.
