Delaware County’s Center Township District 7 schoolhouse, was commonly known as the Reese school. It was built in 18601 on land that was owned by Lewis Reese2, but no record of him granting Center Township’s Trustee land for a schoolhouse appears to exist.
The school does appear on the 1884 Griffing, Gordon & Company map as District 7. From what I’ve learned, it seems to have operated as an early kindergarten. Frame annexes to Muncie’s Jackson school were completed in 18903, which allowed students of District 7 to transfer there4.
The schoolhouse became home to a number of businesses after it closed. It was a gas station for a while. From 1987 to 1991, it was home to the Rackoon’s Den antique and craft shop5. I’m sure the building housed other enterprises over the years before it became a dwelling. In 2019, the building burnt down after a fire started in the old schoolhouse’s kitchen. The blaze tragically claimed the life of a child who lived there6.
The ruined building was razed in 2021. Today, a modern home sits on the site of the old District 7 schoolhouse.
Sources Cited
1 Delaware County Office of Information & GIS Services. (2021). Parcel ID: 1127153001000. Delaware County, Indiana Assessor. map, Muncie, IN.
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 Sanborn Map Company (Ed.). (1896). Muncie. Insurance Maps of Muncie Indiana. map, New York, NY; Sanborn Map Company.
4 New School Building. (1890, December 29). The Muncie Morning News. p. 1.
5 Profile. (2006, May 8). The Muncie Star Press. p. 4C.
6 9-year-old who died in Muncie fire was home alone, fire investigator says. (2019, February 8). WTHR. Web. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
