Washington Township’s District 12 schoolhouse was located in Bloomingport, a small community between Lynn and Carlos alternatively known as Bloomingsport or Blooming Port1. It was built in 1879.
In 1915, the schoolhouse was scheduled to be remodeled so it could take in the students of the closing schools at districts 11 and 142. Instead, officials condemned it in order to build a larger structure that could accommodate the students from districts 8, 9, 11, 12, and 143.
The consolidated school at Bloomingport closed thirteen years later when its students were sent to attend classes at Lynn, a larger community 4.5 miles northwest of town4.
The 1917 schoolhouse stood for some time and was used by a religious organization that called it the Bible Deliverance Temple in the 1960s5. Today, it’s no longer standing. The 1879 schoolhouse still remains; it was a home when I drove past.
Sources Cited
1 Pitts, E. (1997, March 31). Local residents good sports about extra ’s’. The Muncie Star Pres. p. B1.
2 Hinshaw, G. (2008). A History of Education in Randolph County, Indiana. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
3 School Contract Awarded (1917, June 18). The Muncie Press. p. 2.
4 Winchester Is Dried Up (1930, September 6). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 7.
5 Brantley, B. (1962, February 4). Store at Bloomingsport- Survivor of By-Gone Age.
