I’ve been to about two hundred and fifty old schoolhouses around East Central Indiana. My trips have taught me that most of them have been repurposed into homes, churches, corn cribs, and sheds! I’m glad so many have been saved, but the abandoned schoolhouses are the ones that truly speak to me. I hesitate to call them my favorites, but here are ten of the most compelling schoolhouse ruins I’ve found thus far.

10- Fairview, Hamilton County

A schoolhouse has stood at the corner of Cyntheanne Road and East 156th for nearly 160 years¹. Unfortunately, the extant brick school only served the students of Wayne Township’s District 12 from about 1900 to 1910². A tree grows through its crumbling southern wall, but there’s a certain beauty to the structure’s resilience. You can read more about the Fairview schoolhouse here.

9- Nixon, Delaware County

Jesse Nixon granted the Union School Township an acre of his land on Eaton-Wheeling Pike and 200-West in 1884³. The schoolhouse closed eighteen years later⁴. The shuttered building stood for nearly a century before most of it burned in an accident⁵. A sense of melancholy permeates the air around the Nixon schoolhouse for me. What’s left is a poignant reminder of the dreams and aspirations that once thrived within its walls. Read more here.

8- Beaver Hill, Jay County

In the 1850s or 1860s, John Bergdoll deeded Knox Township about an acre of his land to establish a schoolhouse. The institution served District 7 and eventually became known as Beaver Hill⁶ until it closed after the 1939-40 school year⁷. The building was used as a hog barn until it collapsed. Today, what remains of it stands as a silent witness to the passage of time. Find out more about the Beaver Hill schoolhouse here.

7- Jaybird, Delaware County

A frame version of Harrison Township’s District 9 schoolhouse was built in 1867. A brick structure replaced it in 1873. The school was commonly known as Mt. Olive at first but later got the colloquial name of Jaybird⁹. The schoolhouse closed after the 1923-24 term and quickly fell into disrepair. Retired Muncie doctor Phil Ball purchased the property in 1971 and preserved the school’s western wall and well¹⁰. Read more here.

6- College Corner (Richland Township), Madison County

Richland Township’s brick College Corner schoolhouse was erected in 1884 to serve District 4¹¹. Thirty years later, the first rural graduation exercises in all of Madison County were held at the building¹². A six-room school was completed across the road in 1950¹³, and the decaying bricks and creaking floorboards of its predecessor whisper tales of a bygone era. Find out more about the schoolhouse here.

5- Goodboo, Blackford County

Harrison Township’s District 4 schoolhouse got its name from a Native American word that meant. “good morning¹⁴” or from a small community nearby on the old Godfroy Reserve Indiana reservation¹⁵. The schoolhouse was condemned in 1923. Ultimately, It was used for another year because there was nowhere else to send its pupils¹⁶. The ruins of the building stand as a canvas for nature to paint its own story today. Read more about it here.

4- College Hill, Hancock County

Center Township’s District 3 schoolhouse was built in 1894¹⁷. Known as College Hill, it was open only through the 1915-16 school year¹⁸. Nevertheless, the old schoolhouse stood for more than a century before all but its entryway collapsed in 2017 or 2018¹⁹. Echoes of the laughter and youthful energy of students who passed under its arched entrance were still palpable when I visited. Find out more about the College Hill schoolhouse here.

3- Washington Township Public School, Rush County

The first schoolhouse in the Rush County hamlet of Raleigh was established at some point prior to 1867. Ten years later, township officials erected a three-room school that led to the closure of five rural schoolhouses²⁰. A replacement, the Washington Township Public School, was built in 1906²¹. The building originally served students from first to twelfth grades but closed as an elementary school in 1968²². Today, the old school’s belfry is a quiet tribute to the aspirations of generations past. You can read more here.

2- Spartanburg High School, Randolph County

Spartanburg High School was built in 1908 after new regulations forced officials to replace an earlier structure²³. The three-story, eight-room high school absorbed all of Greensfork Township’s rural schools by By 1929²⁴! Although it was said to be the finest rural high school in Randolph County²⁵, the building was demoted to serve students from grades 1-8 in 1964. The school closed ten years later and was abandoned by the time a fire broke out in 2012. When I first visited, sunlight filtering through its broken windows cast a surreal glow. Read more here.

1- Oak Grove, Jay County

Knox Township’s Oak Grove schoolhouse was completed in 1913 to serve the students of District 6. More elaborate thanits contemporaries, the building featured a bell tower, a large classroom, and two alcoves. Just like Beaver Hill, the school closed after the 1939-40 term and its students were sent to Pennville²⁶. The shuttered schoolhouse was used as a corn crib in the years after it closed²⁷, and the site of its belfry rising from the cornfields has captivated my imagination since I was a kid. Read more here.

The preservation of so many schoolhouses across East-Central Indiana is a testament to Hoosier ingenuity. That said, the abandoned ones evoke a mix of emotions- nostalgia for the past, sorrow for the loss, and maybe a glimmer of hope for the future of the ones that remain whole. For me, these schoolhouse ruins serve as a poignant reminder that places, like people, have stories to tell.

Sources Cited
1 Warner, C. S. (1866). Map of Hamilton county, Indiana. atlas. C.A.O. McClellen & C.S. Warner. 
2 Hamilton County Public Schools (1909). Teacher’s directory: names and addresses of officers and teachers of Hamilton County Public Schools, 1909-1910. Noblesville, IN.
3 Delaware County, Indiana. (1884, August 21). Deed Book 54. p. 114.
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 Wilham, T. (2000, October 13). Police determine who struck, killed Hartford City woman. The Muncie Star Press. p. 3B.
6 Shepherd, S. (1970, May 31). The Muncie Star. p. 29.
7 (See footnote 6).
8 Harris, B. (1995, July 23). A celebration of faith. The Muncie Star. p. B1.
9 (See footnote 8).
10 Album of yesteryear. (1997, June, 22). The Muncie Star Press. p. 3B.
11 Jackson, S. T. (2019, March 1). What’s in a Name: The literal origin of Richland Township . The Herald Bulletin. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
12 Forkner, J. (1914). History of Madison County Indiana. A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People and Its Principal Interests, Volume 1. book, The Lewis Publishing Company. Chicago, IL.
13 Okeh College Corner School $150,000 Expansion Project. (1967, July 15). The Anderson Herald. p. 1.
14 Goodspeed, D. (1972, October 29). The Muncie Star. p. 39. 
15 Yencer, R. (1976, July 4). ‘Lost Indian Reserve’ Likely to Stay Lost as State Park. The Muncie Star. P. 61.
16 Montpelier (1923, November 15). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 2.
17 Kirk, M. (2021, September 3). Elevator Evolution. The Greenfield Daily Reporter. p. 4.
18 School is Closed. (1916, April 6). The Greenfield Daily Reporter. p. 4.
19 Google (2017, August 25). [Google Earth Pro historical satellite image of College Hill School site]. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from Google Earth Pro.
20 Thomas, L. (1972, January 30). 1st Consolidated School Being Razed, a Victim of the Plan It Inaugurated. The Muncie Star. p. 21.
21 Raleigh School Is Dedicated (1906, December 3). The Rushville Republican. p. 1.
22 Historic Raleigh School To Be Closed This Fall (1968, February 7). The Rushville Republican. p. 1.
23 Additional Locals (1908, March 4). The Winchester Journal. p. 8.
24 Hinshaw, G. (2008). A History of Education in Randolph County, Indiana. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
25 Randolph County Interim Report (1998). Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory. Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana.
26 Mrs. Jane Watkins Dies At Portland (1939, April 8). The Muncie Star. p. 11.
27 Smith, R. Remembering Portland, Indiana (2023, January 5). In 1964 my parents bought the 160 acres this school house is located on. The original house and barns have [Comment]. Facebook. Retrieved January 5, 2023.