Named after a Seminole Indian, the community of Osceola was laid out in 1855. Soon, several businesses like a general store, a blacksmith, and a cobbler sprung up. Unfortunately, the Nickel Plate Road bypassed Osceola in favor of nearby Orestes1. A post office was discontinued in 18592 and the town floundered.
A schoolhouse serving Monroe Township’s District 13 was established in Osceola by 18803. It’s about all that’s left of the town! Unfortunately, a petition circulated with hopes of abandoning the schoolhouse and sendings its pupils to the school at Orestes in 1922. Residents were thankful that it failed4.
Despite popular sentiment that called the institution one of the best of the old one-room school buildings in the county, the District 13 schoolhouse was condemned in 19255. Its students were sent to Orestes for good the following year6.
The old Osceola schoolhouse was eventually remodeled into a residence.
Sources Cited
1 Jackson, S. T. (2019, August 4). Steve Jackson column: The ‘madness’ in the name of Orestes. The Anderson Herald Bulletin. Web. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
2 “Madison County”. Jim Forte Postal History. Web. Retrieved 11/29/21.
3 Kingman Brothers. (1880). History of Madison County, Indiana with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches. Chicago, IL. Map.
4 Osceola School District Refuses to Consolidate With Orestes Schools (1922, May 31). The Alexandria Times-Tribune. p. 1.
5 Some School Houses In County Condemned (1925, August 24). The Alexandria Times-Tribune. p. 3.
6 Osceola School House Condemned By Board (1925, July 13). The Alexandria Times-Tribune. p. 4.
