I’m writing about the old Frog Pond schoolhouse in Jay County in hopes that someone will pipe up with more information. In 1881, a Jefferson Township schoolhouse stood near J. Gibbs’ land at the northeastern corner of County Road 800-South and County Road 700-West, just a mile west of Powers1. By 1887, it was designated to serve District 112.
Eventually, the school gained the colloquial names of Reese and Frog Pond after a nearby landowner and the voluminous croaks of local amphibians that made studying difficult3. I’ve also heard the schoolhouse referred to as “Dinner Crick4.”
The brick structure likely continued to serve students until around 1912, when the consolidated Governor I.P. Gray school opened in nearby New Mt. Pleasant. At some point, it was moved to the northwestern corner of the intersection. According to the county assessor, the building was converted into a home in 19305.
Subsequent additions have obscured the floorpan of the old Frog Pond school, but its original outline can be seen in satellite images. Imagine the gable in the photo with a belfry!
Sources Cited
1 Hardesty, H.H. (1881). Historical Hand Atlas Illustrated. H.H. Hardesty [Chicago]. Map.
2 Atlas of Jay County, Indiana (1887). Griffing, Gordon. & Co. [Philadelphia]. Map.
3 Frog Pond Or Reese (n.d.). Pamphlet. Jay County Historical Society. Web. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
4 Powell, D. Remembering Portland, Indiana (2023, May 18). Image [Comment]. Facebook.
5 Parcel 38-10-30-400-010.000-024 (2024). Office of the Assessor. Jay County [Portland]. Web. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
