I’ve had the Five Points schoolhouse in Wells County on my radar for a while now, but I only recently found the time to visit. As I expected, the forty-five minute drive was well worth it- the building’s a rare example of a two-story one-room schoolhouse. You don’t see one of those every day!
The Five Points school was built in 18761. Named after the nearby intersection of Jeff Road, County Road 1100-South, and County Road 500-West2, the ground floor featured a classroom while the second story served a variety of purposes. Originally, it was home to the local Grange Hall. Later, it was used as the headquarters of an organization called the Chester-Jackson Horse Thief Detective Association3!
The Five Points school served the students of Chester Township’s District 9 and was open for about fifty years, all told. The building first closed in 1923 as a victim of consolidation. Fortunately, it reopened for the 1926-27 term after another schoolhouse was destroyed by fire. It was last used as a school in 1935-36 when construction work on the nearby Jackson Township consolidated school took longer than expected4.
After it was shuttered for good, the Five Points schoolhouse was repurposed into a hog barn5. Eventually, the old building came to be owned by Joe and Mary Gilbert. In 1997, the couple donated the schoolhouse and grounds to Friends of Five Points School, Incorporated, a group formed to preserve the building for future generations6. I’m happy to report that their mission was successful! Today, the building has been restored and is open to classroom tours, field trips, and other events.
Sources Cited
1 Routledge, R. (2005, September 18). Old school now teaches history. The Muncie Star Press. p. 23.
2 Spurgeon, B. (1997, September 12). Residents have been crucial in saving Five Points School. The Muncie Star Press. p. 22.
3 (See footnote 1).
4 (See footnote 1).
5 Routledge, R. (2001, September 24). Group refuses to let school built in 1876 fade away. The Muncie Star Press. p. 7.
6 (See footnote 2).
I love the “face” on the building in your second photo. Like it was surprised to see you.
It seemed pretty happy when I rolled up!