The story of Spiceland Township’s Brick schoolhouse starts with Spiceland’s old East School, which once sat at the northwest corner of Main and East Streets3 where Spiceland Villas now stands. The school closed once the Spiceland Academy was established2. To take its place, officials erected the Brick Schoolhouse a mile east of town on the Spiceland-Franklin Township line3.
I assume the Brick schoolhouse was named because of its method of construction. Whatever the reason, it was built around 18704, in an era when most of Spiceland Township’s schoolhouses must have been frame. Terrell Wilson, Charles Ward, Isadore Hall Wilson, and Emma Seaford were among its early teachers5. Unfortunately, the schoolhouse was shuttered relatively early, in 1899, after attendance dropped to just ten pupils6.
The 1056-square-foot building was repurposed into a home after its closure. The old Brick schoolhouse remains one to this day.
Sources Cited
1 Ratcliff, R. (1973). The Schools of Spiceland Township, Henry County, Indiana. Richard P. Ratcliff [New Castle]. Book.
2 Bacon Hatcher, S. (1934). A History of Spiceland Academy 1826 to 1921. Indiana Historical Society [Indianapolis]. Book.
3 (See footnote 1).
4 Parcel 012-01528-00 (2024). Office of the Assessor. Henry County [new Castle]. Web. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
5 (See footnote 1).
6 (See footnote 5).
