Of all of the schoolhouses that still stand in Blackford County, I’ve been most worried about the old Jennings school that sits just east of Lake Mohee. It’s been abandoned for a long time, but I was happy to see it still standing on a recent trip past.
In 1905, the District 6: Jennings schoolhouse was located on land carved out of Calvin Curtis’ twelve-acre plot1. As an institution, though, this Licking Township schoolhouse dates to much earlier: In 1862, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Clark were married in the middle of what’s now South County Road 200-West in front of the original school structure, immediately after a spelling bee was held2.
According to the date block in its lintel, the extant building was built in 1894. Evidently, the schoolhouse was still in use as of 1915, when classes were taught there by Kate Curtis3. The District 6 school closed at some point prior to the 1918 school year, though, when eight schools in Licking Township were reported to be in operation4.
Unfortunately, the old Jennings schoolhouse has fallen into disrepair over the years. Today, it appears to be used for agricultural storage.
Sources Cited
1 Hixson, W.W. (1905). Blackford County, Ind. map. Map Collection, Indiana Division, Indiana State Library.
2 Fifty-Third Wedding Anniversary Observed (1915, May 20). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 8.
3 Eaton (1915, March 2). The Muncie Star. p. 5.
4 Teachers in Townships (1918, September 2). The Muncie Star. p. 4.
