I shared yesterday’s post about Yorktown’s water tower tiger across every relevant Facebook group I could find. It quickly racked up likes, comments, and shares! All that was proof that nobody here wants our tiger erased. Still, its days look numbered. That bittersweet feeling led me to Eaton, just thirteen miles northeast, where a water tower proudly displays the portrait of an old Eaton Norseman. Yorktown may be letting go, but tiny Eaton knows how to hold on to its history.
Eaton’s roots in education stretch back nearly two centuries, along with those of Union Township. The first area schools appeared in 1836 and 1837, taught in cabins on farms like ones owned by Junius McMillen1, Aaron Mote, and Havilla Green2. Those scattered classrooms laid the foundation for Union Township’s commitment to education.
Including Eaton’s, Union Township was home to a dozen schools by 1874. The schoolhouse in Eaton stood at the northwest corner of East Washington and North Hartford Streets3. A larger institution was built in 1885 at South Elm and Indiana Avenue before the area’s rural schools began consolidating around 19024. Unfortunately, Eaton’s schoolhouse was condemned three years later.
Work began on a new school at East Harris and South Meridian Streets in 1908. The modern building opened with six elementary classrooms, two high school rooms, an assembly hall, an auditorium, and facilities for manual training and domestic science5.
Somewhere along the way, Eaton chose purple and gold as its colors and picked the Norseman as its mascot6. In 1926, the school took another big step forward with the completion of a major addition that featured an assembly room, five new classrooms, a library, and a long-awaited gymnasium. At last, Eaton’s Norsemen had their own Valhalla!
Unfortunately, change was inevitable. In 1958, the state set new guidelines that led Eaton High School to merge with those in nearby Desoto and Royerton. The trio formed the Delaware Metropolitan School District in 19677, which evolved into Delaware Community Schools. Just five years later, a trash fire broke out and quickly destroyed the old Eaton High School8. The flames marked the end of a building that had once been the pride of the town.
Eaton’s old school is gone and the Norsemen may have long left its halls, but the town’s heritage is far from fading: Eaton’s modern elementary school proudly carries things forward, but it’s not the only institution that keeps the town’s scholastic legacy alive: mere feet from the school, Eaton’s water tower boldly showcases a purple Norseman! It stands as a lasting tribute to the town’s history.
Eaton’s water tower has always been a favorite of mine, but like any piece of infrastructurestructure, it’s the kind that requires regular care to stay in shape. Periodically repainting it, inside and out, is crucial to maintaining its service. What I really admire, though, is how Eaton’s tower has managed to keep its Norseman logo looking sharp despite that. That’s no small feat! If only my own town took notes.
While Yorktown seems to have let corporate-style branding sweep away its past, Eaton refuses to let go of its roots. Even though it’s been fifty-eight years since a true Eaton Norseman last crossed the graduation stage in the small town of 1,600, the community continues to honor its heritage with pride. That’s something to celebrate! Eaton hasn’t forgotten its heritage, and neither should we.
Sources Cited
1 Helm, T. B. (1881). Mount Pleasant Township. In History of Delaware County, Indiana: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers (pp. 268–269). book, Kingman Brothers.
2 Kingman Brothers. (1874). Map of Delaware County, Indiana. Chicago, IL.
3 Griffing, B. N. (1887). Mt. Pleasant Township. An atlas of Delaware County, Indiana . map, Philadelphia, PA; Griffing, Gordon, & Company.
4 Delaware County Public Schools. (1904). School directory, Delaware County public schools, Delaware County, Indiana 1904-1905. Muncie, IN.
5 Eaton’s new school thrown open today. (1908, November 16). The Muncie Morning Star. p. 10.
6 Nottingham, K. (1990, June 7). A Classified Event. The Muncie Star. p. 13.
7 Delaware County Committee for the Reorganization of School Corporations. (1959). A Comprehensive plan for the reorganization of school corporations of Delaware County Indiana. Muncie, IN; Delaware County Committee for the Reorganization of School Corporations.
8 Yencer, R. (1976, May 26). Fire Razes Abandoned Eaton High School. The Muncie Star. p. 1.
