I’ve tracked down a few hundred old schoolhouses and consolidated schools over the past few years. Some are crumbling into ruin, and others are hidden gems found down forgotten roads. A handful have taken my breath away, but none have struck me quite like the monumental Knightstown Academy. Towering over its surroundings, the place seems like something out of a dream: It’s part cathedral, part Old Main, and entirely unforgettable.
Like several early schools in East-Central Indiana, the former Knightstown Academy was founded with Quaker ideals at its core. The first version of the school, a modest two-story brick building with eight rooms and two halls, was constructed in 1856 for $8,5001.
By 1876, Knightstown was ready for something far more ambitious. Under the leadership of school board president John Irwin Morrison -a former teacher at Salem Academy in southern Indiana- the community commissioned a bold new structure. Built for $21,0002, the building was an absolute showpiece.
The new Knightstown Academy soared three stories tall. An imposing example of Second Empire architecture, it featured red brick walls, a slate mansard roof, and symmetrical proportions. The building exuded permanence and pride through its stately form, but a pair of towers made it a real landmark: each was crowned with an eye-catching sculpture- a gargantuan globe and a towering telescope aimed at the heavens. Those dramatic flourishes paid tribute to the old Salem Academy3, where similar features once symbolized a commitment to knowledge and exploration.
The Knightstown Academy was designed by John Hasecoster, a Richmond-based architect born in Germany in 1844. Hasecoster preferred to render his buildings in styles like Second Empire, Romanesque, Gothic Revival, and Craftsman. He’s best known for his 1877 work on the Franklin County Courthouse, Richmond’s original Reid Memorial Hospital, buildings at Knightstown’s Indiana Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s Home, and the Henry and Alice Gennett Home. Including the Knightstown Academy, four of his buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The architecture of the Knightstown Academy rivals many college buildings and courthouses, but its interior was more typical of a Victorian-era school. The original building was home to four large rooms and a hall on the first and second floors, much like its predecessor. The third story featured three more rooms accessed by twin stairs that rose from each side of the front door. Unfortunately, the top floor wasn’t universally loved. In fact, it sparked enough frustration to lead to a major change.
Not long after the academy opened, many of Knightstown’s women4 began voicing complaints about having to climb all the way to the top floor. Their frustration didn’t go unheard: in 1887, a two-story wing was added to the rear of the Academy and the third floor was closed off. Topped with a hipped roof, the new addition seamlessly blended with the main building. It offered much-needed space that was easily accessible while preserving the structure’s striking symmetry.
The exact date remains a little murky5, but Knightstown Academy transitioned out of its Quaker affiliation and into its status as Knightstown High School around the same time the building was expanded. Its most famous alumnus, historian Charles A. Beard, graduated in 1891.
By 1931, Knightstown had grown enough that the old academy was bursting at the seams. A two-story, sixteen-room wing6 was added to the west side of the building in 1931, but it wasn’t sympathetic with the architect’s original intent. Just northwest, a detached gymnasium had been built a decade earlier. Later, it was renovated as part of a Works Progress Administration project during the Great Depression7.
The gym is every bit as storied as the old Academy building. It housed the Knightstown Falcons for decades, but its interior played a starring role as the home court of the Hickory Huskers in the beloved 1986 film Hoosiers! I had the opportunity to play two games there for a travel team in middle school. Just stepping onto that polished wooden floor felt like walking into a piece of history! If you’re curious, you can read more about the gymnasium here.
Change began to take hold at the old Knightstown High School in the 1950s. Unfortunately, it marked the gradual decline of a building that once stood as the town’s proud centerpiece. A modern elementary school for Knightstown’s youngest students was constructed just across the street in 19578. Less than a decade later, in 1966, a brand-new high school was built on the north side of town9. Bit by bit, the old complex lost its place at the center of student life.
By 1984, the original Knightstown Academy building had been mostly phased out. That same year, a proposed $5.6 million restoration plan fell through10, which left the building’s future in limbo. While most of the structure sat empty, the 1931 classroom wing managed to hang on a little longer by continuing to serve around two hundred students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades until 198711. When those pupils moved out, it seemed as though the lights would shut off for good.
Despite its partial use throughout most of the eighties, the Charles A. Beard Memorial School Corporation spent much of that timeframe contemplating tearing the old academy down12. Fortunately, that didn’t happen- instead, the school board sold the building to Historic Knightstown, Incorporated for a dollar. In 1989, Historic Knightstown sold it to the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana13. The Historic Landmarks Foundation spent $12,000 preserving the building14, which reopened as thirty-eight one- and two-bedroom apartments for seniors in 199315.
Today, the old academy remains a landmark in Knightstown. Even both of its successors tip their hats to the original in meaningful ways! The 1966 high school building -now serving as Knightstown Intermediate School- incorporated stylized sculptures of a globe and telescope over its main entryways.
Knightstown unveiled its newest high school campus in 200316. Regardless of its updated design and contemporary amenities, the school didn’t forget where it came from. Look closely at the main entrance pavilions, and you’ll notice a familiar silhouette: they’re tall, symmetrical, and unmistakably reminiscent of the old Academy’s iconic twin towers.
The replacements of the Knightstown Academy prove that its legacy hasn’t faded with time. Instead, it’s been carefully woven into the fabric of the town itself. Though its days as an educational institution are in the past, the building still stands as a powerful symbol of Knightstown’s commitment to learning, progress, and preservation. From its Quaker foundations to its Second Empire grandeur, the Knightstown Academy is a reminder of what a small town can accomplish and retain with vision and pride.
Sources Cited
1 Knightstown Academy Described In Local School History (1953, March 12). The Tri-County Banner. p. 1.
2 New Knightstown Academy Described in Series (1953, March 26). The Tri-County Banner. p. 1.
3 (See footnote 2).
4 New Knightstown Academy Described in Series (1953, April 2). The Tri-County Banner. p. 8.
5 (See footnote 4).
6 Notice To Taxpayers of Bond Issue (1931, April 17). The Tri-County Banner. p. 12.
7 Neddenriep, K. (2010). Historic Hoosier Gyms: discovering bygone basketball landmarks. The History Press [Charleston]. Book.
8 Load of Plaster For Knightstown Elementary School (1957, July 25). The Tri-County Banner. p. 16.
9 Moving Days At Schools (1966, March 28). The Indianapolis News. p. 8.
10 New School Construction Voted Top Story For 194 (1985, January 2). The Tri-County Banner. p. 1.
11 Świątek, J. (1987, January 11). ‘Recycler’ sought to preserve historic Knightstown Academy. The Indianapolis Star. p. 137.
12 Wrecking Crew Should Not Touch Academy Building (1980, August 13). The Tri-County Banner. p. 2.
13 Hutson, B. (1989, June 14). Academy undergoes once-over by HLFI heads. The Tri-County Banner. p. 3.
14 Helms, J. (1989, November 8). The Tri-County Banner. p. 1.
15 Birchfield, R. (1993, February 24). Historic school reaches new age as senior housing. The Indianapolis News. p. 7.
16 High school dedication ceremony is Sunday (2003, December 13). The Greenfield Daily Reporter. p. 3.
I have never seen a school building that looks so much like a courthouse!
Neither have I! It’s truly one-of-a-kind.