I’d heard about the old Jackson Township High School in Hancock County for years before I finally tracked it down. Tucked just east of Charlottesville and nearly swallowed by trees, the crumbling structure rises out of the undergrowth like a ghost. I only had time to snap a few quick photos, but the place is half-forgotten, half-hidden, and completely haunting.
Situated on the National Road, the unincorporated community of Charlottesville was platted in 1830. Originally, students in the area were served by a series of one- and two-room schoolhouses situated around Jackson Township until the first school in Charlottesville was built in 18701. 1911 saw the completion of a $30,0002 brick school with two stories, a stone entry arch, and a squat belfry3. Standing just east of Charlottesville proper, the institution was the first consolidated high school in Hancock County4.
A $40,000 gymnasium and additional classrooms were added to the structure in 1926, but the arrangement wasn’t to last. In 1935, the building was completely gutted by a fire believed to have been started by faulty electrical wiring. Initial plans in the aftermath of the blaze sent elementary students to two churches in Charlottesville, while high schoolers were split between Westland, Wilkinson, Knightstown, and Greenfield5.
Indianapolis architect George F. Schreiber designed the school’s $120,000 replacement- the 54,000-square-foot structure that still stands today6. It was dedicated with fanfare on April 27, 19377. A decade later, students of the Blue River Township school at nearby Westland were sent to Charlottesville after tragedy struck when their school burned down8. Growth continued into the late 1950s, and a unique six-room, hexagon-shaped addition was built on the east side of the building in 19589.
In 1959, Indiana’s State Commission for the Reorganization of School Corporations passed new guidelines for school districts specifying that, at a minimum, each must have a resident school population of at least 1,000 students in terms of average daily attendance, as well as an adjusted assessed valuation of at least $5,000 per pupil in average daily attendance10.
As a result, the Charlottesville school consolidated with the nearby Brown Township High School in Wilkinson to form the Eastern Hancock Metropolitan School District. Students from grades 7-9 attended classes at Wilkinson, while those in grades 10-12 went to school in Charlottesville11.
Ground was broken for a $2.4 million Eastern Hancock High School in 196912. The Charlottesville continued to serve as an elementary school for a time, but closed for good in 197913. A group attempted to repurpose the building into apartments in the early 1980s, but the attempt was unsuccessful14. Today, the crumbling old structure appears abandoned.
For all its years of service and the generations it shaped, the old Jackson Township High School in Charlottesville now sits in silence. Its windows are broken, its walls are weathered, and its hallways have long since emptied. What was once a proud symbol of progress along the National Road is now a haunting reminder of how even the most vital institutions can fade into obscurity.
Sources Cited
1 Skvarenina, J. (2009, July 25). Letter offers glimpse of Charlottesville past. The Greenfield Daily Reporter. p. 9.
2 Offer To Help The Township (1935, December 26). The Greenfield Republican. p. 5.
3 Jackson Township High School Building (1911, September 14). The Hancock Democrat. p. 1.
4 (See footnote 2).
5 (See footnote 2).
6 Contracts Held For A Few Days (1936, May 20). The Greenfield Daily Reporter. p. 1.
7 New School To Be Dedicated Tuesday (1937, April 22). The Hancock Democrat. p. 1.
8 History buffs invited to discussion (2014, September 19). He Greenfield Daily Reporter. p. 11.
9 New Charlottesville School Now in Use (1958, September 18). The Greenfield Republican. p. 1.
10 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.
11 Eastern Schools Open August 31 (1964, August 27). The Greenfield Republican. p. 7.
12 Set Ground-Breaking At Eastern Hancock (1969, May 15). The Greenfield Republican. p. 4.
13 (See footnote 8).
14 Of Beginning (1983, November 4). The Greenfield Daily Reporter. p. 10.
This school has fascinated me for a long time. Last time the property was sold, it was declared “vacant land” which is a pretty low blow for a building that is doing its best to hang on.
Wow. A low blow indeed. But a prime opportunity to fly the drone over it.
I hate it when a really sturdy building falls into ruin.
Me too. The old yearbook photos really drive it home for me.
I believe, but am not certain, that the current owner uses what I guess was once the industrial arts building near the back of the property as a workshop.
I drive by this school frequently hoping it’s will be saved. It could, easily have been apartments or, senior housing. Now, unfortunately, it seems a date with a wrecking ball is more likely. Sad these buildings that were once the pride of a community are now just eyesore and attractive nuisances.
I agree 100%. It’s a shame.