A few years back, the old high school gymnasium in tiny Wilkinson, Indiana, made national headlines when its 11,000-square-foot shell hit the market as a jaw-dropping half-gym, half-home hybrid. The story bounced around everywhere, from USA Today1 and The New York Times2 to The New York Post3 and Sports Illustrated4! For all the viral buzz, though, one thing was missing: the backstory. What was this place before it became real estate clickbait? What about the old school it once served? I had to dig a little deeper to find out.
With a population of about 450, Wilkinson, Indiana, sits between Anderson and Knightstown on State Road 109. The town was platted by Elnathan and Thomas Wilkinson in 18835, the same year a post office was established there6. Aside from its viral gym, Wilkinson might be best known as the birthplace of Harvey Weir Cook, the World War I fighter ace for whom the Indianapolis International Airport’s terminal is named.
The first school at Wilkinson served students from District 7. A brick schoolhouse replaced it in 1884. Eventually, a recitation room was built inside the structure and space for another class was added to its exterior7. The three-room school served students until 1904, when a larger, four-room building was erected8. The new Wilkinson School stood on Station Street and featured a stone basement, two stories separated by stone belt courses, and an arched entryway underneath a prominent central belfry.
The Wilkinson School saw its first major addition in 1913, when two new classrooms were pinned onto its rear9. By 1921, the growing school expanded again -this time to the south- with new high school classrooms, a gymnasium, and associated dressing rooms10. The real showstopper came nearly three decades later, though, when the now-viral gym was officially dedicated on November 3, 1950. Measuring 80 by 120 feet, the building housed a 40-by-80-foot playing floor and bleachers that could seat up to a thousand fans. As part of the same project, the school gave its old gym a new life by dividing it up into a cafeteria, a library, and several additional classrooms11.
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 attendance12. As a result, the Wilkinson School consolidated with nearby Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville13.
In 1979, the school district sold both the Wilkinson and Charlottesville schools. The owner of Wilkinson’s hardware store purchased the old building14 and moved his wares to the old gym. The building’s former classrooms were rented out, and the Wilkinson Cafe opened up in the cafeteria15. For a while, new life was breathed into the old Wilkinson school.
New owners purchased the building in 2000. They intended to renovate the elementary school portion into a dwelling but, unfortunately, it wasn’t to be: the structure’s condition had worsened over the years, necessitating its demolition in 201116. The high school portion followed, but the gymnasium was saved. Little by little, a portion of the interior was converted into a four-bedroom, three-bathroom home17. A little more than half of the gym’s original interior remains.
Today, what’s left of Wilkinson’s once-bustling school stands at a strange and fascinating crossroads as part living space and part athletic artifact. Its half-court hardwood may have gone viral as a novelty, but it’s also a living piece of local history. Wilkinson’s classrooms and cafeteria may be long gone, but the gym endures as proof that even after the final bell rings or the last buzzer sounds, some places still have a second act.
Sources Cited
1 Hunsinger Benbow, D. (2023, December 28). Indiana gym house up for sale for $599,000 price tag. USA Today. Web. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
2 Frishberg, H. (2024, January 23). Once a high school gym, this quirky Indiana home asks $585k for sale. The New York Post. Web. Retriebed July 30, 2025.
3 Keh, Andrew (2022, September 24). An Indiana Family Lives in the Gym (Literally). The New York Times. Web. Retriebed July 30, 2025. .
4 Neumann, T. (2022, July 10). Want to Live in an Old High School Gym? Here’s Your Chance. Sports Illustrated. Web. Retriebed July 30, 2025.
5 Richman, G.J. (1916). History of Hancock County, Indiana. William Mitchell Printing Company [Greenfield]. Book.
6 “Hancock County”. Jim Forte Postal History. Web. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
7 (See footnote 5).
8 Reason, P. (1979, October 19). Moldens have plans for old school. The Greenfield Daily Reporter. P. 6.
9 (See footnote 8).
10 (See footnote 8).
11 Wilkinson Gym To Be Dedicated (1950, November 2). The Hancock Democrat. p. 5.
12 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.
13 Eastern Schools Open August 31 (1964, August 27). The Greenfield Republican. p. 7.
14 Durham, A. (1996, October 26). Old Wilkinson school now a hardware store. The Greenfield Daily Reporter. p. 1.
15 (See footnote 8).
16 Vaughn, M. (2012, July 5). School spirit. The Greenfield Daily Reporter. Pp. 1-8.
17 (See footnote 1).
