I was wandering around northern Delaware County when I passed this sign marking the community of Grey Eagle and its honorary mayor, Dick McIntire. You won’t find Grey Eagle on any official map, but it’s clearly earned a status as a bona fide place. Here’s a peek at its story.
The tale of Grey Eagle -the crossroads of Wheeling Pike and County Road 1000-North in Delaware County’s Washington Township- began long ago. In 1874, Washington Township’s District 8 schoolhouse sat on the east side of Wheeling, just south of the Hedgeland Ditch on the 160-acre Thompson Estate1. Four years later, Simon Knight deeded a portion of his land at the intersection of West County Road 1000-North and Wheeling Pike so the Mississinewa Valley Baptist Church could erect a new house of worship2.
A month later, Knight granted another plot across Wheeling Pike to the trustees of Washington Township in order to build a school3. Shortly after, officials built a 50 x 26 foot structure4. Despite its new location, the new schoolhouse was still called Thompson for several years5, at least until a 1903-04 commencement pamphlet listed the institution as Shady Grove6.
The old Shady Grove schoolhouse closed in 1906 when its students were sent to Gaston7. By 1930, the retired schoolhouse had been converted to the Grey Eagle Tourist Camp8. In 1941, the property was called the Grey Eagle Filling Station9. Owners built a block building immediately south of the old schoolhouse in 1950 to act as a mechanic’s garage10, and Grey Eagle became a popular stop for travelers! Wheeling Pike served as US-21 and, later, US-35 after World War II11. The place was especially well-regarded by vacationers headed to Elm Lake about a mile northeast.
It appears as though the Grey Eagle grocery closed in the 1970s12. Just how it got its name as a business is a mystery, although everyone seems to have their own theory. I’ve heard explanations ranging from the plausible to the bizarre! By the 2000s, though, the old school was abandoned and had become ramshackle. The 146-year-old structure was demolished in July 2024.
Although the old schoolhouse is gone, the name Grey Eagle still lingers at the quiet crossroads in northern Delaware County, outlasting “Thompson” and “Shady Grove.” As it turns out, even the smallest places can leave a lasting imprint on road signs and in stories! I don’t know anything about his tie-in to Grey Eagle, but I assume the area’s honorary mayor helps or helped keep the area’s spirit alive. Whether you’re chasing history or just passing through, though, Grey Eagle proves that a place doesn’t need to appear on a map to hold its own in the landscape.
Sources Cited
1 Kingman Brothers. (1874). Map of Delaware County, Indiana. Chicago, IL.
2 Delaware County, Indiana. (1878 September 20). Deed Book 56. p. 120.
3 Delaware County, Indiana. (1878 October 21). Deed Book 44. p. 234.
4 Delaware County Office of Information & GIS Services. (2021). Parcel ID: 0225100001000. Delaware County, Indiana Assessor. map, Muncie, IN.
5 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.
6 Hayden, G. (1904). Shady Grove School. Washington Township, IN; William Carmin, Trustee.
7 Kemper, G. W. H. (1908). Education in Delaware County. In A Twentieth Century History of Delaware County, Indiana, Volume 1 (Vol. 1, p. 252). book, Lewis Publishing Company
8 For Rent Immediate Possession. (1930, February 13). The Muncie Star. p. 12.
9 Public Auction. (1941, December 6). The Muncie Star. p. 11.
10 Delaware County Office of Information & GIS Services. (2021). Parcel ID: 0113400008000. Delaware County, Indiana Assessor. map, Muncie, IN.
11 Greene, D. (1975, September 12). Seen and Heard in Our Neighborhood. The Muncie Star. p. 4.
12 Trustee’s Sale. (1969, March 24). The Muncie Star. p. 14.
