Niles Township’s District 5 school existed as early as 1852. That year, three teachers at Districts 4, 5, and 10 were paid $127.541! Six years later, the first District 5 schoolhouse -probably a log building- was replaced after George Huffman granted the township a portion of his farm to build a new structure2.
Continue reading “Niles Township’s Huffman schoolhouse in Delaware County”
In 1863, John T. Ray granted a portion of his land on County Road 900-North to the Trustee of Niles Township to build a schoolhouse1. By 1881, the District 9 school was commonly known as the Smith school. It was taught by Eva Thomas2. The land the schoolhouse sat on was just south of 380 acres owned by Benjamin F. Smith, which is probably how it got its name3
Continue reading “Niles Township’s Lowe schoolhouse in Delaware County”
Delaware County’s original Hamilton Township District 4 schoolhouse was built sometime between 1874 and 1881 on a triangular plot of land owned by Adam Williamson. The plot is now bounded by East County Road 400-N, North County Road 200-E, and Indiana State Road 67. Locals soon referred to the building by Williamson’s name1, and the old Pleasant Grove Church was built nearby shortly afterwards2.
Continue reading “Hamilton Township’s Williamson schoolhouse in Delaware County”
John W. Vincent entered into section 27 of Delaware County in 18361. It’s unclear when the first schoolhouse on his land was built, but it was probably prior to the state passing a law providing resources for a free, common school system in 18522.
Continue reading “Niles Township’s Oak Grove schoolhouse in Delaware County”
In 1893, the Albany Land Company capitalized on the prosperity that the natural gas boom brought to the town in northeastern Delaware County and laid out an addition to the community. It sat east of Halfway Creek1. The following year, the Lake Erie & Western railroad moved the town’s depot to the site of East Albany, a change that infuriated many of the town’s established residents2.
Continue reading “Albany’s last extant schoolhouse in Delaware County”
Julia Allegre, George Current, and Rhoda Current deeded land to the Delaware School Township on July 15, 18761. Shortly after, the township constructed a two-story, three-bay brick building with a hipped roof and cupola to serve as a schoolhouse. Though originally the schoolhouse at Albany was designated as Delaware Township’s District 1, the town eventually operated its own, separate, school system.
Continue reading “Another of Delaware Township’s Albany schoolhouses in Delaware County”
The first school in the Albany area was established in 1836 when William Venard’s old cabin was converted into a schoolhouse near the center of town. Classes were taught over the course of a three-month term1. In 1874, this school was known as Delaware Township’s District 1 schoolhouse. It sat on the east side of South Water Street, just north of Albany’s modern day Lions Club building2.
Continue reading “One of Delaware Township’s Albany schoolhouses in Delaware County”
One of the earliest roads in Niles Township was laid out a mile west of the the township’s eastern boundary sometime around 1836. Today known as North County Road 800-East, early settlers referred to it as Green Street since most of them came from Greene County, Ohio1. It was on this road that the District 1 schoolhouse, later known as Green or Green Street, was established on land that John Battreall donated in 18402. That last E in “Greene” got dropped somewhere along the way.
Continue reading “Niles Township’s Green Street schoolhouse in Delaware County”
Two weeks shy of a year ago, I drove up to Albany, Indiana in northeastern Delaware County to take photos of a couple of old schoolhouses there. I drove southeast on Eaton-Albany Pike -the old road that connects those two communities- and came across something mysterious.
Continue reading “An old path out of town: Albany’s interurban infrastructure”