Early Schools of Tippecanoe County Indiana

This page is a "project in the works" for our Genealogy Society newsletter. It becomes a resource for all genealogist as we finish it on this webpage.

Tippecanoe County Area area Genealogy Society members are working on this list of early school houses of Tippecanoe County. This database is an effort to help others find, share and preserve this early history.

Most information came from history books and from past issues of our TIPCOA newsletters. We would love your help, send a scanned photograph and text file with additional information or webpage that I can link. Help us all learn about this history.

E-mail: TIPCOA SCHOOL INFO

Thanks to Lynne Ream for donating photographs from her Clarks Hill book. She has also updated photographs on early Churches.

If you have a few items to donate like School memorabilia you can send them to me;

[L.A. Clugh 3912 Monitor Mill Drive, Lafayette, IN 47905] or bring them into the

Tippecanoe County Historical Association. Open Thursdays and Fridays 1 to 5 pm.

A few resources in the Alameda McCollough Research Library

1848 School Enumeration of Children Over Age 5 - Fairfield Township

1848 Enumeration of Females Over Age 5 - Lauramie Township

1848 School Enumeration of Children Over Age 5 - Shelby Township

1848 School Enumeration of Children Over Age 5 - Lauramie - Randolph Township

Here is an early map from 1913 showing the townships

Wikipedia of Tippecanoe County Indiana and townships

Schools in Fairfield Townships ~ before 1917

No. 1 Sand Ridge

No. 2. Pleasant Spring,

No. 3. Fleming, closed in 1901

No. 4. Ely,

No. 5. Huffman, burned in 1900, not rebuilt

No. 6. Jephtha Crouch, a 2-room school, erected in 1901; this school was preceded by a district house one-half mile west of the new house, until 1901

No. 7. Frog Pond,

No. 8 Junction, or Dayton Road School, closed 1909

No. 9. Elston, a 2-room school. This school is on the site occupied by a 1-room district school until 1889. A box-board school house stood there and was called “Red-Eye,” probably due to the fact that the house was painted red.

No. 10 Springvale

City of Lafayette Schools

Centennial

Eastern, later renamed Jenks

Ford

Highland

Lincoln

Linnwood

Jefferson Old.....no 2.......... no 3........

Oakland

Tippecanoe

Washington

Schools of Jackson Township

No. 1. O'Dell, was a one-roomed school until about 1890, when a two-roomed house was constructed, but this was closed in 1914.

No. 2. Granny's Corner, Fairview, Carter, closed 1914

No. 3. Shawnee, a new brick school house erected in 1888, and closed in 1903.

No. 4. Sugar Grove, a three-roomed brick of which but two rooms were ever used, and closed in 1914. There was one teacher employed in this school in 1885; two in 1889; and two in 1872.

No. 5. Center, in which it was hoped during the 80's to start a high school for the township. It seems not have succeeded and was closed in 1889.

No. 6. Haywood, or Goose-Nibble, closed in 1914.

No. 7. Sycamore, closed in 1913.

No. 8. Shelby, closed in 1905. (Also possibly known as Jones School ).

No. 9. McMillan, burned in 1913, and the children transported to No. 4.

No. 10. Locust Grove, located half mile east of the new centralized school was closed many years ago.

Schools in Lauramie township

No. 1. Concord, sec 2, closed 1906

No. 2. Little Brown School, sec 13, closed 1906

No. 3. Prairie, sec 23, closed 1904.

No. 4. Boggs, sec 35, closed 1905

No. 5 Clarks Hill , sec 23

No. 6. Cartmill, sec 12, closed 1890

No. 7. Yorktown, sec 21, closed1906

No. 8. Brushwood, sec 30 closed 1902

No. 9. Pierce, sec 27, closed 1901

No. 10. Stockwell Collegiate Institute, sec 8, closed 1890

No. 11 Monroe, sec 10, closed 1911

No. 12. Gladden, sec 10, closed 1906 New Gladden

No. 13. Redwood, sec 28, closed 1906

No. 14. Swedish "Swede", sec 35, closed 1902

No. 15. Young, sec 35, closed 1906

No. 16. Fidler, sec 1, closed 1906

No. 17. Swamp Angle, sec 36, closed 1890

STOCKWELL SCHOOLS, Contributed by Thelma Brooks Morgan

History of Stockwell Schools: The public school system traveled a rocky course until the 1850 era. At the start money was a basic problem. The constitution provided for public schools, “Wherein tuition will be gratis and equally open to all,” but failed to set up an effective means of financing them. In 1829 Mr. Carmine opened a subscription school, the first in the township, and although a very rude affair, it was, like many of that period, the spot where bright intellects received their early impressions and training. The new state constitution in 1851 and the Free School Act of 1852, which provided a new taxing system, sent Indiana 's School System on its way. School attendance was made mandatory in 1897 and most Indiana 'little red schoolhouses' were consolidated by the year 1950.

Stockwell Collegiate Institute picture loaned by Leamon Family to Thelma Morgan

The town of Stockwell , when platted by the Stockwell Company, in September 14, 1859 , set aside 17 and 1/2 acres for an Academy. The first bricks were laid in 1860. It was dedicated August 22, 1861 , and placed under the patronage of the Northwestern Indiana Conference of the M. E. Church and called the Stockwell Collegiate Institute. The students were expected to attend religious services every morning and church and lectures on Sunday. There is no list of those who attended this Institute. Some of the Principals for this Institute were: Rev. Henry Godden Jackson, J. A Richard, A. R. Brown, J. P Rouse, R. D. Utter, J. G. Laird, H. A. Merrill and Mr. Owen. 1895 Academy was razed. New school had been built. It took 160,000 brick to build. The new school was dedicated September 15, 1894 . The first graduate class of the new school was in 1895.

The next school built in Stockwell , Indiana , was dedicated, December 12, 1913 . The building was of brick and almost fireproof, affording the students a splendid place to study. The school contained ten classrooms and a large study hall. The adjoining gymnasium, constructed in 1926, housed the school lunch program and the home economics department. The school was a consolidation of Stockwell, Gladden's Corner, and Concord Schools .

Photo: The last school built in Stockwell , Indiana , 1913

Schools in Perry Towship

No. 1. Whistler or Heath (brick house 1830-1888)

No. 2. Gunkle

No. 3. Cynthiana, at Monitor (High School 1902-1911)

No. 4. Shivley

No. 5. Pettit

No. 6. Walters / Rabbit Track, closed 1911

No. 7. Yost-Warwickm, closed 1911

No. 8. Brodie,,closed 1914

No. 9. Lone Sugar, (1 maple tree in school yard), closed 1914

No. 10. Coffee Run (beginning of Monitor High School on banks of Coffee Run) (1840-1903)

No. 11. Number 11, closed 1889

No. 12. The Ark, closed 1911

No. 13. Gushwa, closed 1901

Monitor High School $20,000 1911-1958 Grades 1-12

Source: Brainard Hooker, (The First Century of Public Schools of Tippecanoe County Indiana, (Lafayette, IN: Haywood 1917) and Harrison High School Booklet (TSC School Corporation, about 1968).

Schools in Randolph township

No. 1. Romney, had a 1 roomed school until 1866. Two teachers employed as late as 1890.

No. 2. Shoemaker, Whipple, closed in 1903

No. 3. Yauch, Lofland, closed in 1903

No. 4. Harter, Niptight, closed in 1902

No. 5. Hardscrabble, The Rosey, South Raub closed in 1904

No. 6. The Hurdle, closed in 1902

No. 7. Mintoine, closed in 1909, last district school.

The first school in Randolph Township was a log house located where Mintone [sic] School was abandoned in 1909. The house was constructed of rough logs; the windows were covered with grease paper; the floor was made of puncheon as were the seats and desks. The house was built about 1841. The second house was located two miles west of Mintoine [sic]. It was built of logs, and was more pretentious because the house was finished with walnut. Isaac Shelby built this house in 1843. John W. Stewart was first teacher in the new log house. These facts were furnished by Mr. John Shelby, who is now 89 years old.

Schools in Sheffield Township 1866 map 19....map

No. 1. Graft , located in section 11, closed 1911

No. 2. Dayton, located in section 4, closed date unknown . There were two district schools in Dayton in 1864, lots sold 1872, after Township School Tower School opened.

No. 3. Royal/ Bartmess, located in section. 7 - log school closed 1866, later school closed ca. 1910. The Royal School, also known as Bartmess, was closed in 1866, and across the road from the Charles Royal residence west of Dayton, across from SIA today (2005).

No. 4. Paste Board, located in section 1 - closed ca. 1910

No. 5. Vore-Bausman, located in section 18 - closed 1904; later called Elliott

No. 6. Wyandotte, located in section 21 - closed 1916

No. 7. Forest Park/Ireland -located in section 23 - closed 1910

No. 8. Coulter (Center Grove in 1875) located in section 13 - closed 1902

No. 9. Funk-Newcomer - located in section 35 - open in 1916

No. 10. Salem or Peters - located in section 33 - still open in 1916

No. 11. Elliott - located in section 19 - (closed when house moved to Salem in 1911)

Dayton Academy (Dayton Union Seminary 1859-1867; Dayton M.E. Academy 1867-1870) included a primary department part of the time.

Culver's School was located southeast of No. 10, and was a log school. Clapper's School was probably identical with No. 7, and was a log school house in 1875. Supt. W. H. Caulkins reports visiting the last log school house in the county in 1875, and it number was seven in Sheffield Township .

Schools of Shelby township

No. 1. Fairview , Powers, Buck, closed in 1905

No. 2. Silver “ Half Way” erected 1873, closed 1903

No. 3. Westfall, closed 1904

No. 4. Montmorenci

No. 5. Plank Road, McKinney, closed in 1900

No. 6. Buckeye, closed in 1907

No. 7. Asbury, erected 1911, still in operation (1917)

No. 8. Comesky, closed in 1907

No. 9. Colfax, still in operation (1917)

No. 10. Levering “Mount Tom"

No. 11. Williamson, closed in 1913

No. 12. Best “Bluff” School, closed in 1911

No. 13. King School, closed in 1903

No. 14. Nagel / Bellfountain School

No. 15. Switzer School, sec. 15

No. 16. Bryan / Foster School

Schools in Tippecanoe Township through 1916

No. 1. Hog Point, wasl in operation in 1916

No. 2. Pretty Prairie, closed in 1906

No. 3. Ash Grove (McCormick in 1874), closed in 1912

No. 4. Cairo , closed in 1907

No. 5. Salem, a two-room school since 1910

No. 6. Pleasant Grove, still open in 1916

No. 7. Genesseo, (1916)

No. 8. Battle Ground

No. 9. Downing, 2 teachers in 1889, still open in 1916

No. 10. Mill, (1916)

No. 11. Deer Creek, closed in 1906

No. 12. Stewarts Corner, closed 1910

No. 13. Centennial, closed in 1910

No. 14. Shaw, closed 1910

Schools in Union township

No. 1. Shadeland School, section 3, closed in 1911

No. 2. Newton School, section 1, closed in 1907

No. 3. Bennett/Lutz School, section 9, closed in 1903

No. 4. Taylor Station School, section 24, closed in 1911

No. 5. Farmers Institute 1851, section 28, closed in 1911

No. 6. Mintoyne School, section 36, closed in 1891

No. 7. High Gap School, section 15, 1911

Schools of Wabash township.

No. 1. Jamison School / Grange Hall, section 11

No. 2. Octagon “Round” School, section 16

No. 3. Hebron School , section 35, closed in 1903 (next to cemetery)

No. 4. Union Hall School, section 3, closed 1910

No. 5. Morris School , section 11

No. 6. Castor School , section 6

No. 7. Science Hall School, section 18.

No. 8 Wea View School, section 23, closed 1916

No. 9. Jacob’s Temple, section 22, closed 1906

No. 10 Number Ten, Mug School , section 10, (Grange and now a church)

No. 11 Flat Creek School, section 4, closed 1906

No. 12 Fox Den School, section 22, closed 1906

No. 13 Union School

City of West Lafayette Schools

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Schools of Washington township

No. 1. North Union, closed in 1902

No. 2. Buck Creek No 2 ?

No. 3. Shigley, closed in 1908.

No. 4. Felix. (called Waymire in 1873) closed 1902.

No. 5. Colburn

No. 6. Americus

No. 7. Stranahan, closed in 1902

No. 8. Wikle, closed in 1902

No. 9. Sugar Creek, closed in 1901

No. 10. Stair, closed in 1901

Schools of Wayne township classroom

No. 1. Granville, sec 30, closed in 1913

No. 2. Buck - Canal Bluff, sec 29 , closed in 1881

No. 3. Murdock, sec 5, closed in 1889

No. 4. Round Top, sec 18, closed in 1903

No. 5. West Point ,sec 13. Two teachers in 1866, two in 1870, two in 1890, one teacher in 1876 and one in 1885.

No. 6. Midway, sec 26, closed in 1913

No. 7. Tadpole,/Hider sec 27, closed in 1911

No. 8. Glenn Hall, sec 6, closed in 1902

No. 9. Sherry, sec 3, closed in 1915

No. 10. Marks/ Corn Bread, sec 34, closed in 1901

No. 11. Ground Hog Slide/Cheesman, sec 25, closed in 1902

No. 12. Pinhook, sec 31, closed in 1909

Schools of Wea township

No. 1. Brady, Reser, sec 11 on SR 52 & 350 S

No. 2. Reser/Fisher, sec 9, closed 1904 - 150 E & 350 S,

No. 3. Lehman, sec 8, closed 1915 - West of Old Romney Rd. & 300 S

No. 4. Ray/ Hall, sec 17, closed 1904

No. 5. Earl/Kenny, sec 15, closed 1903 - 400 S near 250 E

No. 6. Campbell-Ash-Roudebush or Grubtown School on 200 E & 750 S,

No. 7. Roudebush "Green Hill" sec 34, closed 1904 - 500 S near SR 43 S

No. 8. Talbert, sec 32, closed 1911 - SR 43 S & 700 S

No. 9. McCoy/Spring Grove, sec 27, closed 1913 - 300 E & 600 S

No. 10. Chicken Coop, section _?, closed 1903 - 250 S near 250 E.

DeHart - 700 S near 450 E (could this be Ray/ Hall school?)

Wea High School about 1911

(History from our newsletter on Wea township) In order to follow the history of Wea, one needs to retrace the history of education in Wea Township . Although Wea didn’t become a township until 1857, education in the area began as early as 1825 in a cabin on the farm of Samuel Black who later becomes school commissioner. This school was called “ Black School ” and is reported to have been the second school in Tippecanoe County. This was the first of several subscription schools in the area where the teachers were paid directly by the parents of the children who attended the school and in accordance to the number of subjects they studied. Education was not compulsory then and school lasted only four months out of the year. Around 1850 education in the area grew to include ten one-room schools scattered across the township. These were in Campbell-Ash-Roudebush or Grubtown School , Brady, Reser, Lehman, DeHart, Kenny, Greenhill, Talbert, Spring Grove and Chicken Coop.

School locations: Campbell 200 E & 750 S, Brady SR 52 & 350 S, Reser 150 E & 350 S, Leaming W of Old Romney Rd. & 300 S, DeHart 700 S near 450 E, Kenny 400 S near 250 E, Greenhill 500 S near SR 43 S, Talbert SR 43 S & 700 S, Spring Grove 300 E & 600 S, Chicken Coop 250 S near 250 E. These began closing in 1903 with the Chicken Coop, Kenny and Spring Grove. The last one, Leaming, closed in 1915. In 1896 the first building on Wea’s present site was erected. It contained two rooms and housed a three-year high school program. Two more rooms were added later, and in 1899 Wea’s first graduating class emerged. Soon after, Wea changed to an eleven grade school taught by two teachers. In 1971 Mayflower Mill Elementary School was started. This was an “open concept” school. In 1975 the new south high school will open. This is McCutcheon High School and it replaced both Wainwright and Southwestern High Schools .

Edgelea School , located at the southwest corner of South Eighteenth Street and Beck Lane , was the “first structure of its kind to be produced by National Homes Corp.” according to Mr. Allen Dibble, assistant to the chairman of National Homes Corp. The school was designed by Walter Scholer & Associates of Lafayette . It was built in 21 working days after the footings were set. The school opened its doors for 201 students on September 7, 1955 . This pre-fabricated school was built for only a little more than half the cost of a conventional school which offered similar instructional features. ($18,400 per classroom as compared to the national average at that time of $35,000.) It was built with flexibility in mind, in particular, for the rapidly growing southern part of Lafayette , but also with the view in mind that educators across the nation could look to it and to National Homes Corp. builders as a way to construct school structures to meet the needs of school corporations faced with rising costs. In 1962 Miami School was built in Tecumseh addition. Edgelea and Miami Schools are located in Wea Township , but are a part of the Lafayette School Corporation.

Maps and Schools shared and linked on Google Earth for this area.

                                                http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ptab=2&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104048296637763753298.000481d7839404e851411

                                              http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ptab=2&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104048296637763753298.000481feab5e22de0cb62

                                                http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ptab=2&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104048296637763753298.000481ffdb491752f1cb5