Abandoned schools- Old College Corner
Driving through the fields in central Indiana, a crumbling school is visible through the naked trees. When the foliage is thick, it would be easy to miss completely.
Across the street from the College Corner School, tucked into a wooded grove, is the Old College Corner School.
The outer structure is barely a shell. Its stories are close to being lost, and it was hard to find any information about it. I am hoping the generous outpouring of former College Corner School students (the newer one) might have family who attended there?
It is possible this was built in the late 1800’s or very early 1900’s. Check out this link to see a historical atlas of Madison County. One photo could be found taken 40 years ago, in the IUPUI Digital collection.
This might be the information for this school, but not being from this area, the geography still stumps me a bit. Either way, DuneLady has very interesting information about how a school like this was built in that time period.
I am always looking for places to photograph. If you know of an interesting structure, please let me know!
***Update for all former College Corner Students and Staff! There will be a reunion on Saturday, June 16, 2016, from 3-7pm for everyone who has ever attended College Corner, for teachers, staff, families, and the community. The reunion will be a festival theme with a cake walk and other festival games. We’ll also be serving a chicken-and-noodle dinner. People may call Claire Strayer at 317-442-7742 with questions and to RSVP!
As with all of the Abandoned Photography series, ***IMPORTANT: Most places prohibit trespassing, for legal reasons. For SAFETY reasons. Zoom lenses are critical. I urge you to gain permission before photographing places of ruin. The floors, walls and ceilings might be unstable. There could be dangerous chemicals, depending on the facility. You might not be alone, and in danger. I did not go in. Urban explorers take nothing and leave nothing.
The one photo you had with the little wooden strips in the ceiling with some remnants of plaster reminds me of the plaster walls in the house we lived in before we moved. It was built in 1922. You could do research when plaster walls, and possibly specifically plaster ceilings, were used to get a better feel for the time period.
I’ve seen plaster walls in houses, but not the ceilings, made this way.
In our city at the Greensboro Historical Museum there is a cornerstone of a school. It was the only thing left of the school.
Hey Eva, that is a good tip to get me researching further. I wonder why they ever stopped using plaster? Danger in materials, or just style?
Better, more efficient drywall was developed as a replacement. Same reason we now listen to music in digital vs vinyl.
I started school at the new College Corner school its first year, 1948. In spring of 1947 the teacher took the class across the road to the old school to pick wild flowers. While visiting family in Anderson I stopped by the school and found that it was closing. Strange that I was there when it opened and again when it closed.
That is a great story Joe~ must have felt bittersweet
***Update for all former College Corner Students and Staff! There will be a reunion on Saturday, June 16, 2016, from 3-7pm for everyone who has ever attended College Corner, for teachers, staff, families, and the community. The reunion will be a festival theme with a cake walk and other festival games. We’ll also be serving a chicken-and-noodle dinner. People may call Claire Strayer at 317-442-7742 with questions and to RSVP!
Growing-up my sister and I lived across the street from a woman (Ruth Madge Bronnenberg) that use to attend the old College Corner School house when she was a young child and she would tell us how when she went to school she use to ride her horse back and forth from school. I went ahead and looked-up Ruth’s obit. and found she was born in 1904 and according to her stories the school had actually been built before then because she was just a young “whippersnapper” around my sister and I’s age (4 & 6) when she first started attending. Hopefully this might help in your search of exactly when the old College Corner was built. http://www.sylvester-genealogy.com/b5.html
The reunion is on Saturday June 11 from 3-7 pm; not on June 16.
Love your pictures.
The date of the reunion is not June 16th it’s June 11th. A lot will miss if you do not correct the date in your article. Interesting pictures though, however. I attended College Corner and remember going by the old building often wondering about the history behind this building. It would be interesting to learn about the people and it’s story.