Abandoned School in Indiana

Lyles Consolidated School, Lyles Station Indiana

Date added: April 08, 2023

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Indiana
School

Overall view of school and site, looking northwest

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Lyles Consolidated School in Lyles Station, Indiana is located within an African-American founded and named community. Lyles Station remains a predominantly black community and many of the present inhabitants are descendants of the original pioneers. Lyles Consolidated School provided education to many African-Americans during the era of racially segregated education in Indiana.

Before the Civil War, the majority of African-Americans in Indiana resided in rural settings with farming as their source of livelihood. Isolation was their ally during this period, protecting them from prejudice and persecution. However, they lived in poverty, as black people generally received the poorest land and location. After the Civil War, many African-Americans migrated to urban areas with the prospects of receiving regular wages, a better education and greater opportunities for social entertainment. Lyles Station is the exception to this rule, possessing fertile land, a good location, prosperous black farmers and a self-sufficient community in regard to religion, education and entertainment. The presence of a railroad station also aided in its survival when many other rural black settlements failed.

Liberated slaves from Tennessee, Joshua and Sanford Lyles migrated to the free State of Indiana before the onset of the Civil War. The brothers settled in the fertile farming region between the Patoka, Wabash and White River Valleys on land they purchased from the government. After the Civil War, Joshua returned to Tennessee and encouraged newly freed slaves to join him in Indiana, many of which followed.

Joshua eventually accumulated over 1,200 acres of land, six of which he donated to the Airline Railroad (known today as the Southern Railroad Company) under the condition that a station be built in his community. The train created a successful market for the black farmers and in 1886, in honor of Joshua, the settlement was named Lyles Station. In that same year, a Post Office was formed. William H. Roundtree was appointed the first Postmaster of Lyles Station. In his book, Lyles Station, Indiana Yesterday and Today, Carl Lyles avers that Roundtree was the first black Postmaster north of the Mason Dixon line.

Lyles Station claims another contribution to African-American history with one of the first cases taken to the Indiana State Supreme Court and won by a black man. This was a rare occurrence during period of racial discrimination. James Roundtree petitioned the Commissioners of Gibson County to rebuild a bridge over the Patoka River. This bridge allowed for the efficient transportation of produce, grain and timber from the settlement. Gibson County Court refused this request, forcing the case of "Roundtree vs. the Commissioners of Gibson County" to the Indiana State Supreme Court where the decision was reversed in 1881.

At its acme, Lyles Station accommodated approximately six hundred residents, fifty-five homes, two general stores, two churches, a post office, railroad station, elementary school, lumber mill, blacksmith shop and cemetery. The settlement prospered until 1913, when a flood submerged the community and marked its decline. After the flood, many residents left the risky world of farming and Lyles Station to find secure factory jobs in Evansville, Terre Haute or Indianapolis.

Lyles Consolidated School was constructed in the African-American community circa 1919. At the time, the new school was considered a great asset, not only as a sign of recovery for the flood-ravished community, but also for the improved education offered to the students. The school supplanted two neighboring schools when it opened. Built on property owned by Lewis Liggins and Columbus Russell, the school is situated on a site adjacent to the Wayman Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Willard Dill, trustee of Patoka Township, provided the leadership and supervision during construction. Dedicated teachers such as Joseph Lucas, Henry H. Howard, Nannie Bell and Loretta Simmons Freeman aided in the education of numerous African-Americans who went on to institutes of higher education, many to become teachers themselves.

Lyles Consolidated School was integrated until 1922. In that year, a white student was punished by a black teacher. The parents felt that the punishment received was too severe. This resulted in the transfer of all white students to Baldwin Heights School in Princeton, Indiana. Lyles Consolidated School remained all black until its closing in 1958.

Carl C. Lyles, Sr. is a descendant of Joshua Lyles, founder of Lyles Station. Carl attended Lyles Consolidated School later to become a highly respected educator in Indiana. He articulately sums up the significance of education and heritage in this African-American settlement in his book, Lyles Station, Indiana: Yesterday and Today:

"Lyles Station can claim an extraordinary number of prominent black leaders, not only those who led Lyles Station itself, but those who went out into the larger community and carried with them the qualities of leadership and idealism they learned at home. Their accomplishments witness to the sacrifice and foresight of the parents who nurtured and shaped them into whatever they became. History will not record the names of these parents, only the names of their children, but it can be assumed that they were hardworking people, wanting more out of life than the menial chores and hard labor that seemed fated for black youngsters in the early 1900's. They saw education as the key to a better life for their children, and determination and hard work by those children have proven them right."

Lyles Consolidated School is unique as it survives in the same environmental conditions in which it was created. The formation of free black communities in Indiana was limited by the 1851 State Constitution which banned all African-Americans from entering the state to settle. Even so, over forty black farming settlements existed in Indiana after the Civil War. Today, only Lyles Station has endured as a viable community.

Building Description

Lyles Consolidated School is situated on the western third of a 2.3 acre rectangular site in Lyles Station, Gibson County, Indiana. The square-shaped building has a footprint measuring 54'-0" x 57-0" with its primary facade facing east. A long east-west dirt drive leads up a small knoll upon which the school sits. A dense growth of trees is located on the west side of the grassy site behind the school with a few scattered trees in front.

The two-story brick and wood building exhibits features of the Prairie Style with its low, flat roof and overhanging eaves. Horizontality is emphasized through the use of brick on the first-story and clapboard siding on the second. The building lacks ornamentation and exemplifies its style through simplicity of form. The structure employs load-bearing masonry walls at the lower level and conventional wood framing for the upper level and flat roof.

Lyles Consolidated School has remained unaltered by human hands since its construction circa 1919 with only nature's forces causing the deterioration of the building's fabric. Deterioration is most evident at the upper level, where a portion of the northwest corner has collapsed over the first-story brick walls leaving the interior exposed to the elements. While the brick appears to be in good condition, the wood elements are deteriorating and most of the windows are missing their glass panes. In 1998, efforts began to stabilize the building against further deterioration.

The building rests upon foundation walls of smooth-faced red brick with approximately 12" exposure topped by twenty-seven courses of rough-faced red brick. The bricks measure 2¼" x 8½" with 2" light gray mortar and are laid in a running bond pattern. Above the brick, horizontal wood 6" clapboard siding is used. At the top of the walls, flush 8" wood boards extend approximately 34" down from the overhanging eaves. A simple wood cove moulding encompasses the perimeter at the juncture between the eave and wall.

Exterior cladding material and corresponds to the floor level on the interior. The first floor is covered with bricks while the second floor is sheathed in clapboard. The roof structural system is located behind the flush wood boards. The window head heights like the exterior cladding materials articulate the interior levels with second-story windows located immediately under the flush wood boards and first-story windows directly beneath the clapboards.

The flat roof is composed of wood decking covered by tar with eaves extending approximately 2' beyond the wall surfaces. A 10'-0" square cupola with a hipped roof projects from the center of the roof. Each side of the cupola is composed of three sections of wood louvered panels. A brick chimney rises from the northeast quadrant of the roof.

The typical windows on Lyles Consolidated School are double-hung, two-over-two wood sash. The first-story windows measure 3'-1" x 5'-4" with a 5'4" concrete sill. The second-story windows are slightly larger, measuring 3'-4" x 8'-4" with a 2" wood sill. A variety of fixed wood sash windows are located on the east elevation. Many of the windows have been boarded up with clapboard siding, metal or plywood. None of the windows have retained their full complement of glass panes and most have broken sashes and muntins.

The east elevation features the main entry to the structure. A 52" high concrete step leads to the double doors contained within a 14'-6" tall central projection. This vestibule area is formed by two brick columns carrying a simple wood entablature. The columns extend 36" from the east wall and measures 41" across. Eight-light, two-paneled wood doors with interior metal pushbars are flanked by ten-light sidelights. Above the doors, a thirty-light transom spans the area between the columns. The fenestration is symmetrically placed around the entry area. Eight typical windows are dispersed equally between the floors. Three nine-light fixed wood sash windows are centered on the facade above the projecting entrance. A metal fire alarm bell is situated above these windows.

The north elevation has fallen into a state of disrepair. The western half of the facade has collapsed. However, this portion of the wall appears to be mostly intact and currently rests in front of the first-story brick wall. A two-paneled wood door with a single top light and metal hardware holds a centralized position on the elevation. A typical first floor window is adjacent to the door on the east side. Eight windows are divided into two sets of four. The sets are situated near the east and west corners of the elevation with two windows on the first-story level aligning with two windows on the second-story.

A portion of the west elevation has also collapsed. The northern half of the wall rests in front of the first-story brick wall and appears to be mostly intact. Seven typical windows are featured on this elevation with six on the second-story level and one on the first-story. A grouping of five second floor windows is situated on the south half of the facade. The center-most window aligns with a first floor window. A single second floor window is located near the north corner.

The south elevation contains ten typical windows, five on the first-story and five on the second. The first floor windows are symmetrically placed with groupings of two windows near each corner with a single window holding a central position. The second floor windows are situated on the eastern half of the facade. The first, third and fifth windows align with those on the first floor.

Lyles Consolidated School features a well organized interior plan. The main entry on the east elevation enters upon two flights of wooden stairs. The steps to the south lead to the first floor while those to the north lead to the second level. The upper floor was primarily used for educational purposes while the lower level contained areas for large assembly, home economics classes, storage and mechanical systems. Surface-mounted duplex outlets and conduit indicate that electricity was a later addition to the structure.

The first floor level is divided into two portions by a central east-west hall that terminates in a dressing room. An auditorium is located on the south side of the hall. A home economics classroom in the northeast quadrant contains the only plumbing hook-ups in the building. A utility area is found in the northwest corner with a boiler room and coal storage room in the middle. The boiler room features a set of concrete steps leading to the exterior door on the north elevation.

A variety of materials are employed on the first floor level. The ceiling surface is corrugated metal. Heating pipes are hung from the ceiling with metal rods. The cast iron radiators are also ceiling-mounted along with metal and glass light fixtures. The walls are painted brick and the floor is concrete. The windows possess a plain 4 4" wood surround. The interior doorways have a plain 2" wood surround with large single-light horizontal pivot transoms. The only exception to this door type is the one entering into the utility room which is composed of vertical wood boards. The materials in the lower level are in a state of deterioration due to water infiltration.

The second floor consists of three classrooms, an office, coatroom and small storage room. The office is located in the northeast corner with the classrooms occupying the remaining three corners. The coatroom holds a position adjacent to the office on the south side. A central hall links the rooms and the storage space is situated above the stairs to the first floor. The northwest corner of the second floor has collapsed, rendering one of the classrooms inaccessible.

The materials of the second level vary from those of the first, mainly through the greater use of wood elements. The ceiling surface is corrugated metal with hung metal and glass light fixtures. A 3" cavetto crown moulding is located along the ceiling perimeter. The walls are plaster over lathe with a 4" wood chair rail and an 8" wood baseboard. The floor surface is covered with 3 2" flush tongue-and-groove wood boards running in an east-west direction. The windows have a plain 4½" wood surround. The two-panel wood doors with single top light have metal hardware and a plain 4½" surround with entablature. A single-light horizontal pivot transom is situated over the door. A set of double doors are located at the top of the stairs neither these doors nor the solid wood storage room door have transoms. The materials in the second story are in a greater state of deterioration than those of the first level.

Lyles Consolidated School has remained unaltered since its construction. The materials, while in a state of deterioration, are all original. Architects and engineers asked to evaluate the structural integrity of the school have responded that the building retains enough integrity to be repaired without losing a great deal of historic fabric. The main structural concern is the northwest corner. Plans are under way to shore up the northwest corner of the building, using as much of the failed wall sections as possible. Lyles Station Preservation Association, a non-profit group, just received funds from Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana's revolving loan fund. The Lyles Station group now has adequate funds to acquire, stabilize and mothball the building. After stabilization, The Lyles Station Preservation Association will undertake a capital campaign to rehabilitate the building.