Vacant Segregation Era School Building in Indiana

Division Street School, New Albany Indiana

Date added: June 03, 2023

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Indiana
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Division Street School was built a generation after the end of the Civil War to serve New Albany's growing black population, it continued to serve this role until eight years before Brown vs. the Board of Education, when it was consolidated with another segregated school. It is believed to be one of the oldest remaining African-American schools in the state.

New Albany was founded in 1813 on the banks of the Ohio River by Joel, Abner, and Nathaniel Scribner. They selected the site because of its location just below the Falls of the Ohio, the only natural barrier to navigation along the 981-mile length of the river. Its location made New Albany a natural port, and the surrounding area offered an abundance of high-quality timber. As a result, the town grew rapidly, first as a shipbuilding center and later through the manufacture of glass. By 1850 New Albany was the largest city in the state of Indiana, with a population of 8181. Although its primacy was soon eclipsed by Indianapolis, New Albany has remained an important regional industrial center.

From its early days onward, New Albany has had a strong African-American presence. The earliest state census figures, from 1820, show black population concentrated in southern Indiana's border counties. In that census Floyd County ranked fourth in the state in black population, with 69. By 1830 it had risen to third with 265 black residents. The total number of African-American residents in Floyd County continued to increase until the outbreak of the Civil War (402 in 1840, 574 in 1850, and 757 in 1860), although Quaker-dominated areas in Eastern Indiana had higher percentages of black residents. New Albany's African-American population growth mirrored that of Floyd County. In 1860, New Albany had 627 black residents out of a total population of 12,647. This was equal to approximately 5% of the population, one of the highest rates in the state. The sizeable black presence can be attributed to the city's location in a free state immediately adjacent to the Ohio River and across from slave-holding Kentucky. The city's industrial-based economy also attracted black laborers, although in practice these jobs were largely reserved for whites.

Educational opportunities remained scarce for this portion of the population, however. New Albany's School Board, one of the first in the state, passed a resolution in 1831 that colored children were not to be admitted to the city schools. An 1843 law enacted by the Indiana General Assembly mandated that public schools were open only to white children between the ages of 5 and 21. While few African-Americans used the public schools prior to that time, they had not been specifically excluded from doing so throughout the state. This decision was reaffirmed by an 1852 law that allowed the formation of school systems and first provided state funding for public schools: again, African-Americans were specifically excluded from the benefits of the law. Because of these restrictions, the only methods whereby black children could receive a formal education were through individual tutoring or private schools, generally run by churches. The 1854 African Methodist Episcopal annual conference reported a church-run day school in New Albany, although its location and length of operation is now unknown.

Following the Civil War, New Albany's black population continued to expand, reaching 1,462 by 1870. Changes in state law in 1869 and 1877 forced the city to address the education of this portion of its populace. On January 5^th, 1870, the New Albany Daily Ledger reported that no schools existed in the city for black students. By the end of February, the School Board announced that it would open a school in the Colored Baptist Church on Lower Second Street, apparently only until the end of the school year. The next month, the School Board voted to purchase a piece of land on the south side of Olden Street for $300 in order to build a colored school. This facility, known as the West Union School, opened for the fall semester of 1870 and operated until 1879. In the ensuing years, African-American elementary schools operated at Upper Fourth Street (in a former Presbyterian Church, open 1874-77), Lower Second Street (new building, 1875-1907), and Upper Eleventh Street (leased existing building, 1877-83). In 1880 a colored secondary school, later named Scribner High School, opened downtown and remained in operation until 1951. Other than the Presbyterian Church building, none of these earliest segregated schools survive in New Albany today.

These schools were located throughout the city in areas where black population was concentrated; however, the east side Providence neighborhood was not served. School Board minutes from June 19^th, 1884 show that "the question of building a new school house for colored schools [sic] was discussed at some length. No definite conclusions were arrived at." However, when the Board met again two days later, "It was unanimously decided to purchase a lot and build a schoolhouse for colored children. Bids for said building were received from Fite and Kahl, Jas. Johnson, Citizen, and Daniel. The bid of Fite and Kahl, being the lowest, was approved subject to modifications." Less than seven months later, records of the Board meeting of January 1^st, 1885 include the following: "The Secretary reported having paid Fite and Kahl contractors for building colored school house on Division Street in full as per contract amounting to $1752.00 which was concurred in." The school housed first through third grades in one room, and fourth through sixth in a second. Milton Sparks was the first principal and taught the older students. He was assisted by Jennie Clay, who taught the primary grades.

Division Street School operated as a typical public school over the next decades. African-American enrollment in New Albany schools remained consistent, at 313 in 1892, 363 in 1907 and 311 in 1931. Of these, 60-70 were generally students at Division Street. A small fire in March 1913 caused a brief interruption in the school's operations while plaster and carpentry repairs were made. A more serious fire on November 26^th, 1922, destroyed the roof of the school, causing more than $2500 worth of damage. Classes were held in the Sunday School room at nearby Howard Memorial Chapel until repairs were completed in January 1923.

Other segregated elementary schools operating concurrently were Olden Street (operated c.1900 until it was destroyed by a tornado in 1917), Jackson Street (in the former white West Union School, 1925-1940), and Griffin Street (new building, 1939-1966). Scribner High School also housed elementary classes from 1907, when Lower Second Street School was closed, until 1946. Of these, only Griffin Street School stands today, although it has been altered. All grade levels of New Albany schools were officially integrated in 1954.

In August 1944 the School Board authorized the use of Division Street School for grades one through seven, rather than one through six. Less than two years later, on May 14^th, 1946, the Board voted to close the school and transfer the students to Griffin Street School, another segregated elementary. According to the account published in the New Albany Tribune, "A report issued by the trustees stated that better educational opportunities will be available to the students under the plan of combining the schools." School officials also reorganized the remaining segregated schools so that all elementary-age students were housed at Griffin Street School, and all secondary students were at Scribner High School.

After Division Street School closed, the New Albany School Corporation retained possession of the building. Following a brief stint (1946-48) as a Veterans' Affairs office after World War II, the school stood vacant until 1959. At that time the School Corporation's Maintenance Department began to use it as a storage shed and repair shop, a use that continued until the spring of 1999 when the building was vacated. A group of concerned citizens, organized as Friends of Division Street School, Inc., secured a lease on the building and are currently raising funds to restore it. One room will be used as a working turn-of-the-century classroom, while the other will house displays interpreting New Albany's African-American heritage. The basement will be adapted for community meeting space.

Building Description

Division Street School is located northeast of downtown New Albany, Indiana. New Albany, with a population of close to 40,000, is the seat of government for Floyd County and by far its largest community. The area of the city in which the school is located is primarily residential, but historic and recent commercial development is located nearby. The school is a simple, one-story frame building set on a high brick foundation. It features a hipped roof with a brick chimney located at the ridge. The walls are covered in beveled poplar siding, with exposed rafter ends and simple 5 1/2" window casings providing the only decorative elements. The plan of the building is rectangular. The school is located on a large, open lot of approximately 1/3 acre, bounded on the north by Division Street, on the east by East 18^th Street, on the south by Conservative Street, and on the west by Green Street.

The steeply-pitched hipped roof clad in asphalt shingles is one of the most prominent features of the building. However, this was not always the case: the roof was originally gabled and covered with pine shingles. A November 1922 fire destroyed the roof, and it was rebuilt in a hipped form and with 'non-inflammable' shingles at that time. A brick chimney approximately four feet tall is located slightly east of center on the ridgeline of the roof. Modern aluminum gutters are found along the edge of the roof on all but the south elevation. On all elevations the eaves overhang extends approximately eighteen inches, and the rafter tails are visible in this space.

The symmetrical main elevation is oriented to the north, and is composed of seven bays. The entry to the building is located in the center bay, and is reached from a modern porch built of pressure-treated lumber. The current porch steps are located flush against the building. A photo from the early 1920s shows five steps extending perpendicularly from the entrance without a landing or rail, which was likely the original configuration. The double doors themselves are modern steel replacements, but fit into the original opening. The large, six-pane transoms above each door remain, although they have been partially covered on the interior.

Each of the bays that flank the central entry contains one large, nine-over-nine, double-hung wooden window. Some of the individual lights are missing or have been replaced in these windows, but much of the glass remains and the sashes are intact. A 1923 photograph of the north and east facades shows shutters at the windows, but these were removed sometime prior to 1941. Approximately three feet of the brick foundation, laid in a common bond, is visible across this elevation. Four rectangular window openings covered with wire screens are located in the foundation wall, although only the westernmost opening retains its three-light sash.

The west wall of the building features three nine-over-nine windows that match those on the north facade in size, detail, and general condition. The windows are not symmetrically arranged on this elevation, but rather are grouped at the north end of the wall. The lot slopes away toward the south; therefore, the amount of the foundation exposed increases from 2 1/2 to almost 6 feet. Beneath the center window, an opening measuring approximately 2' x 3', which appears to have originally contained a window, has been boarded over. The building's worst deterioration is found on this elevation, particularly in the northwest corner where several pieces of the weatherboard are badly rotted. A small percentage of the siding on this facade appears to have been replaced through the years with pine rather than poplar.

The school's south elevation has been the most altered from its historic appearance. During the time that the School Corporation used the building as a repair shop, two large corrugated metal additions were built on, completely obscuring this facade. The additions were removed in 1999 when the Maintenance Department vacated the building, but some of the changes that were made to accommodate them have not been reversed. For example, a wide board where the addition tied into the main structure runs across this elevation at the top of the windows, and five rows of siding were removed at the eastern end of the wall. A 27' x 56' concrete slab that served as the floor of the addition also remains, running the length of the building.

Like the north elevation, the south is composed symmetrically; however, it features five bays rather than seven. The center bay contains double doors that appear to be original. They are wooden, with three recessed panels below and four lights above. Each door is topped with a six-pane, wood frame transom window matching those on the north elevation. Early photos show a wooden staircase with a small landing at this entrance, but it has since been removed and not replaced. The flanking bays are each composed of regularly spaced window openings, matching in size and details those found on the other elevations. The window unit has been removed from the easternmost opening and replaced with plywood, but the other three openings retain their nine-over-nine sashes. The brick foundation is exposed to a height of approximately five feet on this elevation, and two openings are found along its length. The first measures 42" x 67" and contains a wooden door recessed 6". It is located at the western end of the wall and appears to be a later addition to the building. The second, located directly under the easternmost window, is a one-over-one wooden window.

The upper portion of the east elevation is very similar to the west, with three nine-over-nine windows grouped at the north end of the wall. A vent pipe for a gas space heater installed by the Maintenance Department pierces the wall above the northernmost window. Beneath the center window, a one-over-one wooden window helped to illuminate the basement but is currently boarded. The slope of the lot from north to south exposes three to six feet of the foundation. At the south end of the foundation wall, a short concrete staircase leads to a four-panel wooden door into the basement.

Like the exterior, the interior retains much of its scholastic character. Division Street was originally laid out as two rooms with a central hallway, a configuration that remains intact. The classroom to the east housed the fourth through sixth grades, while first, second and third graders used the western room. Both classrooms measure approximately 27' x 23' and retain their plaster walls, twelve-foot ceilings, and a picture rail located about eighteen inches below the ceiling. Both rooms had small (approximately 4' x 9') coatrooms along the south wall; in the east classroom the Maintenance Department converted this space into a lavatory. The floors throughout the classrooms and hallway are composed of two-inch-wide maple. School Board records show that the original floors (bid as hard pine) were replaced in January 1923 following the roof fire.

Although the hallway itself has had some alterations its essential character remains intact. At the north end, drywall and a door have been added to separate about twelve feet of the entry area from the rear of the hall. A dropped ceiling has been added in this area as well, diminishing the ceiling height to 8½ feet and bisecting the transom windows over the front doors. Also at the north end, the walls and doors that originally separated the classrooms from the hallway were removed sometime after the school's closure. Evidence on the floor indicates the location of these walls, which will be rebuilt as part of the restoration project. The walls of the south portion of the hallway are covered in a beadboard wainscot to a height of five feet, with plaster above.

The basement, reached by two sets of stairs at the south end of the hallway, runs under the entire school and features exposed brick walls and a concrete floor. During the latter half of the school's history, this space contained restrooms and also functioned as a lunchroom. When constructed, the school did not have indoor plumbing, students used a double privy to the south of the main building. According to the construction bid, the basement was limited to an 8' x 14' cellar that ran under the hall. When indoor facilities were added in 1916, the basement was fully excavated and the building raised to accommodate the improvements. According to the Superintendent's Report, "As the Board is under obligation to improve the Division Street School building by the introduction of a sanitary water closet system, I would advise that the building be raised and that a hot air furnace be introduced which will keep the sanitary closets from freezing during the winter and at the same time warm the building.

The schoolyard has also developed through the years, but has traditionally been an open recreation space without trees or playground equipment. The earliest (1891) Sanborn maps of the area show the school occupying the eastern 2/3 of a double lot, with one house to its west and two to the east on the block. Subsequent maps, from 1898 and 1905, show a house constructed in what had been the right-of-way of West (East 18th) Street, and the extension of the block to 19^th Street. The School Corporation purchased the lot to the west of the school in January 1917 for $400, and the house that stood there was demolished. The work that was done in 1916 also included a slight shift of the school to the west, allowing the reopening of East 18^th Street immediately to the east of the school sometime after 1945. Today, the portion of the lot to the west of the school is a gravel parking area, while the remainder is grass-covered.