Former Craftsman Style School Building

Olive Branch High School, New Carlisle Ohio

Date added: April 29, 2024

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Ohio
School

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Olive Branch High School was born from the necessity to replace the 1873 Olive Branch School building. By 1900, the building was overcrowded with nearly 100 students, worn and in need of much repair. Although some of the State Inspector's mandated repairs were made that year, the township Board of Education began discussion of constructing a new school building. It took six years before a majority of the Board was in agreement to replace the old building and in May they voted to begin construction in 1907. In late 1906, architect, Charles Insco Williams presented preliminary plans for a new school to the Board.

However, in March 1907, as contracts were to be let in preparation for the new school, J.B. Trumbo, the lone dissenter on the School Board, led an opposition movement and took legal action that delayed construction for months. At his instigation, a restraining order was placed against the Bethel Township School Board on March 22^nd, 1907, preventing them from letting demolition contracts. His position was that the 1873 school could be repaired and enlarged and that the Board did not have sufficient funds for the new construction.

Despite the restraining order, the School Board was permitted to issue bonds to raise money for the school, which ultimately allowed them to prove to the county that they had enough funds to pay for the school. By the beginning of July, the last of the injunctions were lifted. A last-ditch court effort was made on a Saturday afternoon by the opposition, but to no avail. Led by Bert Hause, a Dayton contractor, supporters of the new school building began demolishing the old one that day. By the following week, newspapers were reporting that the building was largely leveled.

Constructed for $30,000, Charles Insco Williams' new Olive Branch High School design was completed in May, 1908. Although it was the designated township high school, the building contained space to serve the lower grades of sub-district three. Dedication ceremonies were held on May 15^th, 1908, with the keynote speaker being Dr. William Oxley Thompson, president of the Ohio State University. "Dr. Thompson made an eloquent address and urged the board and the people to spare no means making Bethel Township schools the best in the state of Ohio in rural communities. He complimented the people very highly on the handsome new school building." ("Patrons").

Monday, November 10^th, 1913 brought tragedy to the school, when a boiler in the basement caught fire. Despite the efforts of teachers, students, and firefighters from as far away as Springfield, the building was largely destroyed. After several months of deliberation, the Bethel Township School Board decided to rebuild the fire-gutted school. Bonds for reconstruction of Olive Branch High School were issued, in the amount of $7000. The April 14^th, 1914 school board minutes indicate that Charles I. Williams was involved with the reconstruction. The minutes state that the advertisement for bids for the new high school could be found on file in the Clerk's office and also in the office of Charles Williams, Architect, Davies Building in Dayton. In May of 1914, the Dayton Construction Company was chosen to rebuild the school for $14,497. Students returned to the building later in the year.

The building was reconstructed on the extant foundation. An examination, of historic photographs, illustrates that the school was rebuilt with the same floor plan and use of exterior materials. However, the window pattern changed slightly from three separate windows to a band of three windows on the main walls. The light pattern also changed from 8-over-2 to the current pattern. The clerestory window pattern also changed, from four separate, single-pane windows on the rotunda walls to two, paired windows with the current sunburst pattern. The skylight with finial was also added at this time. As the majority of the historic fabric dates to the 1914 reconstruction, the period of significance begins with that year.

The Olive Branch High School was outgrown fairly quickly, and a newer high school was constructed next to it in 1929. This second high school was of the more typical two-story Neo-Classical Revival style popular for school buildings in the 1920s (demolished 2007). Although it was no longer the township's high school, the Olive Branch High School continued to be used for educational purposes. Classes for lower grades were held in the building until the 1970s. Since then, the building has been used as a warehouse for the school district. There is considerable affection for the building within the local community and options for its preservation and re-use are being investigated.

Clark County and Bethel Township

Clark County, named for military leader General George Rogers Clark, was set off from neighboring counties and officially organized in December 1817. Springfield was designated the county seat the following spring. The rich, fertile soil of Clark County made it among the most prosperous agricultural lands of the state. In addition to being the local governmental center, Springfield grew to become the commercial hub for the surrounding farmlands and villages. Beginning in the 1850s manufacturers in Springfield began producing agricultural implements, which eventually resulted in the city becoming the leader of such products in the United States. The city prospered due to its manufacturing success and increasingly drew more people to the county.

Shortly after its formation, population for the county in 1820 was 9,533. By 1850 the population was 22,178, having the largest increase by decade in the first half of the nineteenth century. The significant rise in population may be attributed to the arrival of the National Road.

The National Road passed through Clark County in 1838 bringing a westward migration of people, commerce, and culture to the area. The National Road was the United States' first federally funded highway beginning in Cumberland, Maryland and continuing west, crossing the entire state of Ohio, before reaching Vandalia, Illinois. Springfield was the largest community along the National Road in western Ohio. Several businesses such as hotels, taverns, stores, blacksmiths, and wagon makers were established to take advantage of the passing traffic, creating Springfield's first economic boom. Several villages in the county were established to take advantage of the road's commercial potential and inns were scattered between the villages as well.

Railroad lines reached Springfield and the county more than a decade later. With the improved transportation routes, Clark County flourished and the population continued to increase. In 1880 figures reached 41,948. The population grew at a steady pace through the early 1900s. It made a sizeable jump from 66,435 in 1910 to 80,728 in 1920, reflecting the industrial boom of Springfield during those years. Steady, but incremental growth occurred after that until the three decades after WWII when the population shifted to suburbs and outer-lying areas of the county. In 2000 the population was 144,742.

Bethel Township, located in the southwest corner of the county, was predominantly agricultural in nature and a vigorous nursery trade was centered near New Carlisle, from where hundreds of thousands of fruit trees were shipped. The first settler in the region was John Paul, who built a cabin near the fork of Honey Creek in 1790. A trickle of other pioneers settled in the area later in the 1790s, but the larger number of settlers came after 1800. They mostly came from Kentucky, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. In 1881 when the county history was written, the township had a population of 3,133.

Three villages; Medway, New Carlisle, and Donnelsville; are located in the township. New Carlisle, the largest, was established in 1810 and is located slightly north of the National Road. Donnelsville, located on the National Road, was established in 1832, likely in anticipation of the pike. Between 1875 and 1881 the Indiana, Bloomington & Western Railroad was extended diagonally across Bethel Township and a railroad station was established at the crossroads of the National Road, just west of Donnelsville. The stop was on the land of the Forgy family and became known as Forgy Station. Three Forgy brothers had settled in the township in 1806 and their heirs continued to have large land holdings into the late 1800s. In addition to the railroad depot, the crossroads settlement of Forgy eventually had a post office, grocery, and a cluster of about a dozen houses.

As of the 2000 census, nearly 19,000 people live in Bethel Township. In addition to the three villages, two large housing developments contribute to the population clusters. Other than these concentrated nodes of density, the township remains predominantly rural and agricultural.

Bethel Township Educational History

Given the difficult task of settling land and basic survival in the early Ohio wilderness, provisions for the education of children were often put off for several years after settlement. As there was no system for public education, children were either taught at home or at subscription schools, for the families that had the means to pay for basic education.

Compared to other sparsely populated pioneer settlements, the people of Bethel Township were progressive in establishing subscription schools even as the area was being settled. Two subscription schools were built by 1805: one on the farm of Captain McPherson and one on the farm of George Lowman. The McPherson farm and school was located in Section 21, near the present site of the Olive Branch High School. As shown by records from 1810, children from neighboring townships were enrolled in one of Bethel Township's first two schools, thus indicating that schools had yet to be established in other nearby areas within the county. (1881 Clark County History)

Later subscription schools in the township included one in New Carlisle, Keifer Detrick School, Valley School, Wallace School, and New Boston School. All were established between 1810 and 1820. These early school buildings were simply constructed log buildings, often with dirt floors.

In an effort to support public education, state legislation was passed in the 1820s, permitting property taxes to be collected on the local level for the purpose of school construction. An 1825 law placed the responsibility of schools at the township level. Despite these early financial attempts at supporting public education, funds were often insufficient, resulting in inconsistent school development from township to township and the continuation of subscription schools.

In the 1830s and 1840s, responding to a steadily increasing population and the ability to spend more time constructing a proper school building, a second generation of schools in Bethel Township replaced the earlier ones. These schools typically were larger, more comfortable, and brick. The upgraded schools, potentially, were also the result of at least a modest measure of public funds. The following decade brought momentous change, to the organization and funding of public schools.

"Significant legislation that had an impact on townships was passed in 1853. Now responsibility for township schools was removed from the township government and placed with a township school board that could more efficiently organize township schools, therefore providing more consistent oversight. Township school boards would now own the school property. They also were mandated to offer six months of school per year, increasing from the minimum of three months mandated in 1829. The new law further required that all basic education be free, which eliminated the fees that students had to pay in some districts where the public money was not sufficient." (Kane, p. 10)

Following the Civil War, a third generation of Bethel Township schools was constructed. Many of these were two-story and replaced the mid nineteenth century buildings. Largely constructed in the 1870s, these schools were again in response to an increase in student population due to state legislation mandating school attendance, as well as a desire to separate children according to age and grade.

Once considered a luxury, high schools were increasingly seen as a necessary part of a child's education as the nineteenth century progressed. The workplace had become more industrial and complex, resulting in the need for high schools to teach advanced knowledge and skills. A general acceptance, of the need for high schools, translated into pressure on the government to provide them for free like the primary schools were. Beginning in 1853, state legislation allowed for public tax money to be used for secondary education. However, this only applied to cities or exempt villages. It was another twenty-five years before township school districts could provide secondary education. In 1878, the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation allowing rural districts to establish high schools.

In an effort to consolidate the older children, the Bethel Township school board had begun campaigning for a central school building for the 4" through 8 grades, as early as 1865. Following eight years of dispute over this radical concept, a new two-story school was completed in 1873. Located in roughly the center of the township and near the Forgy settlement, the new school was named Olive Branch as an offering of conciliation to those opposed to the school's location.

Always looking forward in educational matters, the school board was soon considering the establishment of a township high school. Once the 1878 state legislation was passed authorizing township high schools, the board began in earnest to explore the idea. It was proposed to dedicate one of the unused rooms at the Olive Branch School for high school instruction. Initially considered to be an experiment, the high school opened in October 1880. Quickly declared a success, the school board worked to link the high school with the other district schools. In order to improve the system as a whole, the high school principal also served as superintendent for all the township's schools beginning in 1883.

At the appointment of the superintendent, Bethel Township was organized into eleven school districts, each one having a substantial building. Over half of the sub-districts had a two-story building. This system of school organization lasted into the twentieth century. In 1905, the township still had eleven sub-districts. During the fight over the decision to build a new high school in 1907, the Springfield Gazette noted Bethel Township as being the third richest school district in Clark County. (School Fight in Bethel Goes Merrily On)

Building Description

The Olive Branch High School is a one-story Craftsman school building, constructed in 1908. The school was largely reconstructed in 1914, following a devastating fire in November 1913. The building maintains its 1914 appearance. The Olive Branch School is located in a rural area on U.S. Route 40, the National Road, just west of the small village of Donnelsville.

The Olive Branch High School is in Bethel Township, near the western edge of Clark County. It is approximately eleven miles west of Springfield, the county seat. The school is situated just west of a row of c.1900 two-story houses. The overall area is a mix of farmsteads and, mostly, frame houses, constructed throughout the first half of the 1900s.

The Olive Branch High School is surrounded by asphalt and gravel paving, except for the east elevation where grass separates it from the neighboring house. The school is on a five-acre site that includes several buildings owned by the Tecumseh Local School District, including two service buildings and an altered I-house, used for offices. A tennis court is also on the parcel and adjacent to the school. To the west, on neighboring parcels, are modern school buildings, constructed in the 21^st century, along with associated athletic fields.

Historically, the school had a fieldstone fence demarking the property's entrance at the National Road. Extending from the stone fence and lining the driveway was a simple fence constructed of concrete bollards and a metal rail. A section of the historic fencing is still extant along the eastern edge of the property.

The Olive Branch High School is an irregularly shaped building, with a central octagonal room that rises several feet above the rest of the one-story building. Six of the eight octagon walls have paired square clerestory windows, with a sunburst pattern. A concrete string course is below the windows. The octagon has a steep-pitched pyramidal roof and is topped by a skylight with a finial. The skylight was restored in 2007. Historically, stone chimneys were on the east and west elevations of the octagonal section and extended to nearly the same height as the roof finial. The chimneys were removed in the 1960s. The roof has asphalt shingles, which replaced the original clay tile roof.

The school has random-coursed fieldstone, on the lower half of each elevation. The remaining wall treatment is stucco, with a concrete stringcourse separating the materials. Four rooms, or wings, project outward from the octagon. Each wing has a hipped roof that curves slightly near the eave. Windows on the first floor have a decorative light pattern, with smaller panes framing a larger glass pane. In between each of the four wings is a smaller connecting projection with the same wall and fenestration treatment. The larger wings have larger windows than those of the smaller projections. Due to the organization around the central octagon, none of the building's corners are at a 90-degree angle.

The southern facade features the main entrance to the building. The entrance is covered by a porch, with four Doric columns constructed of concrete. Windows flank the centered doorway. The paired wood doors with nine-light windows are original. A seven-light transom is above the entry.

Each of the four wings has a secondary entrance on one of the short beveled walls. The doors are solid wood without windows. A small dock is at the entrance in the northwest wing. This entry has a shed-roof hood, and the original door has been replaced. The connecting projections also have secondary exits. These doors have multi-light windows and a four-light transom above. The entry on the rear elevation has an enclosed gabled extension.

The school is three steps above grade, accommodating a raised basement. Basement windows are located on the side and rear elevations. Most have been covered over, or in-filled, except one six-light window on the rear elevation.

The Olive Branch High School is constructed of brick and poured concrete. The floors are of poured concrete, all of which have been covered with linoleum, except the central room. Wall treatment on the interior historically, and currently, was plaster over lath boards. The ceilings are also made of plaster, which remains intact in the octagon and in the room behind the stage; elsewhere drop ceilings have been installed. Throughout the interior, the original wood door and window surrounds are intact. Many of the original doors remain, which are generally solid wood divided into three panels. With a few exceptions, doors and trim have been painted. Original chalkboards are present in the classrooms and near the stage.

Inside the main entrance is a vestibule, with doors into the classrooms on both ends and a doorway that once held double doors leading into the central octagonal room. An original metal floor grate can be seen in the vestibule.

The interior of the Olive Branch High School is organized around the central octagonal room, originally containing the cafeteria and gymnasium. This room is enhanced by a large skylight, centered above. A coved cornice forms a transition, from the ceiling to the skylight. The skylight is also octagonal in shape, and each window section is comprised of three vertical lights. On the east and west walls are the former chimneys, which appear as stepped projections into the room. On the north wall of the octagon is a small raised stage, with a wood floor and simple round arch proscenium. The proscenium has been in-filled with a wall partition.

The four wings, extending from the central cafeteria, each contained a classroom. The classrooms had a large doorway, with pocket doors leading into the cafeteria. Only the doors of the southeast classroom remain in place. The other three door openings have been altered, with partial partitioning of the opening and a smaller door inserted.

The small connecting projections, on the east and west sides of the building, contain short, oddly-shaped hallways, with access to the restrooms and secondary exterior doors. The restroom, on the east side of the building, has unpainted door and window trim and intact stall partitions. Restroom features on the west side have been removed. Access to the basement is in this hallway. The basement is utilitarian in function and is largely an open space. The poured concrete structural columns and floors are visible, as well as the brick-walled original coal-fired furnaces. The connecting projection on the north side is directly behind the stage, and therefore above the floor level of the remainder of the building. This room originally served as the principal's office.