Linwood

Originally called Funk’s Station due to its existence as a stop on the railroad (Forkner & Dyson, 1897), the community of Linwood grew so much as to necessitate a schoolhouse by 1892 (Jackson, 2009). Designated as Lafayette Township’s District 11, that schoolhouse, pictured, still stands about a quarter of a mile east of the train tracks that dominate the community. 

This building served students until 1920, when a larger, three-room building was built about a quarter of a mile west of the train tracks central to Linwood. Despite the erection of the consolidated Leach school nearby in 1932 (Leach, 1932), the larger building served students until the end of the 1956-57 term. 

By 1960, Madison County’s Civil Defense organization was set up at the abandoned school (Mock, 1960). Two years later, the school board officially disposed the newer Linwood School.

Though it survived for more than fifty years after its designation as Madison County’s Civil Defense headquarters, the old three-room school was demolished between 2015 and 2016 (Google, 2016). 

Today, a gravel turnaround is all that’s left of the 1920 Linwood School. The original District 11 schoolhouse which served the community of Linwood, however, still stands as a home. 

References

Forkner, J. & Dyson, B. (1897). Historical Sketches and Reminiscences of Madison County, Indiana. book. Anderson, IN.

Jackson, S.T. (2009, November 14). In History: Township schools set by districts. The Anderson Herald Bulletin. Retrieved December 3, 2021 from https://www.heraldbulletin.com/community/in-history-township-schools-set-by-districts/article_21819f32-4eef-5e59-992e-3bad0f213a87.html.

Leach School to be Dedicated Next Tuesday (1932, August 19). The Alexandria Times-Tribune. p. 1.

Mock Attack To be Part Of CD Operation Alert, 1960 (1960, May 2). The Anderson Daily Bbulletin. p. 1.

Purdue To Conduct School Survey Here (1962, February 14). The Elwood Call-Leader. p. 1. 

Google. (2016, June 16). [Google Maps Linwood school former location]]. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from Google Earth Pro.