Closser

Lafayette Township’s District 9 schoolhouse, known as Closser, sits at the northeast corner of today’s West County Road 300-N and North County Road 500-W. In 1880, 300-N was known as the Anderson and Perkinsville Pike, a toll road that connected those two communities (Kingman, 1880). The schoolhouse got its name from the family that originally deeded its location to the township. 

A District 9 schoolhouse was built in 1878 (Jackson, 2009), though it seems as if the present structure was erected in 1899 (Madison, 2021). 

Along with the Prairie, Keller, Beech Grove, Elm Grove, Salem, and Florida schoolhouses, the Closser school closed in 1932 upon the opening of Lafayette Township’s Leach consolidated school, a six-room building erected near the center of the township (Leach, 1932). 

In modern times, the old District 9 schoolhouse has survived as a home. It has been added onto in such a manner that obstructs its original intent.

References

Kingman Brothers. (1880). History of Madison County, Indiana with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches. Chicago, IL.

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.

Madison County Office of Information & GIS Services. (2021). Parcel ID: 48-08-29-300-008.000-017.