Starr/Starr’s Corner

The school at Starr’s corner was first established in 1863.  The original schoolhouse, a log cabin, was taught by John Sullivan. Later, it became known as the District 7 schoolhouse, on the northwest corner of an E. Deadman’s farm a mile north of Alexandria (Kingman, 1880). The log cabin was eventually dismantled in order to erect a frame building, but the final schoolhouse was brick (Plan, 1913). 

The Starr schoolhouse closed on Friday, September 30, 1938 after the consolidated Cunningham school opened on the site of District 5, absorbing the students of eleven districts (Holtsclaw, 2006). A community dinner was held as a farewell to the schoolhouse (Farewell, 1938). 

Today, the building -recently added to- is a home, one of two in the township that has survived unscathed. The asymmetrical layout of the building makes it difficult to locate from a home-sleuth’s Google Maps perspective.

References

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

Plan for Big Time (1913, July 29). The Alexandria Times-Tribune. p. 1. 

Holtsclaw, S. (2006, May 17). After 68 years, Cunningham Elementary School says goodbye to Alexandria. The Alexandria Times-Tribune. p. 1.

Farewell Dinner to be Held at Starr School (1938, September 27). The Alexandria Times-Tribune. p. 2.