Huffman Corner

Franklin Township’s District 5 school was originally called Bear Creek. Later, it was called Huffman Corner, due to its location near the Huffman family’s land (Griffing, 1874). In 1886, the original schoolhouse was replaced and moved to Alex Huffman’s farm, where it was renovated to become a barn. A new building superseded it during the same year (New, 1886). 

The 1886 schoolhouse was either replaced or altered substantially in 1915 (Hinshaw, 2008). After its closure in 1923, the schoolhouse was used by the Franklin Township Farm Bureau and the Bear Creek Friends Church as an events center for several years (Hinshaw, 2022).

At some point around 1936, the schoolhouse was torn down, moved, and rebuilt as a barn two-and-a-half-miles west of its original site. In 1959, a new home was built over the basement of the old school (Randolph, 2022). The block basement -visible due to the area’s uneven terrain- is all that remains of Franklin Township’s last remaining schoolhouse. 

References

Griffing, B. N. (1874). Stony Creek Township. An atlas of Randolph County, Indiana. map, Philadelphia, PA; Griffing, Gordon, & Company.

New Dayton (1886, June 23). The Winchester Herald. August 25, 1886. 

Hinshaw, G. (2008). A History of Education in Randolph County, Indiana. Retrieved February 13, 2022.

Hinshaw, G. (2022, March 2). Randolph County schoolhouses. email.

Randolph County Office of Information & GIS Services. (2022). Parcel ID: 68-05-35-100-016.000-001. Randolph County, Indiana Assessor. map, Winchester, IN.