Center School historical collection MSS.190 This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit June 19, 2014 Describing Archives: A Content Standard Ball State University Archives and Special Collections Alexander M. Bracken Library 2000 W. University Avenue Muncie, Indiana, 47306 765-285-5078 libarchives@bsu.edu
Table of Contents Summary Information... 3 Administrative History...4 Historical Note...4 Scope and Contents... 5 Arrangement...5 Administrative Information...5 Related Materials... 6 Controlled Access Headings...7 Collection Inventory... 9 Series 1: Newspapers, 1930 Jan.-1965 May... 9 Series 2: Yearbooks, 1953-1966... 13 Series 3: Subject files, 1905-2008...13 Series 4: Artifacts, 1905-1965...16 Series 5: Electronic files, 1905-2005... 16 Series 6: Photographs, 1905-1965...16 Series 7: Negatives, undated... 16 Series 8: Oversize materials, undated... 17 - Page 2 -
Summary Information Repository Ball State University Archives and Special Collections Title Center School historical collection Date 1905-2008 Extent 4.3 Cubic feet 5 boxes, 2 map-case drawers Language English Preferred Citation Center School historical collection, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries - Page 3 -
Administrative History Center School was established in 1905 and located in Perry Township, Delaware County, Indiana. The school was typical of Indiana`s small rural schools in that period. As the 1900s began and on through the 1960s, Indiana`s rural educational landscape became filled with the State's first "consolidated" schools. These schools were the bridge between the pre-twentieth century one-room schoolhouses and the modern schools of today. Center School`s enrollment, like most rural schools, was low. Its curriculum was limited to the basics of education. The history of education in Delaware County is intricately tied to Center School. In 1827 the county`s first school, a one-room school structure, was built in Perry Township in the southeastern corner of the county. The school was located about three miles northwest of where Center School would be located. By 1905 there were ninety-eight school buildings in Delaware County serving some 5,500 students, and Perry Township had four such schools serving approximately 200 students. One of those schools was located at the crossroads near the geographical center of Perry Township. Shortly after the turn of the century, property directly across from this school was purchased with the intent to construct a new, more modern school building for Perry Township. Although the construction of the school is not believed to have started until 1906, the founding of Center School dates back to 1905. After its construction, Center School took in and consolidated the outlying one-room schoolhouses. In 1908 the first set of students matriculated from the new school. By 1912, the school saw the first class of students to complete a full twelve years of education at its facility. In 1926, the school was enlarged adding a gymnasium with a stage, an assembly hall, a cafeteria and additional classrooms for high school students. The school, which at that time served all grades from 1st through 12th soon, came to be known as Center High School. When school consolidations began again in the 1950s, Delaware County, not including Muncie City schools, had eleven high schools. When the consolidations ended in the late 1960s Center School was one of its many victims. At the end of the 1967 school year Center School was permanently closed and its remaining students were bussed to the newer consolidated school sites in the area. Shortly thereafter the school building was torn down and the property sold. Historical Note In the spring of 1999 several graduates from Center School sought to put together a display of school memorabilia. The alumni discovered that little had been done to preserve the school`s history. With the guidance of the Ball State University Center for Middletown Studies, Joseph and Dorothy Duncan (Class of 1946 and 1949) convinced the Center School Alumni Association to make an effort to collect and preserve materials documenting the school`s history. The Duncan`s contacted Ball State University - Page 4 -
Archives and Special Collections about preserving the items they were collecting. To help in the establishment of the Center School Historical Collection, the Center School Alumni Association partnered with the Center for Middletown Studies and Archives and Special Collections to apply for an Indiana Heritage Research grant. They received the 2-year grant in May 1999 and proceeded to collect photographs and other documentation to be preserved in the Archives. Scope and Contents This collection includes copies of the school`s newspaper, The Center Chatter, from 1930-1963, the school`s yearbook, Memoria, from 1963-1966, personal memorabilia from graduates, and copies of the 1999 Indiana Heritage Research grant application that made this collection possible. Arrangement Arranged in the following series: Series 1: Newspapers, 1930 Jan.-1965 May Series 2: Yearbooks, 1953-1966 Series 3: Subject files, 1905-2008 Series 4: Artifacts, 1905-1965 Series 5: Electronic files, 1905-2005 Series 6: Photographs, 1905-1965 Series 7: Negatives, undated Series 8: Oversize matierals, undated Administrative Information - Page 5 -
Publication Information Center School historical collection MSS.190 Ball State University Archives and Special Collections Conditions Governing Access This collection is open for research. Conditions Governing Use Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Archives and Special Collections. Custodial History The Center School historical collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation from Joseph Duncan and Center School Alumni Association on 1999/09/13. Custodial History This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a records transfer OR donation OR gift from [Donor/Transfering Office] on YYYY/MM/DD. Accruals No further additions are expected. Processing Information Collection processing completed in 1999. Finding aid created in 1999. Finding aid revised in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008. Finding aid revised 2009/05/06 by Bridget K. Hahn. Finding aid revised 2012/02/06 by Bethany Fiechter. Finding aid revised 2013/10/28 by Leslie Nellis. Related Materials Related Archival Materials Materials relating to this collection may be found in the following collections in Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie IN: MSS.058: Allen and Rita Winters family papers and photographs, 1917-1930 - Page 6 -
PSCN.300 Center High School Class of 1953 and 1962 Controlled Access Headings Corporate Name(s) Center School Alumni Association. Genre(s) Correspondence Documents Newspapers Photographs Scrapbooks Yearbooks Geographic Name(s) Center School (Perry (Delaware County, Ind. : Township)) Muncie (Ind.)--History--19th century--sources Muncie (Ind.)--History--20th century--sources Personal Name(s) Duncan, Joseph B. Subject(s) Alumni and alumnae Basketball Education High school - Page 7 -
Public schools Schools Stoeckel Archives of Local History Student activities Students Center School historical collection MSS.190 - Page 8 -
Series 1: Newspapers, 1930 Jan.-1965 May Center School historical collection MSS.190 Collection Inventory Series 1: Newspapers, 1930 Jan.-1965 May Folder The Chatter, 1930 Jan.-1930 Mar., 1930 Sept.-1930 Nov. 1 1 The Chatter, 1930 Jan.-1932 Nov. 1 2 The Chatter, 1931 Jan.-1931 Feb., 1931 April, 1931 Oct.-1931 Dec. 1 3 The Chatter, 1932 Feb. 1 4 The Chatter, 1933 Feb. 1 5 The Chatter, 1938 Feb., 1938 Sept., 1938 Nov. 1 6 The Chatter, 1938 Oct. 1 7 The Chatter, 1939 Dec. 1 8 The Chatter, 1940 Jan. 1 9 The Chatter, 1940 Nov. 1 10 The Chatter, 1941 Apr., 1941 Dec. 1 11 - Page 9 -
Series 1: Newspapers, 1930 Jan.-1965 May Center School historical collection MSS.190 The Chatter, 1942 Apr. 1 12 The Chatter, 1942 Jan.-1943 Dec. 1 13 The Chatter, 1943 Sept. 1 14 The Chatter, 1945 Mar.-1945 Apr., 1945 Sept.-1945 Oct., 1945 Dec. 1 15 The Chatter, 1947 Jan. 1 16 The Chatter, 1948 Sept. 1 17 The Chatter, 1949 Jan. 1 18 The Chatter, 1949 Feb.-1949 Apr., 1949 Sept.-1949 Oct. 1 19 The Chatter, 1949 Nov.-1949 Dec. 1 20 The Chatter, 1944 Jan.-1944 Apr. 1 21 The Chatter, 1944 Sept.-1944 Dec. 1 22 The Chatter, 1945 Jan.-1945 Feb. 1 23 The Chatter, 1946 Jan.-1946 Feb. 1 24 The Chatter, 1946 Mar.-1946 Oct. 1 25 - Page 10 -
Series 1: Newspapers, 1930 Jan.-1965 May Center School historical collection MSS.190 The Chatter, 1947 Feb.-1947 Dec. 1 26 The Chatter, 1948 Jan.-1948 Dec. 1 27 The Chatter, 1950 Jan.-1950 Mar. 1 28 The Chatter, 1950 Oct.-1950 Dec. 1 29 The Chatter, 1951 Jan., 1951 Feb., 1951 Apr., 1951 Sept. 1 30 The Chatter, 1951 Nov.-1951 Dec. 1 31 The Chatter, 1951-1958 May 1 32 The Chatter, 1952 Jan.-1952 Feb., 1952 Sept., 1952 Dec. 1 33 The Chatter, 1952 Oct.-1952 Nov. 1 34 The Chatter, 1953 Jan.-1953 Apr., 1953 Oct.-1953 Nov. 1 35 The Chatter, 1953 Sept. 1 36 The Chatter, 1954 Sept.-1954 Dec. 1 37 The Chatter, 1955 Jan.-1955 Feb., 1955 Apr., 1955 Oct.-1955 Dec. 1 38 The Chatter, 1955 Mar.-1955 Apr. 1 39 - Page 11 -
Series 1: Newspapers, 1930 Jan.-1965 May Center School historical collection MSS.190 The Chatter, 1956 Feb., 1956 Apr.-1956 May 1 40 The Chatter, 1957 Apr., 1957 Oct.-1957 Dec. 1 41 The Chatter, 1958 Feb., 1958 Apr., 1958 Oct.-1958 Dec. 1 42 The Chatter, 1959 Feb., 1959 Apr.-May 1959, 1959 Oct.-1959 Dec. 1 43 The Chatter, 1960 Feb.-1960 Apr. 1 44 The Chatter, 1960 May 1 45 The Chatter, 1960/12/02, 1960/12/22, 1961/01/27, 1962/05/19 1 46 The Chatter, 1961 Mar., 1961 May 2 1 The Chatter, 1961 Feb.-1961 Mar. 2 2 The Chatter, 1961 Oct. 2 3 The Chatter, 1962 Feb.-1962 Apr., 1962 Sept., 1962 Nov. 2 4 The Chatter, 1962 Dec. 2 5 The Chatter, 1963 Feb. 2 6 The Chatter, 1963 May 2 7 - Page 12 -
Series 2: Yearbooks, 1953-1966 The Chatter, 1965 May 2 8 Series 2: Yearbooks, 1953-1966 2 Object Memoria, 1953 2 1 Memoria, 1958 2 2 Memoria, 1961 2 3 Memoria, 1962 2 4 Memoria, 1963 2 5 Memoria, 1964 2 6 Memoria, 1965 2 7 Memoria, 1966 2 8 Series 3: Subject files, 1905-2008 2 Folder Center School handbook, 1967 2 9 Keesling, Erville temperance pledge, 1914/04/17 2 10 - Page 13 -
Series 3: Subject files, 1905-2008 Report cards, 1944-1945, 1956-1957 2 11 Commencement programs, 1957, 1967 2 12 Music program, 1949 Apr. 2 13 Sunshine Society Senior Honors program, 1954, 1955, 1956 2 14 Class of 1958, 50 Years Later memory book, 2008 2 15 Class of 1940, 50th Year Class Reunion pamphlet, 1990 2 16 The Elizabethan Courier newsletter, undated 2 17 Smith, Greg basketball and prom memorabilia, 1960-1961 2 18 Smith, Greg basketball and student memoribilia, 1961-1962 2 19 Smith, Greg Key Club memoribilia, 1960s 2 20 Smith, Greg junior year memorabilia, 1962-1963 2 21 Smith, Greg senior year memorabilia, 1963-1964 2 22 Smith, Greg pre-high school basketball student manager memorabilia, 1959-1960 2 23 - Page 14 -
Series 3: Subject files, 1905-2008 Alumni banquet minutes documents, 1970-1979 2 24 Alumni banquet minutes documents, 1980-1989 2 25 Alumni banquet minutes documents, 1990-1999 2 26 Alumni banquet minutes documents, 2000-2005 2 27 Basketball memorabilia, 1937-1944 2 28 Playbills, undated 2 29 Senior trip itenerary, 1956 2 30 Commencement announcements and programs, 1902-1965 2 31 Diplomas, 1929, 1933, 1956 2 32 Kirklin, Edrafaun memorabilia, undated 2 33 Our School, Mt. Pleasant School, District No. 5, Delaware County, Indiana pamphlet, 1906-1907 2 34 World War II ration books, 1939-1945 2 35 Hamilton, Mary F. valedictorian speech notes, undated 2 36 - Page 15 -
Series 4: Artifacts, 1905-1965 Class of 1954 reunion booklet, 2004 2 37 Final grant report, 2001 2 38 Final grant report, 2001 2 39 Final grant letter and attachments report, 2001 2 40 Series 4: Artifacts, 1905-1965 3 Object Wooden basketball player stand, circa 1930-1950s 3 1 Buttons, circa 1930-1960s 3 2 Graham, Verda scrapbook (original), 1946-1947 3 3 Graham, Verda scrapbook (copy), 1946-1947 3 4 Photograph information sheets and thumbnails, 1900-1960s 3 5 Photograph information sheets and thumbnails, 1900-1960s EF.001 Series 5: Electronic files, 1905-2005 P.067 Series 6: Photographs, 1905-1965 PN.067 Series 7: Negatives, undated 3 6 2 4 5 - Page 16 -
Series 8: Oversize materials, undated POVC.067 Series 8: Oversize materials, undated Map-case 5 Drawer 4-5 - Page 17 -