Historical development of selected design amenities in central Indiana rural school buildings, 1875-1915

The purposes of this study were: (1) to study the conditions that influenced the construction of early rural schoolhouses in Indiana, (2) to examine how emerging concerns for sanitation and student health surfaced from the construction of early rural schoolhouses, and (3) to provide a data base for individuals who desire to do further research on school buildings and their historic preservation. The research concentrated on the period of 1875 to .1915. Special attention was given to conditions that led to the passage of the Sanitary Schoolhouse Act of 1911.Results revealed that early schoolhouses often were constructed as little more than shelters. Virtually no consideration was given to either educational processes or the health and safety of occupants. As a result, water and other design and care of water and sewage systems resulted insanitary factors became major concerns. The inadequate serious health concerns for students and teachers. These concerns contributed to the passage of laws that eventually led to: (1) the abandonment of early rural schoolhouses, and (2) the construction of more sophisticated structures often designed by professional architects.This study also revealed that some of those early schoolhouses that survived have been converted to residential, business, or civic purposes. Photographs of such buildings in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Henry, Madison, and Tipton counties in Indiana are included in the thesis. They provide evidence that preservation is a means with which these buildings can continue to serve a useful existence.There is historical value in understanding conditions that led to the rise and fall of early rural school buildings. Collectively, data about the construction and sanitary conditions provide insights into rural culture, expand an appreciation of the uniqueness of design for these buildings, and enhance the importance and desirability of preserving these structures. The net product of this thesis is to provide a view of the construction of buildings in central Indiana of this period.Department of ArchitectureThesis (M.S.H.P.