Spartanburg
High School
Spartanburg, Indiana
02/02/25
Acne, squeaky voices, the crippling societal pressure called K-12. Most people don’t look back on High School fondly. But it would be criminal to understate its importance in our character development. And just like how we develop and change, so do the halls that fostered our growth. As we get older we begin to find an appreciation for that time in our lives, and that’s what makes seeing the Spartanburg High school so depressing. How was the “the finest rural school in Randolph County” reduced to a carcass of its former shelf?
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So before the school had even had a foundation, the original Spartanburg school was built back in 1815. Fun fact, they had to heat it by moving coals from a fire outside. By 1865, the surrounding GreensFork township had 13 schools. But as regulations go, in 1908 many of the schools were consolidated into a three story, eight-room high school. The Spartanburg High School.​
Now by 1939, all of the smaller schools had been cannibalized and closed. Leaving Spartanburg on top, even receiving a major WPA grant in 1939 to construct a gymnasium/auditorium. The addition would connect to the main building via a two story hallway. Renovations included replacing the old stage, which had an unfortunate side effect of causing spectators to have to watch athletic events from a balcony nearly 25 feet above the court. All of these improvements and the fine schooling earned it the title of finest rural school in Randolph county.
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1958, Indiana’s State Commission for the Reorganization of School Corporation passes new guidelines for the school district. 1: A district must have a resident school population of at least 1,000 students in terms of average daily attendance. 2: Adjusted assessed valuation of at least $5,000 per student in daily attendance. What’s this mambo jumbo? Well, things weren’t looking good for Spartanburg. Nearby, GreensFork, Washington, and Union school townships attempted to consolidate in ‘62, but failed until '64. Because of this, starting in the 1964-65 school year, Spartanburg’s 9th-12th graders would be relocated to Lynn High School. On the brightside, Lynn’s 7th and 8th graders would now attend Spartanburg Middle School.
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While this wasn’t the end of Spartanburg High School, it was a sign of what was to come. 10 years later, in April of 1974, $3.8 million was allocated for a new junior-senior high school in Lynn, which would replace Spartanburg. After 68 long years, the school finally closed its doors. But the building wasn’t done kicking yet.​​
In '76, the building was sold to Williams Manufacturing Company for only $21,000. This company retrofitted the gym into a factory, where they produced farm gates and hay feeders. But after its time as a factory, it was used to store corn (not the first time this has happened in Indiana). But after this, the school spent most of the 2000s abandoned. Until it made headlines...
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Flames, so big that Spartanburg officials considered evacuating the town. March 12, 2012, it’s 4:55 am, but it looks like the world is ending. A massive fire rages through the old Spartanburg high school. Taking up till 6:30 a.m. to quell, with another 2 hours to extinguish hot spots. After that, all hope for the building would burn with that fire.
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Just like us, we continue to grow and develop until our stories come to an end. And while the Spartanburg High School’s story is nearly at its conclusion. It still stands watchfully over Spartanburg, just as it did years ago for the ones that walked its halls.
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REFERENCES
“1013420727452562 Photograph.” Facebook,
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1013420727452562&set=a.506861308108509
“Indiana Album Photograph: Spartanburg High School.” Indiana Album,
indianaalbum.pastperfectonline.com/photo/0B7521D9-B25A-4BAE-96FA-262227501970
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“Overnight Fire Destroys Old Spartanburg High School.” Winchester News-Gazette,
www.winchesternewsgazette.com/news/overnight-fire-destroysold-spartanburg-high-school/article_742018b5-0a8d-5d94-bf44-d0693b1b2ee2.html
“Spartanburg High School Alumni.” Facebook Group,
www.facebook.com/SpartanburgHighSchoolAlumni/
“Ted Shideler: The Ruins of Spartanburg High School.” TedShideler.com, 2 July 2023,
tedshideler.com/2023/07/02/the-ruins-of-spartanburg-high-school/
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“WTHR: Morning Fire Destroys Former Spartanburg School.” WTHR,
www.wthr.com/article/news/local/morning-fire-destroys-former-spartanburg-school/531-b219bdd4-66a0-4574-9359-f716c75764d9
“Lynn Preservation Society, Inc.” Facebook,
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064693812941
