Bainbridge Academy - Putnam

Bainbridge Male and Female Academy, commences its next session on Wednesday the 16th inst, under favorable indications.  Mr. Randolph, the Principal of this institution, is a gentleman of talents and ability and well adapted to fill the important post he will occupy.

Source: Daily Banner 14 June 1938 p 2

WS Blatcheley, a Putnam County native and former geologist of the state of Indiana who has contributed several intensely interesting articles to the Banner dealing with early days in Putnam County was in Greencastle Monday and gave to the Daily Banner his recollections of the old Bainbridge Academy which has been requested from him some time before.  Mr. Blatcheley, while somewhat advanced in age, proved to be disappointingly young, the disappointment lying in the fact that his Bainbridge Academy reminescences, concerned the town-owned school which succeeded the older privately-owned institute.  Mr. Blatcheley attended the school that was conducted in the old two-story frame building yet standing in the southeast part of Bainbridge.  It was known, Mr. Blatcheley said, as the Hopewell School because a man of that name conducted it, but it had a board of trustees, appointed by the town board and appears to have been supported by taxes.  Mr. Blatcheley’s father, Hiram S. Blatchley, lived then a mile east of Bainbridge and the father had to pay tuition to get his son in the Hopewell School as the family lived outside the town. WS Blatchley was 9 or 10 years old that year. He said Hopewell had a lot of trouble with the older boys. Succeeding the Hopewell regime in the old frame house, the town bought the former privately-operated Bainbridge Academy, which stood, Mr. Blatchley thinks on the block now occupied by the present Bainbridge school and it became a public institution.  John Gordon was the first principal in the new location, Mr. Blatcheley believes, and Milroy Gordon was the intermediate grades teacher, John Gordon taught there several years and became county school superintendent then he went to the Legislature from Putnam County.  Milroy taught several years and finally opened a hardware store in Bainbridge.  Tom Gordon was another of the family.  Jimmy Jhordan was their father.  Ed Lane became principal and taught there some years.  Mr. Blatcheley secured sufficient education in the Bainbridge school, plus a  little additional obtained in another school to permit him to qualify for a teacher’s license and he, also taught several years in Putnam County.  Mr. Blatchley himself became state geologist. Mike Edgeworth, another Bainbridge academy pupil, became a millionaire in the stone business, his death occurring in Illinois years later, John Edgeworth became a Momon agent at South Bend. One other pupil of that school, George Dyer was Monon agent at Bainbridge 30 or 40 years.  Clay Howard became chief train dispatcher on the Monon and Link Gregory made a name for himself, also. Three sons of George Dyer also became telegraphers, one of them advancing to the superintendency of the old Bee Line Division of the Big Four in tis state. Charley Carver was another who became a well-known, substantial citizen, and, according to Mr. Blatchley, there were “half a dozen Darnells,” mostly children of Allen Darn ell who attended the school.  Harvey Black’s family all went there.

Source: Daily Banner 21 March 1964 p1

Taken from the files of The Daily Banner, Sept 1938 – Some time ago, Mrs. Albert Balch of near Bainbridge was called upon to prepare a history of the once well-known educational institution termed the Bainbridge Academy which flourished some 75 years ago.  In 1856 or 576 a two-story building south of Main St in Bainbridge not far from the corner where stood the house of Mrs. ME Darnell was secured and a school was opened by Rev. Elam McCord assisted by his daughter, Sarah.  The school prospered and soon Mr. McCord retired and Prof. Randolph was secured as principal and Miss Mills as first assistant.  The primary teacher did not arrive for three weeks and Eliza Wingate filled her place.  The school increased in number of students and popularity. Some whose names were Harrison Randall, Oliver Siddons, Albert Allen, James and Henry Yeates, Mary Scott, Miss Newkirk and others. The promoters were so encouraged a building committee was appointed and composed of Rev. McCord, Wilson Yates, Isaac Yeates (sic); BF Corwin, Dr. Newkirk.  They were encouraged by a long subscription list of contributions scattered over the state and many gave liberally.  In 1857 a piece of ground was bought on the north suburb of the town of Bainbridge and the material assembled and chief contractor was a Mr. Carter, father of the wife of the late George Dyer and lived two miles south of Bainbridge. By the time the building was completed, a competent set of teachers had been secured and the numerous congregations of the state were notified that the Bainbridge Academy was ready for pupils and AF Randolph, Miss Mills of Wisconsin and Miss Miller of Clayton, Indiana were the teachers. Miss Gertrude Demming of Lafayette was in charge of the music department.  AF Randolph taught two years and D. Eckley Hunter succeeded him as principal.  There were not so many women students at first but later on there were a great many.  Among them were Mary Hall, Serena Clay. Miss Newkirk, Mary Scott, Bettis Hanna and Sarah Carter.  The next change was selling the building and ground to the Christian Union Church and Mr. Pilcher was principal, Miss Mattie Givens of Ohio was assistant.  Leda Bridges of Fillmore primary.  After the sale of the building the school trustees bought a lot over the hill east of the Christian Church and built a school building, sold it and it was later known as the Pherson residence. The Presbyterian invested the money obtained from the sale of the property in a college at Lincoln, Ill.