Central Indiana Normal School was Founded by Warren Darst and W. F. Harper, two Professors from Lebanon Ohio, who opened the school in September 1876, with 48 students in attendance. Soon dissatisfied with the school’s limited size, Darst resigned and Harper relocated with many of the students to a new school in Danville, Indiana. Ladoga’s residents rallied to build Normal Hall in 1878, hoping to attract Harper back to the school with a new structure. Three Ladoga businessmen headed up the construction committee, hiring local builder, Hiram S, Huntington to do design and build Normal Hall. Capt. William Neff Supplied and supervised the brickwork, while Mr. A.M. Scott managed the interior work.
Normal Hall is an excellent example of a transition between two popular 19th century architectural expressions, the Greek Revival and Italianate style. The formal dedication of Normal Hall was on November 19, 1878, The principal speaker was the Hon. Schuyler Colfax, Former Vic President of the United States.
IN the mid-1880s a group of Montgomery County men, all former confederate soldiers, decided to form a camp of the United Confederate veterans. The United Confederate Veterans was formed after the Civil War in the south. This Veterans organization was made up of former Confederate soldiers and sailors. It was decided that the newly organized camp should be in Ladoga, Indiana, due partly to the large number of former Confederates in the area and friendly atmosphere toward the south. The original charter had 11 members:
William Cadmen was elected Camp Commander and Jacob Wingert was the Chaplin. The camp was named the Stonewall Jackson camp #1, in honor of General Stonewall Jackson. This camp was the only United Confederate Veterans camp in Indiana, and one of very few north Mason-Dixon Line. During the next ten years, several more members were added. They were the following:
These men are all buried either in Montgomery County or not very far away. There is a story with many of these men and the history is amazing. Could you ever imagine the amount of Confederate veterans buried in Indiana (yankee soil)? It was certainly a surprising number and this was just one county. So, what is the story? Look throught these blog pages and you might find quite the surprise.
Normal Hall has a long history of serving as a community meeting place. Between 1888 and 1897, the building hosted that United Confederate Veterans group and also the similar organization for veterans who served on the federal side of the US Civil War, Grand Army of the Republic, Bruce Post #273 . They met on different nights, of course.
According to the Confederate Resource Center, Indiana is one of the only states north of the Mason-Dixon line known to have hosted monthly meetings of veterans from both sides of Civil War.
Normal Hall served as the main academic facility on campus for the 13 years, until the final class graduated from Central Indiana Normal School in the spring of 1891. The town of Ladoga purchased the property and In September 1892, the building began 25 years of serving as Ladoga’s high school. The building was remodeled during the summer of 1907 when the buildings most striking feature, its ornate cupola/bell tower, was added at this time as a gift of Mrs. Emily Anderson Knox, the wife of Ladoga’s most prominent business man. It was sold to Ladoga’s canning company for use as a storage site upon completion of the new high school East Taylor Street in 1917. The property was acquired by the Indiana national guard in 1921 and served as an armory until January 1935, housing company G, 151st infantry, Indiana Nation Guard, a unit later redesigned company L, 151st infantry. During the 1920s, the second-floor area was used as a community recreation center, including use as a roller-skating rink.
Normal Hall became the home of the newly organized American Legion Post#324 in December 1944. It served numerous community functions, including as a meeting place for the Ladoga Boy Scouts. However, due to its declining membership, the American Legion ceased holding meetings in Normal Hall in the mid-1970s. Following 20 years of deterioration, the building was turned over by the American Legion in 1989 to joint ownership of the town of Ladoga and Clark township Trustee. Historic Ladoga, Inc. was organized in the spring of 1993 after which it successfully acquired title to the property in 1994.
old normal hall is really a good read
Thank you for your kind words. We are trying diligently to honor the Confederate veterans for their sacrifice and preserve their memories. It is truly unique to know that so many Confederate veterans ended up calling Indiana their home. I wonder if any of them ever fought in the same battles as the Union veterans who also met at Old Normal Hall?
The Normal college that replaced the original one in Ladoga is near me in Danville. It was added on to and is still being used. The story of how Danville literally stole Normal college is very similar to the Colts theft in the middle of the night using Mayflower. Normal colleges were fairly common two year teacher training programs.
That is an interesting story.