Eminence (1,400) Built 1952
December 14, 2024: Providence Cristo Rey vs. Eminence (Boys)
December 14, 2024: Providence Cristo Rey vs. Eminence (Boys)
We've covered the wave of Indiana school consolidations in the 1960s at nauseum and the effect they had on small town communities on this blog. We've also covered the effect it had on high school basketball as the number of teams in the state tournament was cut in half from about 800 teams to 400 over a 15 year period. The state said that schools with less than 50 students in a graduating class weren't economically or educationally efficient, and changes were swiftly made. The entire structure of education in the state was forever changed, in most places that is. In some isolated pockets of the state, a few tiny towns managed to hang on to their schools, and in doing so, their identities. Places like New Harmony, Cannelton, Medora, Hamilton, and the focus of this blog, Eminence, managed to stave off consolidation in a way that I honestly don't really understand. I've done my best to research and look for literature on the school consolidations and what the deciding factors were in terms of which schools got axed and which were allowed to carry on independently. I know the schools who lived on had to really fight for it, but there were other communities who fought just as valiantly but were still forced to close their doors. I haven't found many solid answers, and if anyone has any good information, stories, or sources on the subject, please let me know!
I want to focus here on one of the schools that has managed to maintain their independence for over a century. The Eminence school complex is made up of the original three story brick high school building, classroom additions built behind it, and the 1952 gymnasium that they affectionally call the Eel Tank. The original building sits facing the road and is a beautiful reminder of what can be accomplished when a community values and invests in maintaining the physical links to their history and traditions. It looks just like so many old school buildings that I've documented in the Fading Gyms section of the blog that have fallen into complete disrepair, yet here Eminence still stands tall. According to the IHSAA website, Eminence has an average graduating class of around 25 students, which makes them the 4th smallest public high school in Indiana. When you only have a dozen boys in a class, fielding a competitive basketball team can be a challenge. While wins have been hard to come by in recent years, the team I watched last Saturday night displayed the same traits the community has embodied over the years as they have not only kept their school open, but thriving: grit, resiliency, and determination. In a game in which they trailed all night, they fought as hard as any team I've watched all season and came storming back, only to lose on a heartbreaking shot at the buzzer. The gym they play in is a worthy venue for a team with this ethos.
With a name like the Eel Tank, you know the gym isn't going to boring. The setup is most similar to what you would find at a place like Cowan or Daleville. The only seating is along the baselines, and the bleachers all sit up above a five foot wall. There isn't a ton of room between the walls and the courts. One side is occupied by the team benches and scorer's table, while the other side is where the cheerleaders stand. The permanent bleachers go up 12 rows on each side and span the entire length of the sideline from wall to wall. There are steps leading up in the dead center and at the very end of the rows which makes it all feel very symmetrical. I think the seats are made of solid wood, but they've been covered with the same weird vinyl substance I found last year at McCutcheon. I don't necessarily hate it, it's definitely better than plastic, but why not just keep the original wood? The bottom half of bleachers are red while the top half are blue. This at least gives them a cool contrasting look. This same color scheme is used all around the gym in a masterful way. From the two stripes that work their way all the way around the gym, to the mats on the baseline walls, to the beautiful stage curtain, it all just pops in magnificent way. It's one of the best purely aesthetic designs I've ever seen. I especially love the small detail of the two stripes following the slope of the bleachers up the side walls. I'm not sure why, but it looks really cool.
The baseline ends here are just as impressive as everything else. When you walk into the gym, you immediately see the gorgeous old stage across the way with it's heavy blue curtain and red padding beneath it. It is framed in by dark brick on the top and sides. The red and blue stripes continue to follow the curvature of the wall on this end as well. A really big Eminence school or town crest is painted to the left of the stage. Also on both sides are doors that lead to the locker rooms and the bottoms of the gigantic support beams that run up the wall and over the court to the other side. The baseline side where you enter the gym has "Welcome to the TANK" written in really nice script with "TANK" in block letters and the stripes running above it. Ancient athletic accomplishment banners hang above from a time when Eminence played in a different athletic conference. More modern banners actually hang way up above the sideline bleachers on one side where you can't really see them. I was sitting right in front of them and didn't even notice them until I got up to leave. They also have two random displays of past accomplishments hung on the wall at the top of the steps in two upper corners of the gym. In one opposing corner there is also a cool Eminence Eels drum riser that unfortunately wasn't getting any use on the night I was there. Looking below to the court you'll see a design that is both modern and retro and works together in a marvelous way. The parquet court is a light golden brown color. An awesome Eels logo sits at center court. "Eminence" is written along each sideline in a blue throwback font. The only odd thing here is that the blue color used everywhere on floor design looks lighter than the blue used everywhere else, it's almost a powder blue. Incredibly, it kind of works! I just love everything about how this place looks.
Outside the doors to the gym you'll find some nice displays showing old team pictures and memorabilia. I love the "Prepare to be Eelectrified" written over the doors. I've felt small town charm in old gyms before, this place was a little bit different. Maybe it's because the game was a barnburner, maybe it's because the small crowd was raucous in the best way the whole game, maybe it's because the gym is just gorgeous, but I didn't want to leave. It's rare for me to hang around after the final whistle, but I just meandered around a little bit taking it all in before I left. I hope this school can keep defying the odds for another hundred years (I learned after the fact that Eminence is actually unincorporated. To have a high school but no official address for your town is wild). This gym and little town are too special to be wiped off the map.
