Fairmount (1,000?) Built 1956
July 21, 2025
July 21, 2025
"Guilty by association" is a term that I heard a few times growing up, but it wasn't until I heard it explained in an Adventures in Odyssey episode (all my 90s-era Focus on the Family kids know what I'm talking about) that I truly understood what it meant. Being blamed for something that you didn't do or weren't really involved with just because you were tangentially related to the people who were actually in the wrong isn't something anyone wants to experience. A similar thing can happen on the other end of the spectrum, thought it probably isn't as common; sometimes people can become famous or receive credit for something they didn't earn, just because they're connected in some way to someone who actually did. In Grant County, you can find a town that falls into the latter category. Fairmount is well-known for being the birthplace and hometown of James Dean, the Hollywood star from the 50s. It's a fact that's advertised on many signs when you come into town. There is even a fantastic museum dedicated to him downtown. When the Hoosier Hardwood Project crew traversed the state a few years back, they even made a stop on his home farm and took a few photos. Fairmount and James Dean have become synonymous with each other over the years. Talking to people from town, it seems that people are split on how they feel about it. I'd say the majority are very proud of their claim to fame and love that they are primarily known for their most famous son. There are some though that like to point out that there is much more to Fairmount's heritage than just one person. When I had the chance to visit the old gym here, I had pleasure of learning a little about James Dean, but even more about a town's school, basketball teams, and what they meant to the community.
I first learned about the Fairmount gym a year or so ago when talking to one of my friends and fellow Indiana Wesleyan graduate Jeremiah Munsell who actually played pickup games in the gym when we were in college over in Marion. I had seen pictures online of the old school beside it being torn down a few years prior, so I just assumed the gym had gone down with it. So when he told me it was still alive and well, I was shocked and elated. Usually I learn about some old gym and then later find out it's already gone, so the opposite happening was a pleasant and new experience for me. I was put into contact with Mr. Ron Payne, who I was told would be the best person to fill me in about the history of the gym. This turned out to be quite the understatement. Mr. Payne grew up across the street from the old school and gym, serves on the board that manages the gym now, and seems to be the unofficial Fairmount historian. He was able to answer every question I threw at him and told me so many fascinating tidbits about the school and gym that I wasn't able to write them all down fast enough. The gym I visited was built in 1956 and was attached to the old school. Right outside the doors of this gym used to sit an older gym that would have been the home of the Quakers when James Dean played for them in the late 40s. Some pictures of this gym and Dean playing in it hang in the foyer of the 1956 gym along with oodles of other historic Fairmount pictures and memorabilia. The Quakers competed in the state tournament from 1913-1969. In that time they won four sectionals. The most recent one was in 1955 when they took down Marion in the Coliseum in a double OT thriller. I can only imagine what that environment and post-game celebration must have been in like! It only seems fitting that the school would be rewarded with a brand new beautiful gym the following year.
The 1956 gyms looks like many of its counterparts from this era. The roofline slopes gently up to the peak in the middle. The rafters cross the length of the ceiling and then actually turn sharply downwards and venture all the way down to the gym floor. They're stained a rich dark brown that looks very regal. Originally there were classic wooden bleachers that fit in perfectly amongst these beams. Looking at old pictures hanging in the foyer, there seemed to be about 10-11 rows of seating along each sideline. At some point those bleachers were taken out in favor of having more room for activities. It's a shame, but I always understand when people have to make some of these spaces more functional for modern uses in order to keep them alive. There also used to be big rectangular windows above these bleachers that have long since been filled in. The walls around the gym are painted black on the bottom, yellow in the middle, and white on top. I'm not sure if yellow and black were the Fairmount school colors or not, but it gives the place a nice splash of color.
The baseline wall over the entrance to the gym is covered with sponsors that have helped support the upkeep of the gym over the years. Mr. Payne and the other board members have worked diligently to maintain and improve the facility in recent years, and it shows. Underneath those signs is the original concession stand window. While the metal roll-a-way window is newer, the wooden counter and base underneath both date back to the origins of the gym from the looks of them. The coolest feature on the opposite baseline wall is a wooden hoop that was actually one of the original baskets in the old gym that used to sit next door. I'm not sure if the backboard was yellow back then too, but it certainly is unique. The hardwood floor was refinished recently and features a standard golden hue throughout most of the court with lighter shades inside the three-point wing areas. A classic basketball logo is painted on as the half court circle which I always enjoy. Two classic scoreboards hang high above the sidelines to complete the retro look.
As Mr. Payne finished answering my questions about the history of the school and gym, we wandered around the lobby a little more taking in all the old newspaper articles and pictures that are hanging on the wall. An old flyer advertising the Harlem Globetrotters coming to town and playing in the gym was neat to see. There were also some high quality pictures of what the old school used to look like in its heyday. It seemed like a massive building for a town the size of Fairmount. He also took me into a little office that featured a bench made out of some of the old bleacher seats. While it stinks they're out of the gym, this was a really neat idea. All in all, I learned a ton about the history of the town, the school, and the basketball teams that the community loved to come out and support. I learned just a little about James Dean. Maybe this is a little closer to how the town should be remembered. It has a rich history dating back almost two centuries. So many people were a part of that history. One of those people just happened to move to California and become pretty famous. I just hope that the visitors who stop in to learn about Mr. Dean, also take the time to learn a little about what else makes this town, school, and gym so special. I'm certainly glad I was able to on this fine summer day.
