Gas City (600?) Built 1923
July 21, 2026
As a teacher, it's pretty easy to spot which kids have been given a good foundation at home and have already started to form a strong moral compass. They generally have good social skills, take responsibility for their actions, and are pleasant people to be around. That's the kind of start I was given when I was kid. I was taught from an early age the difference between right and wrong. If I messed up, there was no excuse to be made, it was on me. I knew better. While this foundation has served me well throughout my life, it certainly doesn't mean I don't screw up. I still do dumb stuff, most of the time I'm just ignoring the better judgement that's been instilled in me. I'm sure we can all relate to the cartoon devil on one shoulder trying to get us to do the wrong thing, and the cartoon angel on the right trying to get us to do what we know is right. It's a silly animation, but I think it's very apt for the types of decisions we all have to make every single day regardless of age. I don't face too many moral conundrums in my gym journeys, but I did a little over a year ago, and I barely made the right decision at the last moment.
There are a couple old gyms that I've been trying my darndest to find a way into for the last three years, and have found no success. When I say "find a way," I mean I'm emailing, calling, and messaging anyone I can think of that may be able to help. I'm not showing up with a crowbar and trying to pry boarded up doors open. As much as I'd love to try this in Brazil, Converse, Huntington, Evansville North, or the Wigwam, I know it'd be a very bad idea. The old Gas City gym was one of these places for a long time. The old gym there is attached to the original high school which has been turned into apartments. The renovation they did to the school was really cool. My friend Ted has done a couple of really nice articles about it. There are even apartments above the gym itself in a space that used to be classrooms. I've known about the gym for a long time, but have never had any success with people getting back to me about seeing it. Of the gyms that I've struggled to find a way into, Gas City is the only near my house. One day in the summer of 2025 I decided to stop by after visiting the Fairmount and Summitville gyms just to poke around. Both of the exterior doors were locked, so I didn't bother with those. I went inside the old school that's connected to the gym, went down the stairs, and tried the door to the connecting hallway, and it was also locked. I was about ready to give up when I remembered there were apartments above the gym. I figured that hallway had to be open. I walked up, walked over, and sure enough, I was on top of the gym, but not in it. I then noticed a service door. I opened it, and saw stairs leading downward. That meant they had to lead to the gym. It was at that moment I had a decision to make. I was just yards away from what I wanted to see so badly, but I was pretty sure that the fact that all the other entrances were locked meant I really wasn't supposed to be there without permission. I took a couple steps through the door, and stopped, my hand still holding the door. At the last second I guess the angel on my shoulder spoke a little louder than the devil and I turned around, and it's a good thing I did. At that second I realized the door locked from the inside. If I would have gone through and let it shut behind me, I would have been trapped in a place I probably wasn't supposed to be, and then I really would have had a problem. It took me a little bit, but man I'm glad I was smart enough to avoid doing something really dumb.
After biding my time, I finally reached out again to the company that owns the apartments, and for whatever reason this summer I finally got a response. They agreed to let my friend Ted and I check it out! I was over the moon. This gym holds a lot of history. The Gas City Tigers played their home games here until they came together with Jonesboro to form Mississinewa in 1948, one of the earliest true consolidations in the state. During that time they won the Marion sectional in 1946 and 1948, along with the Marion regional in 1948. That's no small feat. I believe Mississinewa also played their games here for their first year or two until their own gym was built. The gym and school then served elementary and middle school students for decades before being turned into apartments. When Kyle Neddenriep wrote Historic Hoosier Gyms back in 2009, the gym was open for apartment residents to use. Somewhere along the line the gym deteriorated enough that this practice was discontinued. Since then it has sat empty. While dusty, dirty, and featuring a few broken windows, it doesn't look like it's beyond salvageable. As always though, that will take money, and old gyms aren't exactly at the top of the list of things people tend to want to invest in.
The gym floor strikes you when you walk inside because it's covered in tile. That's a first for me. I've seen some multi-purpose floors, but never one that you typically find in a Baby Boomer's kitchen. It certainly gives the place a distinct look. You enter the gym through a tunnel that comes right through the sideline bleachers. It's off-center which threw me a little. It splits 8 rows of permanent wooden bleachers that have been painted a very dark maroon/burgundy color. They span the entire length of the sideline from wall to wall. There are two big support beams sitting right in front of them which isn't uncommon for gyms from this era. What is a little more uncommon are the smaller support beams that come right through the bleachers about halfway up. These beams are supporting the balcony that sits right above the lower bleachers. You know how much I love balconies, and this one is a dandy. It's one of the smallest and closest to the ceiling I've ever found. It only has three rows of wooden bleachers that match the ones below, I almost hit my head when I was standing up there. There are only three narrow metal bars as a railing, you wouldn't want to take your young kids up there. You can get to the balcony using an exterior door, or by climbing through the narrowest door and set of stairs you've ever seen that starts at the top of the lower bleachers and goes straight up. No matter how you get up there, or how cramped it may be, the view is worth it.
The balcony is the focus here, but the rest of the gym has enough charm to go around. Both of the baseline walls are pretty bare except for an old scoreboard that is still hanging on. The paint is fading, some of the concrete is chipped, but the ancient windows are still intact and were letting in a lot of natural light on this gorgeous summer day. On the baseline wall running along the backside of the gym is an old elevated door that seems to lead to nowhere. I wonder what its original function was? Opposite of the bleachers is a wide sideline stage. It's all open now, the curtain was removed eons ago. A big American flag is draped on one side of it. On the other side is a little ledge that's been built out about 10 feet off the ground. A bizarre scene sits on top of it. There looks to be a large stuffed tiger inside a wooden box with a glass side that allows you to see the tiger. Underneath it is a sign that says "Home of the Tigers." If anyone knows the story behind it, please reach out! A large painting of a tiger also leans against the stage below. There are doors to the backstage area on the sides of the stage as well. It looks as if there may have been locker rooms on the sides back there which would have been very common. The original 1920s hoops are still up which I always appreciate. You can tell by the glass backboards which have the wooden bottoms where the rims are attached.
This spring and summer I was able to pull Gaston off the Fading Gyms list and then finally find my way into this old beauty. Both of those were things I started to think might not ever happen. It's given me a renewed hope that some of the barriers that have kept me out of other places will eventually fall as well. While I wait, I pledge to listen to the angel on my right shoulder and ignore the devil on my left. I've managed to do it the right way up to this point, and I don't want that to change now, With that being said, if anyone ever has a lead or contact that may be able to help me check out an old gym, please reach out! Time isn't on my side, and I want to tell the stories of these old gems before it's too late.
