Marengo (1,100?) Built 1955
October 7, 2024
October 7, 2024
My general response to my travel-loving wife when she wants to start planning a vacation I'm probably not going to want to go on is "I'm more than happy to go anywhere in Indiana." My hope is this means we either end up going nowhere at all, or I get to see a part of the state I normally wouldn't. Either way it's a win/win situation for me (I'm not a complete Scrooge, yes I sometimes let her drag me out of the state). When a friend of hers was getting married in French Lick, I was actually eager to make a little trip out of it as it's not a an area I've ever been to. As we got closer to the town, we continually saw signs for someplace called Marengo that apparently had some really cool caves. The way my ridiculous brain works though is not, "Hey I should research those caves and see if it's something we should check out!" Instead it thinks "Hey I should research whether or not there's an old gym sitting around that place!" So we get to our cabin, I pull out my laptop, and Voila! What do you know?! Not only is there an old gym, but the person in charge of it said I could stop by anytime. True southern Indiana hospitality.
A little more research quickly showed that there was an even further connection from the old Marengo school and the caves that were advertised every few miles along the highway. The mascot of the school's sports teams were indeed the Cavemen (and Cavewomen maybe?). The school and gym were both built in 1954 and managed to stave off consolidation until 1976 when they merged with other surrounding schools to form Crawford County High School. The school then survived for a few more decades as an elementary and middle school before being turned into the current home of the Crawford County Boys & Girls Club. In its heyday, Marengo managed to capture two sectional titles, one of which while they played at this particular gym. The Cavemen may have not yet invented the wheel, but they sure knew how to handle a round ball.
Unfortunately there wasn't really any indication of the Marengo gym's existance as the home to the Cavemen or high school basketball in general when I visited. The walls are bare of any old signage or memorabilia of its past. This is pretty common though when high school gyms are jettisoned to elementary duty in retirement. It's a noble cause and it keeps them in use, but it can sometimes take some of the character out of the place. There is still plenty to take in though. One unique feature is that it's truly a one-sided gym in terms of seating. One sideline hosts the lone section of bleachers that sits in two levels. The bottom level features a set of modern, tan, retractable bleachers that have eight rows. This section is split in half at midcourt by an entrance to the gym that also leads to the old lockerooms under the second level of seating. This upper level is the most classic part of the gym as it contains eleven rows of permanent wooden bleachers that have been painted grey. They are the touchstone that connect the gym back to its 1950s birth date. The other interesting aspect of these bleachers is that the only way to reach the upper level is via the retractable bleachers below. There is no upper entrance, there are no side stairwells. This unfortunately meant I wasn't able to take any pictures from above as the retractable bleachers were rolled up when I visited (in my heart of hearts I wanted to scale the lower level like a ladder as I would have in my youth, but then I remembered I was in fact an adult, and a guest for that matter and I refrained).
The rest of the gym does not have a lot of pizzaz to it, but it has a very clean look. Both baseline walls are pretty bare. The padding behind one endline has a funky little cutout for a door that sits behind it which caught my eye. The original scoreboards still hang on each end and are actively used which is always nice to see. The sideline opposite of the bleachers has a large banner hanging on the wall honoring Ralph Hanger who was a legendary coach and teacher at the Marengo school. The two main hoops on each end are anchored directly into the wall behind them with only a little support from the ceiling which you don't see a ton. The hardwood court is a classic golden brown. The last unique and defining characteristic is the center court circle which features a classic basketball design, but around the outside a black ring has been painted about two feed wide. It definitely looks like it was done freehand as it is not a perfect circle. Imperfections can help a gym stand out though, and this one just looked cool to me.
My drive into French Lick with my family ended up coming full circle as we did tour the Marengo caves the day after I visited the gym. It's a really cool little town in one of the most unique areas of the state. I don't think there is a single flat or straight road in all of Crawford County. It has a lot more in common with Appalachia than it does Anderson or Shipshewana. There's a reason I tell my wife I'm perfectly content only traveling within the friendly confines of our blessed Hoosier state: from mountainous terrain, to Amish country, and everything inbetween, we have it all. Most importantly we have hundreds of Hoosier gyms that serve as a looking glass into the hearts of the communities in which they reside.
