Michigantown (400) Built 1924
October 16, 2024
October 16, 2024
I grew up in Shipshewana, Indiana about a mile and a half from the Michigan line. My favorite sports teams growing up other than the Westivew basketball team were the Detroit Lions and Tigers. We went to a Tigers game every summer starting when I was 10. All my friends were Colts fans, because obviously we lived in Indiana. When my dad and uncles were growing up though, they actually were able to listen to the Lions and Tigers broadcasts on the radio since they were so close to the state line, and that's how the entire family's fandom started. When we went grocery shopping, the nearest Walmart was 20 minutes away across the state line in Sturgis, so that's where we went. When I got my license, I would make special trips to the nearest town across the border because gas at that time was always cheaper there. We vacationed at a family camp for a few of my formidable years in Michigan. Though I've always lived in and deeply identified with Indiana, Michigan was a fixture of my childhood in many ways. You can imagine my interest when I learned that not only is there a Michigantown in Indiana, but it has a 100 year old gym that is still standing! Not only is it still standing, but it's been perfectly cared for and has a pretty unique story behind it.
From the outside, the Michigantown gym looks bizarre. You wouldn't guess that it's one of the oldest gyms in the state. In fact if you didn't know any better, you probably wouldn't think it is a gym at all. It stands very tall and upright. There are two towering, narrow sections that come together with a small lean-to coming off one side. It's covered in aluminum siding and has a bright red roof. It looks more like an old farm house than anything else. I soon learned there's a reason for this curiousity as I stepped inside and met my guides, Mr. and Mrs. Sam and Carolyn Fields. Not only did they grow up in the community (Sam played on the basketball team in the late 50s) but they also both taught and later become administrators at this Michigantown location and later on at Clinton Central where students in the town now attend school. I learned that the school building was erected in 1906 before the gym was added on in 1924. After the township schools consolidated in 1959, the school was used as an elementary for a little while. Eventually the decision was made to raze part of the building, but not the section connected to the gym. This meant the school was essentially cut in half, and a few classrooms that were built around and above the gym would be left. This led to the strange configuration that is present today. Over time the gym fell into disrepair as they usually do. A little over a decade ago, a group of alumni that included Mrs. and Mrs. Fields began the laborious process of raising money to save the gym. Through countless years of hard work, they have done just that and so much more.
The gym today is a living memorial to not only the old Michigantown school, but the other township schools that consolidated into Clinton Central. Within the building, each former school has its own room with more memorabilia and pictures than can be counted. Each one has been painstakingly copied and documented by Mrs. and Mrs. Fields. They said they've been working on it for many years, but it really took off during the Covid season when they had a lot more time on their hands. There are two rooms in the lean-to section coming off the gym, but the other rooms that are used for this are actually up in the balcony where people used to sit and watch the games, and above the gym itself. While I loved seeing the gym here, this very upper level was the coolest part of my visit. Seeing the old classrooms still completely intact and being used in such a remarkable fashion just blew me away. Many of the communities that I've visited that support these old gyms have contributed memorabilia to put on display, but nothing to this level. The only place that even comes close is Owensville which I'll be writing about soon. The fact that most of it sits at a level above the gym itself is also completely unique, and it soon made sense why the gym seemed to rise into the sky forever when looking at it from the outside. That they also were so diligent in honoring all of the former schools was really neat as well. Michigantown is the only one with a gym still in decent condition (Mulberry is still standing but in wretched shape). The Fields told me that an alumnus from one of the other communities visited once and told them how thankful they were for honoring the history of their school even though they were once rivals, but that it made them sick that their own community didn't put in the effort to preserve their gym and history themselves.
The Fields started my tour by showing me inside a tiny room behind the stage that shows the exposed wall where the old part of the school was torn off. It was fascinating to see. You can look up and see three stories of a wall that was completely shorn off of its counterpart. There's even a door leading to nowhere on the second floor. After that we returned to the gym itself where you have to walk down a few stairs to enter the Ganders Arena. Yes, the Michigantown mascot was a Gander, and yes, they did at one point have a live goose at games according to Mr. Fields. The Michigantown gym like many others built in the 20s and 30s is not regulation size. It's the narrowest one I've ever seen in addition to being a little short length-wise. Gyms from this era also famously don't have much room beyond the out of bounds lines, but this takes it to another level. On three sides of the gym, the wall essentially is the out of bounds line itself. Only the side from which you enter has a little bit of space where spectators would be able to huddle together to watch the action. The playing floor is newer and has a light colored parquet design. There's a large red "M" at center court and the names of a couple community members who have had a large hand in restoring the gym are written in black script along the sidelines (including Mr. Fields).
One thing I noticed right away in the gym is that there is one glass backboard and one wooden one. I asked Mr. Fields about this and he said the story goes that the school got their first glass backboard after they made the state finals in 1933. I guess they only had enough money for one? It's fun to imagine playing on a glass backboard for one half and then turning around and finding a wood one for the second half. I can only imagine how much of a thrill it must have been for the small community to make an improbable run to the state finals at the height of the Great Depression. The score from the game that sent the Ganders to the state finals is displayed permanently on the original scoreboard that still hangs in the corner of the gym. It's a manual scoreboard that still works and would be operated by someone sitting in a little crows nest to the upper right of the stage. Mr. Fields showed me the ladder that the operator would have to climb from inside the locker room to reach it. It doesn't get more vintage than that.
The baseline wall beside the scoreboard is pretty bare except for some neat rectangular windows that run along two sides of the gym and some very necessary padding below. The opposite baseline has a classic stage that is framed in with beautiful inlayed woodwork. A "Ganders" banner in big bright red letters runs across the bottom. A nice little Michigantown podium sits upon it. The sideline opposite of the entrance is classic red brick above with brown paneling running across the bottom. Walking across the gym and looking back towards the entrance sideline is what gives you maybe the best view of the gym. There is no spectator seating in the gym, but this is the side that once held a few hundred spectators. Some would be able to huddle around the floor level, but most sat or stood up in the balcony that overlooks the court. It once ran the length of the entire court, but later once the school was turned into an elementary, part of it was walled off to add another classroom due to a burgeoning student population. I can only imagine how tightly packed this place must have felt for a big game. A fire marshal's worst nightmare, but a basketball enthusiast's wildest dream.
The word that comes to my mind the most when thinking about my visit to the Michigantown gym is "quaint." The thing is, that word doesn't even begin to do what Mr. and Mrs. Fields along with their schoolmates have done here justice. I've seen a lot of restoration jobs done over the course of the last few months, but I don't think any have been done as completely or as immaculately as the one here. Mrs. Fields was very proud to tell me that they've also managed to do it all without taking on any debt whatsoever. It's just remarkable. My mom the former history teacher has told me she would like to come along with me to some of these old gyms because she appreciates old things and traditions as much as I do. My love for basketball and gyms comes from my dad, my appreciation for the past comes from her. If I could take her back to any gym I've been so far, it would be this one. I hope more people come through Michigantown and take the time to stop by this jewel of a gym. It deserves the attention.
