Otwell (1,000) Built 1941
July 24, 2024
July 24, 2024
Basketball in the 1940s looked a little different than it does today. Teams had just recently started taking the ball out of bounds after a made basket instead of having a jump ball at center court every time. The concept of a jumpshot hadn't been invented yet. All long range attempts happened as set shots with two feet nailed to the floor. The center was the most important player on a team. Coaches weren't allowed to talk to their players during timeouts. Some people would say it was better the way it was back then, others would argue that innovation is the mother of necessity. What hasn't changed about the game is the way it can connect people in a community and give them a singular focus, even if it's only for a couple of hours on a cold Friday night. A gym is the vessel in which this connection happens. I visited a quaint gym in the small town of Otwell in southern Indiana and found this magic still intact. A gym that was built during the middle of World War II, and has endured in the heart of its community ever since.
Otwell is nestled in the far northeastern corner of Pike County. It operated as an independent school until 1974 when it consolidated with surrounding town schools to form Pike Central. They managed to win one sectional title while calling this fine facility home in 1969. The fan support was so strong in the 60s that while they practiced every day at the gym, they occasionally had to play their home games up the road in Petersburg because they couldn't satisfy the demand for tickets and needed a bigger place to play. Regardless, the gym hosted many spirited affairs in the three and a half decades the Otwell Millers called it home. Looking at it from the outside, its style is comparable to other gyms that were built in the 30s and 40s. It's a long brick structure with a slightly curved roof. The school building that used to be attached was torn down long ago, but more modern additions have been added off to the side to support its current use as a community center. Still, there's no mistaking the classic look from the exterior.
Inside the gym you will find a pristine palace dedicated to Indiana's pastime. There are two matching sidelines with 5 rows of perfectly painted greyish blue wooden bleachers. The only things not original here are the handrails that were added for safety. The only difference between the sidelines is that one side has a cutout where a door leads to the old ag room that is now part of the community center. On the floor in front of it is a little painted sign indicating when the gym was dedicated. This side also has the wooden scorer's table that has a a large OHS painted on it in sharp white lettering against a blue background. The opposing sideline also has 4 big windows above the bleachers that let in a lot of natural light. The entire upper wall surrounding the gym has white siding on it covering the original white cement blocks to help with insulating the old building.
The baseline wall above the entrance is clean and devoid of any extra signage. A blue padded section of wall extends across the baseline to protect players as there are only a couple of feet between the out of bounds line and the wall. The opposite baseline contains a beautiful stage along with a sign and picture of the 1969 sectional championship team in the upper corner. There is maroon padding under the base of the stage for protection as well. There are exits in both corners on this side of the gym so the bleachers do not extend all the way to the wall like they do on the other side. In one of these corners there is a large custom wheel of sorts that has paintings of various historical places around town which was neat to see and talk to my local guides about. The playing surface still utilizes the original hardwood flooring. It was refinished a few years ago and has a rich shade of light golden brown to it. At center court is the classic double circle configuration with the inner ring painted the shade of Otwell Miller blue.
Otwell matches Huntingburg for the furthest I've traveled to see a gym so far. I had a 3 hour car ride down I-69 to think about what it must have been like to travel across the state before it was littered with interstates reaching out from Indianapolis in every single direction. It would've taken a lot longer to get anywhere, but I bet the views were worth it. Once I got off of the highway I had about 15 miles of state and county roads to travel to get to Otwell, and it really set the stage for what I would experience once I got there. A slower pace of travel to a place where people live life at a slower pace. There's a lot of value in that, just like there's a lot of value in preserving the history of places like the Otwell gym. The more things change, the more I hope we find ways to keep some things the same.
