Rushville (2,603) Built 1926
November 22, 2024: Mount Vernon (Fortville) vs. Rushville (Girls)
November 22, 2024: Mount Vernon (Fortville) vs. Rushville (Girls)
When I stepped out this summer and started visiting gyms that no longer actively hold high school games, I fell in love with the 1930s WPA public works gyms. They mostly all have a similar structure and look, but they all have their own unique flair to them that make them special. Knowing the purpose they served in the communities as a means to get people back on their feet during the worst financial crisis in our country's history adds a little bit of weight to their stories and goes beyond basketball. Maybe it's because all my grandparents were born in the 30s, but that's the last decade I feel like I have any sort of personal connection to (yes I know that sounds absurd considering I was born in the 90s, I can't explain it). The couple of gyms that I've had the pleasure of visiting that were built in the 20s somehow feel like they're from an entirely different era. The oldest to date I've found is Veedersburg which was built in 1923 (my white whale is finding a gym still standing that predates the 20s). That gym hasn't held high school games since the mid-60s. In fact there are only four high school gyms built in the 20s that still actively hold games. Mishawaka, which I played in during a high school scrimmage game my junior year. Muncie Central, which is one of the most iconic venues in the entire state. Washington Catholic, which is high on my bucket list to go see, and Rushville. I took my son with me down to Rushville to watch one of the most well-supported girls programs around, and we were not disappointed.
Rushville is one of a few high schools in the state that was forced to consolidate with surrounding township schools but actually was able to keep its name. At least it kind of did. From the limited information I was able to find on the interwebs, it looks like in the late 60s Arlington, Manilla, Milroy, New Salem, and Mays schools all came together to merge with Rushville. This was the case all over the state, but in most instances a new name was given for the new school. In this instance, since Rushville was the central and biggest town, it got to keep its moniker and only had to add "consolidated" on the end of it. To this day though, it is known far and wide as Rushville High School, not Rushville Consolidated High School. While the small surrounding towns may have a legitimate gripe about their names being wiped out while Rushville lived on, no one can complain about the job they have done in preserving their history. Memorial Gymnasium as it is known here is quickly coming up on 100 years of service to the school and community. At any point over the last century, the powers that be could have decided that it was time for a new multipurpose facility to be built. In many ways it would even be understandable. I am thankful that they chose to preserve this old beauty and use it for the what the good Lord intended, high school basketball games.
Not only have the people of Rusvhille done a great job of honoring their own heritage in this gym, but they've even been thoughtful enough to include memorabilia from the other consolidated schools in the display cases in the entrances to the gym. My favorite pieces were an old jersey from Mays High School and the ball from the 1976 state runner up team along with the scorebook from that season. There are actually four different entrances from which you can enter Memorial Gym at all corners of the building. What makes it really feel old school is that there are no exterior hallways connecting the different entrances. The only hallway leading out of the gym is the one that connects it to the current school. If you enter in one place and want to go to the other side of the gym, you're going to have to walk across inside of the gym itself. This fits the vibe of the entire place though. The confines here are very cozy. At any of the four entrances, you are going to walk up a small ramp leading to the court. The seating capacity was listed right above the doorframe of the one I entered. Walking up the ramp, it just feels like the crowd is right on top of you in every direction and you're just inches from the action on the court. It just oozes basketball.
Rushville employs the classic upside down sunken gym model where there's a bowl surrounding the court, but everything starts at the bottom and works its way up instead of the inverse. There are about 15 rows of permanent wood bleachers rising up all around the court. The only section that halts the continuous oval of seating is behind one of the baselines. This is where the pep band resides, sitting above a little five foot wall. It makes the band feel grand and important. Behind the band is a large grey wall with the Rushville Lion logo and "Home of the Lions & Lady Lions" written across it in big, red outlined grey script. On one side of the writing is a POWMIA display, and on the other is a half-decent Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference team display. The area above this big wall can be accessed via the bleachers on either side of it and it seems to just be used for storage. The little five foot wall below the band has red padding all the way across it with a black "R" right in the middle. The athletic accomplishment banners for the boys and girls basketball teams hang here and one glance makes it very evident that few programs in the area have had the long tradition of success that the Rushville Lions have had. The banners are in my favorite classical style, but have a more modern font and overall design that still looks sharp.
If you continue to look upwards around the rest of the gym, you'll see more athletic accomplishment banners for different sports hanging almost above the perimeter of the playing surface. Looking behind them on the back walls above the bleachers, you'll see many retired Indiana All-Start jerseys for former players on both the boys and girls teams. Just further evidence of the deep basketball tradition here. Each section is clearly numbered in red paint on the back wall up here as well. In the area right where my son and I spent most of the game you'll find a ladder descending down to the top row of bleachers that seems to lead up into a hole in the ceiling. Thankfully I didn't let my intrusive thoughts get the better of me and try to explore to see what was above. The bleachers are a light golden color and the red painted seat numbers look really vibrant against that backdrop. The seats cross above the entrances in all four corners of the gym. These corner sections meet the big wall behind where the band plays and create some really tiny rows of bleachers working upwards in a triangular fashion. The things that makes it feel the most authentic to its era are the giant support beams standing along each sideline partially blocking the view from fans across the gym.
The Rushville gym also provides one of the rare instances where the court design warrants its very own paragraph. The whole thing is just immaculate. It starts with one of the lightest wood stain colors you will find on a gym floor. It feels very bright and shiny, but not in a way that takes away from the throwback feel of the gym. At center court is an old lion head logo that looks like it was plucked straight out of the 20s itself. The only center court design that rivals it for me personally is the one at South Bend Washington. Along each sideline, "Memorial Gymnasium 1926" is written in perfect black cursive. It's beautiful. Along the baseline, "Rushville" is written in big block letters. Each letter alternates from red to black which I don't think I've seen before, and it looks awesome. Any AD that has a new court design opportunity upcoming needs to check this one out as inspiration. It is a perfect marriage of simple, classic elements with a more modern feel.
I don't think I have anything very grand or eloquent to say in the conclusion here. My visit to the Rushville gym was everything I expected from a gym built in the 20s and still being used today for what it was originally created for. I honestly had high expectations and it met every single of them. Getting to visit it on a night when the crowd was pretty large and as rowdy as I've ever seen at a girls basketball game was just a bonus. This community still clearly loves its basketball, and in turn this old gem of a gym. I'm grateful that passion is still alive and well, because it's going to need to be there to keep this gym up and running for years to come. It's one of the crown jewels we have in the crest of Hoosier Hysteria. I hope it always is treated as such.
