Selvin (500?) Built 1955
June 13, 2025
June 13, 2025
Growing up in Westview school district, I always heard that the high school had a Topeka address but a Shipshewana phone number. The reason was that the school served both towns, sat smack dab in the middle of them, and it was a way to represent both of them. It always bothered my young mind though, because to me, Westview didn't exist in either place. Westview wasn't in Shipshe or Topeka, it was in Emma. My great-grandpa lived in Emma, I went to church in Emma, we got our car fixed in Emma, and the school was right there too, so it had to be in Emma. I had no concept of what an "unincorporated" community was. While Emma was just as much of a true small town as anywhere else, it didn't have an official governing body that said so. Little did I know that unincorporated communities would become a fascination of mine as an adult. These little villages dot our state's map by the thousands. Many of them are just a stone's throw from one another, while others are seemingly isolated as can be. Some are fully functioning towns with post offices, restaurants, fire stations, churches, and shops. Others are only identifiable by a small sign right before an intersection. In almost all instances though, they were once thriving communities. They had to be given a name and a spot on the map for some reason, right? All of them have some kind of story to tell. While the old schools and gyms that used to inhabit them are just a part of that story, they fascinate me endlessly.
Right inside the Warrick County line and into the Central Time Zone lies an unincorporated community that is as quaint as they come. I stumbled upon Selvin, Indiana while scouring Google Maps a few months ago for buildings that could possibly have been old gyms at some point. I saw one in Selvin labeled as a community center (always a green flag), and the structure looked like a 50s era gym. And what do you know? It was exactly that! I was able to connect with Mr. Steve Beard who lives in Selvin, and along with his wife, is one of the biggest reasons the gym still serves the community to the capacity that it does today. The gym is rented out for receptions, parties, and other big community events. The annual Christmas dinner is a particularly special event that the whole town looks forward to each year. It brings everyone together, just like I'm sure Friday night basketball did back when the Selvin Wildcats called this place home. Selvin High School only played its varsity games here for a mere eight seasons. Consolidation rang its bell like it did for so many rural schools across the state, and students were sent to Lynnville in 1962, and the newly formed Tecumseh soon after. For those eight years, this new gym was the pride of the community. They're still proud of it to this day, and they should be! While it may not look exactly like it did 70 years ago, the heart of the place is still evident when you step inside.
If there wasn't a basket hanging on one end of the gym, you may not even realize that the Pigeon Township Community Buildilng used to be a gym at all. The bleachers along both sidelines were removed at some point to provide more space, Judging by the width of the place, I'd imagine there were probably about 4-5 rows on each side. The original hardwood floor also faced issues with moisture, and eventually it was replaced with an epoxy concrete floor. While it doesn't scream "old gym," it actually looks pretty nice. As I mentioned, there's one old hoop hanging from the ceiling above one baseline. The other end has the frame of an old hoop, but it's missing the glass and the rim as a result of an unfortunate accident that happened while they were working on the basket. A replacement is in the works; it just wasn't quite put up yet when I visited. Right below that old frame, along the baseline wall, is the original concession window that now opens up into the kitchen of the community center. There are only a couple more relics that point to the time when it served as the Selvin gym. An old-school scoreboard with a circular clock in the middle to keep time hangs high up on a baseline wall. Right below it is a little orange sign with the Wildcat logo on it that would have delineated where the Wildcat Pep Club would have been in the gym. It looks like there used to be little square windows up along the tops of the sideline walls that have long since been filled in.
There's a small, framed photo when you enter the lobby of the gym that shows a newspaper clipping from 1955 honoring the dedication of the gym. It shows important community members shaking hands and local women preparing the meal for the dedication banquet. It melds well with the sentiment I perceived when talking to Mr. Beard and he told me that the entire gym was built by the community. People donated their time and resources to a cause they felt was worthwhile because it would benefit the entire community, especially the youth. This sentiment has persisted over the years as the gym has survived due to the work of people in the Selvin community, so it can continue to serve the Selvin community. I was told I needed to stop by the Selvin General Store on my way out of town. I did, and I found the same feeling there. The store (which is functionally a diner, but a general store in spirit) is decorated throughout with Selvin Wildcat memorabilia. I couldn't help but think back to the Emma General Store that I grew up frequenting before my own high school basketball games. Those memories left an indelible mark on me, just as I'm sure Selvin has done on many residents who have been blessed enough to call it home. Another small town, another great legacy. Unincorporated doesn't mean unimportant. This goes for the gyms that still stand within these communities to this day.
