Historical Images of Porter County

Main Street North and Crisman School
Crisman, Indiana

Date: 1909
Source Type: Postcard
Publisher, Printer, Photographer: H D Scofield
Postmark: September 15, 1909, Hobart, Indiana
Collection: Steven R. Shook
Remark: A log school house measuring 18 feet by 24 feet stood on the site of the school seen here. This log structure was used for about nine years. The first term of school at Crisman was taught by Elder Bartlett, a Baptist minister. Later teachers at this school, in order, included Cyrus Sales, Christina Fry, Emily Gerhart, and Chancey Gaylord. Gaylord was a cripple and the last to teach in the log school. A frame building followed the log construction and the brick building, seen here, was erected in 1879. In January 1909, the Crisman School began providing for high school education; prior to this time, the school district did not provide high school education and local students would have to travel and board elsewhere to achieve a high school education. Around 1919, an addition was made to the brick building. Soon afterward, in 1922, the first gymnasium, a frame building, was built at a cost of approximately $12,000. The school's enrollment then expanded rapidly with the industrialization along the Lake Michigan shoreline, and a new high school physical plant was completed in the fall of 1929 at a cost of $90,000 to accommodate this growth. The back of postcard is signed by Dora Crisman.

This postcard was produced by Herbert D. Scofield. Scofield was born in Cook County, Illinois, on February 22, 1860, the son of John and Emma (Montrose) Scofield. At the age of seven, Herbert D. Scofield moved to Crisman, Indiana, to learn the agricultural trade under the guidance of Burrill Hall. In 1892, Scofield purchased a small stock of goods and established a merchandise business in Crisman that grew into a well-established and large general store. Beginning in 1893, Scofield served as the postmaster of Crisman. It is possible that the two women seen in this image are Scofield's wife (Mattie Humphrey Scofield) and daughter (Bessie Scofield). Herbert D. Scofield also had five sons - Burl, Lawrence, Howard, Hartzell, and Robert.

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Image and related text prepared by Steven R. Shook