St. Joseph Indian Normal School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
St. Joseph Indian Normal School
|
|
_P6120027.jpg) |
|
 Location in Indiana
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | St. Joseph's College Campus off U.S. Route 231, Rensselaer, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1888 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000018 |
| Added to NRHP | June 19, 1973 |
The St. Joseph's Indian Normal School was a special school for Native American boys. It was located in Rensselaer, Indiana. Today, the building is called Drexel Hall. It is part of the Saint Joseph's College campus.
This school was open from 1888 to 1896. It was supported by the U.S. government and Catholic groups. The idea behind such schools was to help Native American children learn the ways of the non-Native American culture. This was often called "assimilation" at the time.
The school was started by the Catholic Indian Missions. St. Katharine Drexel helped pay for it. About 60 Native American boys attended the school. The Society of Precious Blood managed the school. After the school closed, the building became Drexel Hall. It was one of the first buildings for Saint Joseph's College.
About the School Building
The school building was made of red brick. Its ground floor had a sandstone wall around it. The building was square, about 80 feet (24 meters) on each side. In the middle, there was a square courtyard. This courtyard was about 30 feet (9 meters) on each side.
Most parts of the building had four floors. The east side had three floors. The roof was made of red tiles. The main entrance was on the west side. A Catholic organization in Washington, D.C. owned the building.
Inside the School
The school was a boarding school, meaning students lived there. It could hold up to 70 boys. Inside, there were classrooms and a playroom. There was also a dormitory where the boys slept. The building had a kitchen and a small chapel.
Rooms were also set aside for the superintendent and a few teachers. About six Sisters (nuns) lived there and helped run the kitchen. An old report said the building had 29 rooms in total.
The building was used as an Indian school for only eight years. It stayed mostly the same until 1937. Then, it was changed to be a residence hall for Saint Joseph's College. The bell tower was removed, and shutters were taken off the windows. Inside, the courtyard was made smaller. This allowed for an extra row of rooms. Later, Drexel Hall was used for college offices.
Why This School Was Important
The St. Joseph's Indian Normal School is important for several reasons:
- It shows a time when the country tried to solve issues with Native Americans. They believed that sending children to off-reservation schools would help them fit into the non-Native American culture. The hope was that these boys would then share what they learned with their own people.
- It was designed like the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. That famous school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania was founded nine years earlier.
- It was a "contract" school. This means it was a private school that received money from the government. The government paid a certain amount for each student. This was done to support Native American education. It represents a time when the government and private groups worked together in a way that is not common today.
- It was the only Catholic off-reservation school of its kind.
- It was one of only two such Native American schools in Indiana. The other was White's Manual Labor Institute in Wabash, Indiana. That school was run by the Society of Friends (Quakers).
See also
