The remaining 1926 Marshall Memorial Hall addition is just a small part of the history of Columbia City’s high schools.
The first school classes were taught in Columbia City in 1845, with the first permanent all-grades school being constructed in 1869 on the city block bounded by Walnut, Elm, and Jolly Streets. A second school was then opened at Chicago and Ohio Streets in about 1878. It was from that school in 1881 that the first high school class graduated, with local attorney Thomas R. Marshall handing diplomas to two graduates: Nathalie Mason and David Linvill (later Doctor Linvill).
With the City’s rapid population growth, and the growing importance of secondary education in Indiana communities in the late 19th-century, the need was apparent for a dedicated high school building. So, in 1905, a new high school building specifically for grades 9-12 was constructed on the location of the 1869 school (which had been replaced in 1889 by the West Ward school just to the north). This was Columbia City’s first fully accredited high school, and the Class of 1909 had 42 members coming from around Whitley County.
Still involved with the City’s schools, former Vice President Thomas R. Marshall gave the commencement address in 1925, only days before his death. Later that year, a movement was started to erect the school’s own 1,400-seat gymnasium and auditorium, named “Marshall Memorial Hall,” along with 14 new classrooms. Fully opened by 1927, this new addition was located parallel to Elm Street on the west side of the 1905 High School and connected to the adjacent 1889 West Ward elementary school. The size of the Class of 1926 was 64.
For the next 32 years, this high school was used without many changes. However, pressure was building from the state to consolidate school systems, leading to the construction of the Columbia City Joint High School on North Whitley Street, which opened in the fall of 1958. The last class of the original Columbia City High School numbered 88.
After the opening of the Joint High School, the old high school became Marshall Middle School. The 1905 building was demolished in the late 1960s and replaced with a one-story structure, which still stands alongside the 1926 Marshall Memorial Hall.
The Columbia City Joint High School became Columbia City High School again in 1990 and hosted annual commencements until quietly closing in the spring of 2020. Classes moved to the south side of the City that fall to the current facility.
Thank you to Nathan Bilger for his outstanding research and writing of the article. Thank you the Whitley County Historical Museum for sharing photos from their collection.
Where are We: Architectural History
It is said that a building will often tell its own story, sometimes quietly through its architectural style, or in the remnants of a decades-old remodeling, or in the vestiges of some long forgotten prior use. But this building seems to be yelling its story.
This name block declaring “CCHS” is set on the north wall of the first Columbia City High School. The high school was originally built in 1904, and this was part of an addition constructed in 1926 that contained classrooms and the Marshall Memorial Hall gymnasium.
After the opening of the Columbia City Joint High School in the fall of 1958, this building was converted to Thomas R. Marshall Middle School and the 1904 portion was replaced with a modernist one-story structure. This is now the Marshall Community Center at 107 N. Walnut Street.
Thank you to Nathan Bilger for providing the recent photos and valuable insights into the architectural history.
