Rural History is Alive in Lyles Station, Indiana
Last month, FSA District Director John Helm called his regular meeting to order in a special location in honor of Black History Month. His staff traveled 35 miles north of Evansville to the town of Lyles Station, Ind., to tour one of the first black settlements in the state.
Lyles Station was founded by freed Tennessee slave Joshua Lyles in 1849. It thrived from 1880-1911; during this time it was home to a railroad station, post office, lumber mill, two general stores, two churches, an elementary school and over 50 homes. A catastrophic flood of the White, Wabash, and Patoka rivers in 1912 caused a slow decline in the settlement and its turn-of-the-century population of 800 dropped to about 50 families. Nearly half of the population at the time descended from original settlers. Today, only six families call it home. Having a smaller population does not diminish the residents’ enthusiasm for keeping Lyles Station a thriving community. Each spring, they tenaciously turn the soil their ancestors stumbled onto 150 years ago and every fall they rev up the giant combines in preparation for harvest.
Over the years, most of the buildings in Lyles Station had been abandoned and demolished. Fortunately a portion of the original school was left standing. In 1919, with the assistance of a USDA grant, it was restored back to its original structure. This made it possible for the Lyles Consolidated School to hold classes, which continued for about forty years until 1958. The original intentions were to have the school integrated but this did not happen.
Today, the restored building is used as an interpretive center. It displays the story of what the black community had to endure in Lyles Station and recreates a sense of life and learning in the town during the 1920s, when the school was new and the community was thriving.
“The tour of the restored school made us aware of the challenges of the rural black population during the turn of the century, in particular how difficult it was to obtain a quality education,” said District Director John Helm. “It was inspirational to learn about the many students who attended school at Lyles Station and went on to have remarkable careers. These stories included Alonzo Fields, who was the chief butler at the White House under presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower, and Lyman Parks, who later became the first black mayor of Grand Rapids.”
The story of Lyles Station and its dedicated residents remains inspirational today. It is a story that will live on in the historic school and is passed down each day to the many school children from the tri-state area who visit, so they may walk through the restored buildings and witness history.
Indiana District Eight staff listen to tour guide Stan Madison (left) inside of the restored school building during their visit to Lyles Station. Pictured in the desks are Greg Knowles, Dave Sturgell, Courtnee Winternheimer, Darla Norris, Janet Ault, Janelle Springer, Rhonda Eaton, John Helm and Amy Barber. Julie Rayburn is standing in the back of the room.