I had heard there were bricks inscribed, but until today I had not seen them with my own eyes, nor touched them on the side of the old school building. A neighbor was kind enough to take a few photos for sharing. She had seen the R. Moore brick, with the date inscribed in the next brick. I saw that, too, and entertained the possibility of who actually carved into the bricks on that school building a hundred and fifty years ago. We did look up the R. Moore possibilities.
I saw Wm’s and Orin’s bricks, and those of others whose names and dates have yet to be deciphered; but when I saw Theadore’s brick I knew the inscriptions deserved a post separate to the one about the building itself. One date, 1861 was so clear, it is hard to imagine the brick is that old.
Theadore’s brick called the loudest. It seems Theadore Gibbons (also spelled Girvens and Givvens on the census sheets) lived in Madison, Indiana (and went to school) east of Ferry, as his name appears on the 1850 census under the name of a brother, James, and a grandparent. Apparently his parents were gone.
Here’s Theadore’s brick. I traced over it in the bottom photo so you could be sure to see his whole name. In the photo above you can see where this brick is in relation to the R. Moore brick.
Was Theadore someone imporant? Did he make a substantial impact on the lives of people he met? Where did he go after he left the neighborhood? Would anyone consider this building worthy of historic landmark status? Do any of the names and dates account for anything? It’s so simple sometimes.
These inscriptions are at about the same height across the side of the building. The inscriptions made me smile as I imagined children standing next to their schoolhouse, carving their names, like many children may have done in their life journeys. Like William Brushfield did when he carved his name and some dates in the jamb of the Brushfield Manufactory building. Sometimes, a little boy’s mark in the clay or wood is enough to make his life worth mentioning, long after he is gone.
Sometimes it is nice just to go back for a second look.
