Fulton School

Now Lewis Bakery, this corner was once where Fulton Avenue School stood. Referred to more regularly as just Fulton School, this public school remained for just over 100 years serving this region of Evansville, known as the Lamasco District. Although this school was generally seen as a success and was useful to the community and children of the area, it did not stand the test of time.

Fulton School was an Evansville grade school that began construction in 1870 and was finished in 1871. Although the school did all the things of a standard grade school of the time, it saw significant success in its enrollment. This success was seen by the multiple construction projects that took place over the life of the building. When the school was originally constructed, it was relatively small and was made identifiable by a tall tower that stood out in the front of the building. Within the first 20 years of its construction, the school saw two instances of expansion, with a south wing being built in 1884, and a north wing added on in 1890 to accommodate for the influx of new students from the area. This was not the end of renovations for the school however, eventually the tower would be removed and a gym added in 1927. These additions to the school are symbolic of the growth of the school and the impact it had on the area.

Fulton School was not an average grade school though, as it was recognized for its progressive and relatively new idea of having a student government of sorts. Although student governments are commonplace now, this was not the case in the early 20th century, especially in grade schools. This system involved students who had earned the rank of "prefect" which was a kind of student representative that would attend meetings to come up with ways to improve the school. These "prefects" were 6th to 8th grade students selected collectively by other students, the principal, and the teachers. At the time that this system was written about in The Journal of Education in 1926, there were 40 "prefects" and Fulton School was seen idealistically as a place where children were upstanding citizens and well-behaved, enjoying school and striving to uphold their title of "prefect" or working towards obtaining it.

One of the most important figures in the school's history, especially when considering the aforementioned student government, was former principal Floyd C. Ragland. Ragland was an integral part of starting and maintaining the student government system, but also a dedicated servant of the school system. Ragland worked in Vanderburgh county schools beginning in 1893 starting as a teacher, then became a principal, and eventually earning the role of superintendent in 1907. In 1916 however, he returned to his role as principal, now at Fulton School, where he remained until his death in 1927. In his death he was recognized as a great asset to the school system and Fulton School in particular, where he cultivated a strong student culture and launched the first successful "ungraded" school in Evansville, meant to help students who were seen as less capable of learning in a standard school environment. It is clear that Ragland was deeply important to his community, as when he passed away, school was closed for his funeral and his passing made the front page of the newspaper, with an article outlining his accomplishments and significance to the city of Evansville.

Although Fulton School saw years of success it did not survive to see the present day as political change came to Evansville in the 1960s and 70s. When Vanderburgh county schools were eventually desegregated, there were many changes made to the system in place including changes to school districts, which caused students to change schools and caused some of those schools to shut down, as was the case with Fulton School. After the school was closed in 1973, it was torn down and eventually constructed into what is seen today, Lewis Bakery.

Engler, Joe. Going Old School: Fulton Ave School, Vanderburgh County Historical Society. March 18th, 2014. Accessed November 29th, 2023. http://www.vchshistory.org/2014/03/18/going-old-school-fulton-ave-school/.

Dreisch, Carl. "A Beloved Teacher." Evansville Press (Evansville) April 11th, 1927. 285 ed, 1-1.

McTurnan, Lawrence. Giving Youth A Chance. The Journal of Education, vol. 104, no. 16400 - 401. Published November 1st, 1926. JSTOR.