Amish group was the successful bidder
at $3,225 which included the land, the
building and its contents. The same
evening the fledgling school board met
and named the school Plainview Christian Day School. It was the first Amish
parochial school in Indiana.
When school opened in the fall,
the Amish students attended classes in
town. But on Monday morning October 11, Plainview opened its doors.
The Constitution and Bylaws of the
school were read; Sidney Zook, the new
teacher, gave a short talk after which
classes were in session. Plainview’s
enrollment was twenty-six. In his book
Delbert Farmwald includes Eli Gingerich’s own account of the beginning
of the first Amish school in Indiana
which includes the names of all who
were involved.
A second milestone came in the
summer of 1956. The Shipshewana
School Board had made a decision to
close Naylor School. On September 27,
the School Board held a special meet-
ing with nearly ninety-five Amish
present. Board President Dewey Nelson
discussed the pros and cons of oneroom schools. It was suggested that a
questionnaire be circulated among the
Amish to get their feedback. Minutes of that meeting are on file in the
Westview School Corporation office. A
follow-up meeting was held in March
of 1957. Sighting the lack of a united
position on the part of the Amish community, the Board decided not to reopen the Naylor School. That summer
The Hometown Treasure · September ‘12 · pg 25