Farrington Grove Elementary

Farrington Grove Elementary School was built in 1987 and opened in November 1988.  Farrington Grove was built on the property where Fairbanks Elementary was located.  Several schools have consolidated to make Farrington Grove what it is today.  Crawford Elementary, Greenwood Elementary, and Fairbanks Elementary.

Crawford School was called the Third Ward School until 1906 when it was renamed.  It was located at the northeast corner or Third and Farrington Streets.  Crawford was a ten room school – eight as classrooms.  There was no indoor plumbing and it was heated by coal stoves in the basement.  Improvements were made in 1905 which included a 2 room addition in the back, a deeper basement, a hot water heat furnace, and indoor plumbing.

Construction for the new Crawford School began December 13, 1960 and Fifth and Crawford Streets.  Crawford School opened its doors on October 30, 1961 and served students until the end of the 2001-2002 school year.

Greenwood Elementary School was opened in 1908 and for a short time was known as ‘City School No. 21.”  The name Greenwood, taken from the original owner of the land, was restored to the school in 1912.

March 24, 1913, a tornado struck the southwest part of the city and did extensive damage to the building.  A number of volunteers worked nearly two days without rest in order to replace the of and repair damaged walls.  Greenwood School had survived!  In fact, the school became a refuge during the next few weeks for tornado victims.

During the past few years, Greenwood School has become well known throughout Indiana for its sponsorship of a very successful camping and outdoor education experience for its students at the Indiana State University Nature Center.

Fairbanks Elementary School was built at the foot of a sand hill in the 1700 Block of South Sixth Street just south of Hulman.  The school opened in 1906 and served students in grades one through eight.  At one point in its history, the building housed 517 students.

From its opening in 1906 until the final school bells rang in May, 1988, Fairbanks Elementary School provided quality education for several generations of Terre Haute Students.  Fairbanks enjoyed a reputation as a school where parents wanted their children to attend and where students seemed to enjoy learning an growing in a friendly setting.  A real sense of “neighborhood” seemed to permeate the atmosphere of the building during its long, illustrious history.

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