Driving the Michigan Road between Indianapolis and Logansport, you see a lot of farmland and a bunch of small towns. Some of those small towns are barely dots on the map. Middlefork is one of those, so named because it is near the middle fork of Wildcat Creek. It’s so small that you don’t even have to slow down for it. I sped through it dozens of times before I noticed its abandoned road and abandoned school.
State Road 26 intersects the Michigan Road (State Road 29) at Middlefork’s north edge, just south of Wildcat Creek. SR 26 was moved 50 feet north at this intersection somewhere along the way, but a short stretch of the old road was left behind.
This schoolhouse – at least it looks like a schoolhouse to me – stands abandoned on this abandoned road, probably the victim of consolidation.
I really, really wanted to take a closer look. But ever nervous about trespassing and perhaps encountering unfriendly landowners, I stayed back. I hope to learn more about what caused this road and this school to be left behind.
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