Horace Mann School - Beloved and Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann School, once teeming with thousands of students, now sits abandoned and rotting, another monument to the lost prosperity of Gary, Indiana.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

I parked beside a crumbling brick apartment building in downtown Gary, Indiana. In the cold autumn morning a few people were still asleep in nearby cars, a cruel irony in a city with so many abandoned homes.

Across the street a sprawling abandoned high school filled the horizon. Like the breathtaking ruins of City Methodist Church, which I had explored the previous evening, Horace Mann School was a casualty of Gary, Indiana's shrinking population.

Several middle-aged couples walked laps along the track that stretched the length of the building.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

The school was enormous, with a capacity of around two and a half thousand students. It originally consisted of three main structures that were eventually joined together. The cornerstone of the central building was laid on November 8, 1926 and construction was completed in 1928.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

On the large plot of land in front of the school's main entrance, an existing ravine was transformed into a pond with several pedestrian bridges and a rock garden, giving it the appearance of a beautiful park. It was a popular location for picnics, fishing, and ice skating in the winter.

Historic photo of Horace Mann School with original pond
(image courtesy of http://www.horacemann49.com)
The school was named after Horace Mann, one of the most important reformers of the public school system. He believed that a free society cannot exist without equal access to education and that schools should not be aligned with any particular religious denomination. Though controversial at the time, his ideas eventually became widely accepted throughout the United States. Many schools have been named in his honor. 

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

In 1929 Horace Mann School had a student body of 870. By 1937, it increased to nearly 2400 students and 80 staff members. 

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

When enrollment grew to nearly 2600 in 1956, exceeding Horace Mann's intended capacity, the district decided to build an additional school on the southern portion of the property. John H. Vohr Elementary School opened in in 1958. Sadly, the pond was filled in to make room for a parking lot.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

When the steel industry declined in the '60s, the population of Gary began to shrink, as did the city's tax revenue.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

By 2003, Horace Mann High School had only 546 students, roughly a fifth of its capacity.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

The school closed in 2004 due to budgetary constraints and a greatly diminished student population. The final graduating class consisted of only 72 students. The neighboring John H Vohr Elementary School closed too in 2010.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann School was an impressive institution in its day with many amenities including two science labs,

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

a pair of swimming pools,

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

a large auditorium,


Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

and a robust physical education program that included two gymnasiums.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

An incredible amount of materials were left behind when the school closed.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

The science labs were fully stocked, though most of the artifacts have been looted or damaged.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

A cursory effort was apparently made to consolidate textbooks and other supplies, some of which were gathered around one of the swimming pools.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Rows of boxes filled with textbooks lined one side of the school's newer gymnasium.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Vandals set fire to some of them. Thankfully it did not spread.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

It seems unlikely that the building will ever be put to use again. Vandalism and the elements have taken a heavy toll. There is a great deal of water damage in the basement. The floor of the gym is so heavily warped from moisture that a large section of it has risen up and buckled.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Many online communities have formed, where alumni keep in touch with one another and share fond memories of their time at Horace Mann School. Please feel free to share any memories you have of this magnificent school in the comment section below.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

After Horace Mann School, I stopped to appreciate the ruins of another of Gary, Indiana's magnificent historical buildings, the Gary Public Schools Memorial Auditorium.

Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana

Thank you for checking out this article. If you enjoyed it, please share it on Facebook.

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Until then, feel free to read my previous posts about the incredible places I explored on my Epic Rust Belt Road Trip

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Thank you!


Horace Mann High School Abandoned in Gary, Indiana


76 comments :

  1. Great post!
    I can't believe how they just "walk away" and leave ALL the stuff in these places.....books, lab equipment, everything.
    Must have been neat (and scary!) to see.

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    1. I couldn't believe it either. It especially surprised me that the science labs hadn't been cleaned out. I was disappointed that it had been so thoroughly ransacked, but after more than a decade of abandonment it isn't too surprising.

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    2. That really tugged at my heartstrings. They even left the trophies!

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    3. I graduated class of 93 and I was just there yesterday and yes it is very creepy in there now.

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  2. I actually graduated from Horace Mann in 1977. I can't believe I walked these halls. This is such a shame to witness, but Gary has closed many schools due to a lack of jobs for parents. RIP HORACE MANN you were once loved

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    1. I bet you have a lot of great memories of this school. It seems like it used to be top of the line. It's sad to see such a place left behind and everything inside it gone to waste.

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    2. It wasn't due just to "a lack of jobs for parents;" the jobs remained for those willing to work them. It was due in larger part to the absence of respect for the law and the institutions fostered and protected by it, including once-nationally renowned schools like this one. It was due to an absence of good character in those who remained in Gary after it elected its first black mayor and drug-dealing blacks raised it to national prominence as the murder capital of the US. If that sounds "racist" or insensitive, too bad: I'm only tellin' it like it is, and the sooner people recognize this and scrap the euphemisms, the better.

      And please: this school didn't "deteriorate" - it was vandalized and destroyed.

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    3. You got part of it right the to you left you white folks got mad when Gary had the first black mayor in the country y'all left im not being racists

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    4. You are absolutely correct, I was born in Gary, Indiana, we lived in an apartment off 8th and Jackson. I went to school at Jefferson Elementary, played Little League in Gary, used to go to the CYO, Boys Club, the Library downtown, got my haircut at Goldblats (spelling) dept store downtown, candy at Pinellas off 8th ave. However prior to moving out of Gary in 1969 we could not go out once it got dark or you would get shook down, harassed or even killed by street gangs, drug dealers and attics. I have such fond memories of Gary, swimming at Horace Mann HS in the late evenings. However we had to move out, everyone started moving out after Mayor Hatcher was elected in 68, I went thru downtown Gary in 97 and it was boarded up, my buddy said get us out of here and back on the freeway !!!! We were on our way to visit Norte Dame. I feel for all of the families that had to move out of their hometown due to horrendous crime and frequent rapes and murders.

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    6. I lived in Detroit in the 80's for 12 years, same exact thing there and for the same reasons.

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    7. Stacy Harris - the racism street runs in both directions. Let me share with you one of my life's experiences.

      Back in October of 1992, my lawtwe'a work in Room 4 at the Lake Superior Courthouse at 4th and Broadway concluded early. (I'm a retired lawyer.) The rest of the morning was open. As I departed the Courthouse, I thought to myself 30 years before, I was in the first semester of my senior year at Mann. I hadn’t been back since 1965. A return was long overdue. So off I went.

      After arriving at the Mann property, I parked in the teachers’ parking lot that faced Cleveland Street. My attempt to enter through the west door was thwarted by a thick chain that had been affixed to secure the door from opening. So much for the fire drills of yesteryear.

      By then, both of the handball courts had been demolished to allow for the construction of the new gym so there was no longer an entrance from the north side of the building, at least none with which I was familiar.

      So I walked around to the south side and up the stairs to the entrance which was never, ever used back in the day. As I breached the doors, there to greet me was a cadre of Gary Police Officers standing on the stairway leading to the second floor. All nine were black. All were in full uniform, complete with bulletproof vests. Except for one, they didn’t look at all cordial. The outlier identified himself as Sgt. Alton Brumfield. He asked my business and after hearing what I had to say, asked if I’d like a guided tour.

      Inwardly, I laughed. Even after a 30 year absence, I felt I knew the intricacies of the place as well as he did. But the offer was accepted.

      We ascended the stairs to the throat of the old auditorium. I asked if we could go in. He obliged, removing a set of keys from his belt so the lock securing the chain with links of half inch steel could be removed. And in we went.

      As we ascended the side steps up to the stage, I stood there, looking out, fondly recalling all of the pep rallies, athletic team honor ceremonies and class plays, including those in which I had “acted”. Looking up to the control booth way atop the auditorium, I could still see Bob Weiss and his cohorts running the lights.

      When I was in 8th grade, Mrs. Page taught the music class in one of the two rooms there behind the stage. Her room was accessed by the stairway on the north side.

      Those stairs looked to be dust covered and unused so I asked the Sergeant if the room was no longer used. His response was one of the two that were seared into my memory, never to be forgotten. He said,
      “Nope, too many babies made up there.” I thought, my, how things have changed over the course of those three decades.

      Well, the auditorium tour was concluded. We exited. Sgt. Brumfield re-secured the doors with the chain and locked it up to secure it from who knows what.

      Upon exit, we turned left, to the east and proceeded no more than fifteen feet. I looked into the trophy case which thirty years before was filled to the brim with the trophies won be teams from the late 20's to the early 60's. The case was empty. I asked what happened to the trophies.

      It was then that the second response was seared indelibly into my memory. Brumfield said, and I quote, “THE KIDS DECIDED THEY DIDN’T WANT WHITEYS’ TROPHIES AROUND.” Inwardly, I cried and seethed with rage. Imagine the reaction we would have received if the tables were reversed and as a group we cast the aspersions in the other direction.

      The wooden classroom doors that had six of eight panes of class were gone, replaced with what looked to be ones made of solid steel.

      The place had an eerie silence. The an ambience was so unlike anything from back in the day. The place I had so loved, respected and revered was no more.




      The wooden classroom doors that had six of eight panes of class were gone, replaced with what looked to be ones made of solid steel.

      The place had an eerie silence. The an ambience was so unlike anything from back in the day. The place I had so loved, respected and revered was no more.

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  3. Great story, it is a wonder how fast our modern buildings deteriorate.
    You got me searching the world (online) for similar sites

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    1. Thank you! It really is amazing that they fall apart so quickly, especially when moisture finds its way in.

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  4. Fantastic photos and presentation....great job Jim!

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  5. Another great job, Jim. I feel for the former student who posted above. While it saddens any reader, it must torture the one's who walked the halls.

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    1. Thanks! I feel for the former students too. It must be sad to see an important place from one's past in such a terrible state. I wonder if I will ever see my old high school abandoned like this.

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    2. I was a student of Horace Mann from 1986-1988 when my family moved out of state. This is truly heartbreaking. I even lived in a house 1 block down from the school, that was a very majestic building that called out to you. As an elementary student at John H. Vohr, I could not wait to attend Horace Mann. This is really sad.

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    3. my fiancé was also a student graduated 1987

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  6. Wow, this is sad. It must have been a great school once. Time marches on, I suppose.

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    1. It really is strange and sad to see a huge school gone to waste like this. I've heard it was a wonderful school back in its day.

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  7. This is magnificent!! It's so sad how people destroy what is left behind. Such a treasure to see....
    Would love to see some things around Washington State (my home town) and Colorado (Where I live now). Really enjoy your work!!!!!

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    1. Thank you, Debbie! I haven't done any exploring in Washington yet, but I hope I get the chance before too long. I've been to quite a few interesting abandoned places in Colorado. To read about them, check out the list or map on my "Places I've Been" page.

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  8. Always love your posts! It's awful to see so much destruction and graffiti, what is wrong with people? Sad that such an amazing place was left to rot. Can't wait to see where you go next!

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    1. Thanks, Misty! I hate to see so much graffiti and vandalism too. I'll never understand the impulse to destroy things for no reason. I'd rather leave them alone and witness the beautiful ways nature wears away at them over time. My next article will feature another of Gary, Indiana's beautiful crumbling historic buildings. There are so many interesting places to explore there.

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  9. Thanks for the eye-opening profile of another of Gary's institutions. As far as the vandalism and graffiti, I view it as part of the natural progression of abandoned places. The best scenario would be renovation/reuse, but when that doesn't occur and the building is left standing, people will go inside them (as you every explorer can attest). Many of us are there to look and document, but just as many are there to destroy, tag, or seek shelter. We can debate whether it's better to view a building rotting away due to nature's effects (preferably) or due to human destruction, but I think it distracts from the larger issues of economic collapse and abandonment. I look forward to more from your Gary trip, Jim!

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    1. You bring up a great point, Greg. Economic collapse is the most important issue. It really hit home when I saw the abandoned places of the Rust Belt firsthand. It was one thing to see it in pictures from the comfort of my home, but to walk around these cities and imagine what it is like for the people who live there was truly eye-opening. I hope we come up with effective solutions to the economic decline of these great cities soon.

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    2. It's not just "economic decline" that's at fault; it's more about moral and ethical decline. It's not always "all about jack;" it's often about "communities" that don't respect the law. Let's stop making excuses for them and hold them accountable for the damage they continue to do.

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    3. To Anonymous. In most communities, where they once thrived, the corporations decided long ago to abandoned for cheaper wages overseas. They didn't give a crap about hard working folks of all colors. I grew up in one of those rust belt community about 2 hours away and we were all hard working. I believe that if these places if given attention by the powers to be & grassroots folks who care about these towns and give folks opportunities, there is progress. What happened to Detroit was plain out corporate disregard, racism at all levels and white flight. Just call it what it is ok and don't blame on the victims of dispossessed economic opportunities. We don't say negative things "like total disrespect for the law" to white communities that have undergone economic change, do we? We seem to have more compassion. I think there's something called a double standard applied to people of color and minorities in our society. Call the white elephant in the room--institutionalized or implicit racism.

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    4. May I add that Reagan exploited the use of the welfare queen to run for office and cut funding to women and child services. Excellent article:

      http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2013/12/linda_taylor_welfare_queen_ronald_reagan_made_her_a_notorious_american_villain.html

      Also, women are paid less than men for the occupations they work in. Until we have a equitable system of pay for women in America, poverty won't be abolished. We're living in an era of what most sociologists call "the feminization of poverty."

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    1. Thank you! I had no idea there were 21 abandoned schools there. Such a shame. I love it when there are a lot of artifacts left behind.

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  11. Elaine (Wilkins) HallFebruary 17, 2017 at 7:55 AM

    I attended school at Horace Mann from 1966-1970. I was there just last week to look for myself. I am not sad because she still stands, the auditorium and pools and science labs still hold our hearts, thank you so much for caring enough to photograph this for us

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    1. Thank you, Elaine. It must have been strange to see your old school in the condition it is now in. It's nice to know that it still holds the hearts and happy memories of its former students :)

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  12. I was born in Gary, Indiana. My immediate family moved to the east coast. Every year I was in Gary for the summer and Thanksgiving. Memories of Gary still resonates when speaking about "Old Gary". Miss the good old days.

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    1. I bet you've seen the city change quite a bit over the years. It's good to hear that you have such fond memories.

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  13. Princess Garvis (Scott)March 21, 2017 at 8:02 PM

    I am a graduate of Horace Mann...c/o '93. Born & raised in Gary, IN, though I've since moved. I walked these very halls, used these lockers, watched many presentations in this auditorium, used the Science Labs, as well as classrooms. I'm heart broken by it all, but the gym with the buckled floor brings tears to my eyes. I was a cheerleader all 4 years here. I cheered on this floor, & watched MANY games...I know the young men who are the Champions on the gymnasium wall. I had P.E. & swam in these pools...I have yet to see Horace Mann in its' ruins in person...I have to say, I don't know if I'm emotionally ready. Thank you for a WONDERFUL article.

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    1. Thank you for commenting. I'm glad to hear that you had so many happy memories of Horace Mann. It seems like it was a great school back in its day.

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    2. Yes! It was...

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  14. I graduated from Horace Mann. It was sad to see what has happened to that school There were actually 4 science labs. 2 on the first floor and 2 on the second floor. We were one of the few schools to have microscopes for each student. All the school city of Gary did was close the doors and lock it. All those computers, books could have been used by someone. Now of course they would be all outdated. This school has graduated lawyers, doctors generals, admirals, teachers and nurses. etc It was a great school at one time.

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    1. I didn't see the science labs on the first floor. They might have been so badly damaged that I didn't recognize them for what they were. It's such a shame that the books, computers and equipment were all left there when the school closed. Such a waste.

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  15. That was sad to see I went to Horace Mann I graduated from there in 83

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    1. I can't imagine how sad and strange it must be to see your old school like this.

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    2. greatest school ever. 1980 graduate member drill team tennis team math mann and more. I am saddened to see it this way

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  16. I graduated in 2001. They had just laid that gym floor after I left...it was brand new. It's sad to see it in this state, and especially vandalized. I would have liked to see them take the trophies at least.

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    1. I was really surprised to see the trophies there too. People worked so hard to earn them and they were just left behind. I was amazed by the way the gym floor warped. I'd never seen anything like that before.

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  17. Great article, Jim. I work at the mill down the road from this old school and have always been fascinated by it. The history speaks for itself. The great Tom Harmon graduated here and later won the heisman at Michigan. The school has a huge alumni following and all share fond memories including teachers I had growing up in nearby Portage.

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    1. Thank you. The school is amazing and huge. It's strange to think that it sits unused after decades of shaping so many people's lives. I enjoy reading the comments and happy memories people have of this place.

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  18. It's sad a fire destroy the auditorium.

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  19. I wear my father's 1937 school ring. So much of Gary has fallen to ruin. Sad. . .

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    1. How neat that you still have his ring. Great 80-year-old artifact. I was shocked to see the condition of Gary. It's hard to believe a city could deteriorate so badly.

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  20. Graduated in 1965. HM was a GREAT SCHOOL back then . . .Tons of memories. Went there from K-12. Long before John Vohr was built. We had a pond in the front of the school and swans. Benches to sit and eat your lunch out there. The Band was awesome. The Resur's directed the band at that time. It is a shame that they didn't take the left over books and send them to cities, countries, etc. that could learn from them. Also, the trophies could have been given to SPECIAL OLYMPICS. Those children love trophies. Lived across the street from the school for YEARS!

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    1. Thanks for sharing your memories. It sounds like it was a wonderful place back then. The amount of books and equipment left behind is staggering.

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  21. Can I ask what the accessiblilty was to this school? Was it easy to enter? Do you need a permit?

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  22. Thank you for cutting through the nonsense and for "telling it like it is." As a '70s-era graduate of another of Gary's once great, now gaunt - and closed - high schools, I can personally vouch for what you say and congratulate you for saying it.

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  23. All said abive is true. Graduated in 1964. Horace Mann was a great school. With a great surroundung community that took pride in keeping up their homes. It was alsi a safe place that alliwed you to walk down 5th ave to Broadway and see all the store front displays at Christmas tine. Once Hatcher was elected law and order became a joke, crime flourished and people couldn't wait to leave. That is what happened.

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    1. Hatcher was not the down fall of Gary. US Steel, racists poli tics were the cause. Gary was on decline long before Hatcher. I to lived in Gary and graduated from another high school in 1961. Notice how grand Horace Mann is described. What was missing is that minorities could not attend due to racist housing patterns. The other 7 high schools not as grand under went the same metamorphosis.

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  24. I was born and raised in Gary Indiana and went to JOHN H VOHR and HORACE MANN I left it in 1972 and went into the military came back home in 1974 and left Gary for good in 1976 sad to see but many great memories will be with me forever

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    1. Me too. Vohr from '65 to '68 then Horace Mann until I graduated in 1975. Horace Mann included 7th and 8th grade back then.

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  25. Is this school, the others, and the church in Gary easy to still get into without getting caught? Is there policing? Fences?

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  26. Born in Gary, graduated from Horace Mann 1959. What a school. Sports were great, some great football teams, great championship band. So sad to see these pictures. I was in the band and we traveled all over to parades, played half time at an NFL game, and won a lot of trophies and medals. It was a beautiful school in such different times.
    Ed "Lynn" Cobler ; April 4, 2018

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  27. Actually, it was Reagan and his bogus "trickle-down economic"s of the 80's that put the nail on the coffin for these communities. The decade of the 80's was the decade of deregulation and greed by corporations. I lived it so I know first hand what it did to my community in Illinois. Reagan, if you read the archives and history, coined the term "welfare queen" to single mothers, Latina & African American which was clearly racist to fuel division. Reagans top advisor even tried to prove it by his published flawed study that single parent households (google it), usually minority, caused crime and decay in our society. It was later to be disproved by many sociological studies in the past two decades. Sadly, the premise that single mothers cause crime in America still prevails in people's minds. That is what the powers to be and corporations want us to think---blame the single moms for having kids without dads. That's totally bogus theory now. Talk to any criminologist or social anthropologist. I'm so glad I took a college level black history studies course because you get a different perspective then what you learn in a typical U.S history class devoid of people of color who were unsung heroes and not depicted accurately.

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  28. One final note: this article pubished in Slate outlines Reagan's strategy to criminalize single moms as welfare queens in order to "reform" the welfare system that totally cut off aid to women & children to this day including the mentally ill. It was mean spirited and we're still suffering the "feminization of poverty" to this day.

    http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2013/12/linda_taylor_welfare_queen_ronald_reagan_made_her_a_notorious_american_villain.html

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  29. Jim, you're doing a great job touring throughout the U.S in documenting these lost places. But don't emphasize a lot about how great things were back then or maybe it's the comments I see. It's good to mention how memories are great. However, our country has always had problems from political scandals, wars, unemployment, natural disasters to race riots to mass murders. No decade is immune to horrible things that have happened. When you mention how great American ingenuity was back then, it was. But don't forget to mention that our government leaders at the time sided with the corporations starting from the Reagan era and 100 years before that. How many American workers died at the hands of violent union busting gangs hired by the corporations? Many. People just want a chance to make a decent living wage to raise their children and give them better opportunities. My point is that we shouldn't fantasize about returning to the '50's because there were plenty of problems back then too and worse. We all seem to forget that for some reason. But in a lighter note, keep on doing what you're doing. Just be cautious when going to these places, you never know what you may encounter.

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  30. I was in there yesterday and it looks a lot different now. The auditorium is damaged from a fire.

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  31. The library was named after him following the immense contribution he made towards establishing the library for the school community. comment

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  32. Jim,I remember You Around "69 or 70" Jim Farley I'm in Crown Point Stay in touch!

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  33. My mother graduated from Horace Mann in 1953 and my aunt in 1947. They both talked of the great education they received. My grandfather was a doctor at 2006 W. 4th place from 1946 until they moved in 1960. I have only seen the home and attached office room in family photos and now on google earth. In the 1960s and 1970s my parents would not take me to that area, even in the day, due to the high crime rate. My dad worked at US Steel until 1962, when they moved.

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  34. I graduated class of 71. My husband class of 69. I loved being a part of the orchestra and the concert and marching band! This was a great time in my life!
    It saddens my heart, but I have great memories in my heart still!

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  35. I'm from Chicago and I didn't go to the school, but I was there last month filming a video. It's a lot worse than the pictures now. Beautiful graffiti though. https://youtu.be/bXYEyzJ-fGI

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  36. I taught sophomore biology at Gary Horace Mann HS my first year out of college, the 1969-1970 school year. My name at the time was Violette Summers. I lived a block & a half away in an apartment building (?2224 West 5th Avenue). I walked to and from my apartment and was never afraid. My neighbors across the street were a fellow teacher and his family, a lovely black family. There was a grocery store about the same distance away in the other direction. It was great for someone without a car.

    My students were about 1/3 black, 1/3 white, and 1/3 latino. It was a wonderful place: great teachers and administrators who helped me navigate my first year as a real grown-uo. But, it was an old school even then. It was very similar to Hammond High School from which I graduated in 1964. Thete was a lab with sink one sink. The lab tables didn't have sinks. I brought basins of water to the room for messy labs. I left for Japan after only one year to marry a soldier stationed on a navy base as a food inspector for the Vietnam troops, then never went back to Indiana except to visit family.

    It was for me a joy to be in an integrated school: students and staff. I remenber few names, but my top students were from each of the 3 groups. I continue to be an advocate for integrated public schools.It breaks my heart to know that schools are now more segregated than they were in 1963.
    Horace Mann was right. Public schools are NECESSARY.

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    1. I lived at 2224 W. 5th Ave from 2005 to 2007. That's amazing.

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  37. Why not all of you get together put your money together and buy it

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  38. My mother once worked at the school and my sister attended school there. It's sad to think of how it's become. Horace Mann was the best school at one time....part of my family history.....

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