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Town Of Rossville

17 West Main Street
765-379-2645

Ross Township was one of the original townships in the county. It was established on May 15, 1830. Ross Township and the Town of Rossville were named after John Ross. He was one of the first associate judges in Clinton County.A petition was filed on October 22, 1870 to incorporate the town. There were 339 residents at that time. An incorporation election was held on November 5, 1870 with thirty-five votes for and nineteen votes against the incorporation. On December 1, 1870, Rossville became an incorporated town.The first Town Board meeting was held on January 10, 1871. The Board members were J.F. Witherow, President; James Sheffler and William H. Ulm; Cornelius Scott, Marshal and Assessor; J.W. James, Clerk and Treasurer.

By 1874, Rossville had become a thriving town. The town boasted a newspaper "The Occidental", three physicians, a barber shop, seven stores, three saddleries, two shoe shops, six blacksmith shops, two wagon manufacturers, two carriage manufacturers, one steam saw and pinning mill, one flour mill, one steam pump factory, two cabinet shops, one butcher shop, one hotel, one livery stable, four churches, five congregations, and three Sabbath Schools. With the coming of the Monon Railroad, life around Rossville grew even more. The railroad line was completed in 1883 and ran from Indianapolis to Chicago. The Monon Depot was quite busy during this period. With the decline of the railway system in the late 1980's, the railroad tracks were abandoned in 1991.The log cabin school has seen many changes over the years from the early beginnings in 1831. Another log school was built in 1833 and was used until around 1840. This was later replaced by a frame structure. It was located near where the present school is located. In 1861, the frame school was replaced by a "Red Brick" building. Additions were added to this structure in 1868 and 1891. As Rossville grew, so did the demands for a larger building. The "Red Brick" building was torn down in the spring of 1903.

Construction of the "White Building" began in the summer of 1903. During this period, a fourth year of curriculum was added to the high school. An annex was later added in 1923.The third floor of the Rodkey Warehouse was used as the Rossville gym in 1912 and 1913. A frame gym was built in 1914 and later the brick gym was constructed in 1929. The first game to be played in the new gym was in December, 1929.


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