Borden Normal School

Borden Institute
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	West St., Borden, Indiana
Coordinates	38°28′05″N 85°56′37″W
Area	10 acres (4.0 ha)
Built	1883 (1883)
Architectural style	Late Victorian
NRHP reference No.	73000030[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	June 13, 1973
Removed from NRHP	July 16, 1986

The Borden Institute was located in Borden, Indiana. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 but removed in 1986.[1] William W. Borden established the school in 1884 to serve the children of local farmers. The education "was a creative institution of unusual distinction" in the way it prepared its students to teach and to conduct scientific laboratory studies.[2] Students of the school have said there were very few regulations.[3]

It had an impressive library of 1,500 volumes at its opening, gaining an additional 50-100 every year. By 1904 the facility had 3,000 books.

The institute closed in 1906. The building would continue to see educational use until the 1950s. Even though preservationists succeeded in protecting it for 12 years, the building was condemned in 1978 and later razed due to fears that nearby elementary school children would be hurt if they played on the property.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. IHB: 404 Archived June 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
3. "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved August 1, 2015. Note: This includes unknown (February 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Borden Institute" (PDF). Retrieved August 1, 2015. and Accompanying photographs.

• Municipal and Institutes Libraries of Indiana pg. 23–24.