Don Jobe dedicates years to archive room
April 26, 2023 at 1:46 p.m.
The Franklin County Government Center is home to the Archives/Memorabilia Room. A place full of history back when the government center was originally a school. Today, while it serves our community in other ways, the center provides the community with a tour of the past.
Originally, the government center was referred to as College Hill when in term as a school, and it served education for 150 years. Beginning in 1852, the building was Brookville College until 1872. Next, it became Brookville Public School in 1873 and remained active as such until 2002. The college building was used between 1873 and 1912. Afterwards, the new 1912 building and the 1951 annex were used until 2002. The grades taught through these years, in order, are: 1-12, 6-12, 9-12, and 5-8.
The school closed in May of 2002. No longer would it be a site used for academics, extracurricular activities, and social events. With the build of the new Franklin County Middle School behind the Franklin County High School, all educational needs were transferred to this new school instead.
Four years later, in October of 2006, this center opened for county business and became the Franklin County Government Center. The Franklin County Community School Corporation offered the 1912 building and the 1951 annex to the county for $1.00. Thus, the now renovated building services the community once again.
One of the ways our community is being served is through the Archives room.
The Archives serves as an in-depth tour of the academic and athletic history of our original Brookville Schools. The room was granted approval by commissioners Bob Brack, Tom Wilson, and Lou Linkel. Thanks to previous Superintendent Dr. William Glentzer, the memorabilia from the old BHS was stored at Brookville Elementary School.
The school board appointed Don Jobe, Vic Hauberg, Charlie Sprague, Keith Lanning, and Dave Shera to work with developing the Archives room.
According to Jobe, "The Archives used to be three separate rooms, two of which were classrooms."
It was later used as a study hall.
The Archives is home to memorabilia from Brookville high school, Laurel, Springfield, and Whitewater High Schools. There are very few items for Laurel, Springfield, and Whitewater. When Laurel was closed, most of the items were moved and displayed in the Laurel Elementary, Junior, and High School. As for Whitewater and Springfield, while some can be found, unfortunately most items were sold or given away when the schools closed.
When the Archives began transitioning from an idea to a full project, there was no money to use. This posed a problem as the development team needed shelving and display cases for all the memorabilia. However, our town was ready to show their support by generously donating the organizational displays. Brookville Public Library donated shelving. Elizabeth Schellenger and Sharon Beckort, Metamora merchants, donated a display case. George's Family Pharmacy offered an enclosed bookshelf, which was moved by Ed Holmes, Jobe, and Bob Siebert. Also donated were the trophy cases for Jeff and Judy Siebert and Alfred Wise Jr. Rusty Sprague gave a display case from CVS.
The community showed their support in other ways as well. Letters to the editor to help spread the word on this project, as well as individual communication. With their help and outstanding show of support, the Archives began to take form. This couldn't be possible without the community, but also without the contributors who set up the Archives: Jobe, Hauberg, Holmes (assisting in displaying the articles), Dr. Rusterholz (contributing the Alfred Wise Jr. memorabilia), and Bob Siebert (he hung up the photos). With the Archives filling up, they also re-arranged the athletic photos in the old Brookville High School gym.
The Archives is truly a different time.
Visiting the Archives allows you to observe and marvel over the hundreds of items and memorabilia that has been collected or donated. Each piece shows the history behind it, the care Jobe has taken to ensure longevity, and the impact they have made on our community in their time.
In the Archives, you will find the following:
The Lew Wallace gym center jump circle with listings of the first game and all coaches. This came from the BHS basketball court of 1931-57.
A clock that was donated by the class of 1926!
George's Family Pharmacy has an enclosed bookcase lined with early football helmets, basketball shoes that were worn by the early 1900's basketball teams, the letter jacket of Bruce Kelly, a member of the 1965 undefeated football team and semi-state basketball team, along with trophies and photos of the 1965 semi-state.
The Siebert Trophy Case, which holds memorabilia from Whitewater and Springfield, old science equipment, a BHS Band Major Hat, and a 1975 Big Green Dribble basketball.
In the Alfred Wise Jr. Trophy case, you will find Alfred Wise Jr. memorabilia, a 1913 BHS class photo - they were the first graduating class of the new 1912 building!, a newspaper edition by Art Feller for the 100th anniversary of BHS (1879-1979) - BHS became a state-commissioned, 4-year high school in 1979, however the grades (1-12) began in 1873 and grade levels weren't established until 1876. Also in this case, you will find a purple cheerleader beanie worn by Paul E. Seal (1935/1936), and a purple B Athletic Letter earned by Howard Stewart (1936) as BHS colors were originally purple and white.
Along the walls, you will find many more relics of BHS history, including:
Senior class photos from the years 1951-89 (excluding 1980). These photos were originally housed in the new 1951 annex.
Photos of the first BHS wrestlerettes, and the first tennis, golf, wrestling, and football teams.
Photos of the undefeated football, basketball, and wrestling teams, and the National Champion BHS Girls Drill Team.
Pictorial baseball history.
Photos of George E. McKinney (Principal) and Charles L. Zuck (Superintendent).
Cheerleading sweaters from Brookville, Laurel, and Springfield.
The semi-state cross country team.
A listing of superintendents and principals of BHS, as well as the last graduating class of Whitewater High School in 1974.
A photo of Becky Cly Hohman and Julianne Jones - editors of the 1964 BHS yearbook. Inside, there are various symbols to help identify the various classes (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior).
A photo of BHS players scoring 1,000+ points - David Back, Randy Lanning, Doug Price, and Stephen Jobe.
Lastly, for the wall displays, there is a pair of basketball shoes worn by 1987 Eastern Indiana All-Star Steve Jobe.
Next up, we have the Rusty Sprague display case from CVS. In here, you will find:
A memorable photo of the very first BHS Girls' Basketball team, who were undefeated!
A photo of the reserve basketball team, who also went undefeated.
Items from Whitewater, as well as other miscellaneous memorabilia.
Last in this case is a photo of Bill Froman and Quentin Kersey, both state tournament wrestlers.
The Metamora display case holds various documents throughout the history of BHS, as well as miscellaneous memorabilia of different dates.
The last to mention is the Nancy Hamilton Conference Room, which was established by the commissioners (Brack). Hauberg provided the memorabilia. These include a painting by Dorothy Humbarger - the view looking out of Miss Hamilton's classroom window, framed articles reflecting on Miss Hamilton, and a few of Miss Hamilton's personal pictures.
The Archives is an incredible place to stop and visit. Don Jobe has spent years dedicating care and upkeep to this room and its contents, much like how he treated his staff and students when he himself was an educator. His desire to have a room created solely to share the history of BHS has been a project for the ages and everyone is encouraged to stop in and take a tour.
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The Franklin County Government Center is home to the Archives/Memorabilia Room. A place full of history back when the government center was originally a school. Today, while it serves our community in other ways, the center provides the community with a tour of the past.
Originally, the government center was referred to as College Hill when in term as a school, and it served education for 150 years. Beginning in 1852, the building was Brookville College until 1872. Next, it became Brookville Public School in 1873 and remained active as such until 2002. The college building was used between 1873 and 1912. Afterwards, the new 1912 building and the 1951 annex were used until 2002. The grades taught through these years, in order, are: 1-12, 6-12, 9-12, and 5-8.
The school closed in May of 2002. No longer would it be a site used for academics, extracurricular activities, and social events. With the build of the new Franklin County Middle School behind the Franklin County High School, all educational needs were transferred to this new school instead.
Four years later, in October of 2006, this center opened for county business and became the Franklin County Government Center. The Franklin County Community School Corporation offered the 1912 building and the 1951 annex to the county for $1.00. Thus, the now renovated building services the community once again.
One of the ways our community is being served is through the Archives room.
The Archives serves as an in-depth tour of the academic and athletic history of our original Brookville Schools. The room was granted approval by commissioners Bob Brack, Tom Wilson, and Lou Linkel. Thanks to previous Superintendent Dr. William Glentzer, the memorabilia from the old BHS was stored at Brookville Elementary School.
The school board appointed Don Jobe, Vic Hauberg, Charlie Sprague, Keith Lanning, and Dave Shera to work with developing the Archives room.
According to Jobe, "The Archives used to be three separate rooms, two of which were classrooms."
It was later used as a study hall.
The Archives is home to memorabilia from Brookville high school, Laurel, Springfield, and Whitewater High Schools. There are very few items for Laurel, Springfield, and Whitewater. When Laurel was closed, most of the items were moved and displayed in the Laurel Elementary, Junior, and High School. As for Whitewater and Springfield, while some can be found, unfortunately most items were sold or given away when the schools closed.
When the Archives began transitioning from an idea to a full project, there was no money to use. This posed a problem as the development team needed shelving and display cases for all the memorabilia. However, our town was ready to show their support by generously donating the organizational displays. Brookville Public Library donated shelving. Elizabeth Schellenger and Sharon Beckort, Metamora merchants, donated a display case. George's Family Pharmacy offered an enclosed bookshelf, which was moved by Ed Holmes, Jobe, and Bob Siebert. Also donated were the trophy cases for Jeff and Judy Siebert and Alfred Wise Jr. Rusty Sprague gave a display case from CVS.
The community showed their support in other ways as well. Letters to the editor to help spread the word on this project, as well as individual communication. With their help and outstanding show of support, the Archives began to take form. This couldn't be possible without the community, but also without the contributors who set up the Archives: Jobe, Hauberg, Holmes (assisting in displaying the articles), Dr. Rusterholz (contributing the Alfred Wise Jr. memorabilia), and Bob Siebert (he hung up the photos). With the Archives filling up, they also re-arranged the athletic photos in the old Brookville High School gym.
The Archives is truly a different time.
Visiting the Archives allows you to observe and marvel over the hundreds of items and memorabilia that has been collected or donated. Each piece shows the history behind it, the care Jobe has taken to ensure longevity, and the impact they have made on our community in their time.
In the Archives, you will find the following:
The Lew Wallace gym center jump circle with listings of the first game and all coaches. This came from the BHS basketball court of 1931-57.
A clock that was donated by the class of 1926!
George's Family Pharmacy has an enclosed bookcase lined with early football helmets, basketball shoes that were worn by the early 1900's basketball teams, the letter jacket of Bruce Kelly, a member of the 1965 undefeated football team and semi-state basketball team, along with trophies and photos of the 1965 semi-state.
The Siebert Trophy Case, which holds memorabilia from Whitewater and Springfield, old science equipment, a BHS Band Major Hat, and a 1975 Big Green Dribble basketball.
In the Alfred Wise Jr. Trophy case, you will find Alfred Wise Jr. memorabilia, a 1913 BHS class photo - they were the first graduating class of the new 1912 building!, a newspaper edition by Art Feller for the 100th anniversary of BHS (1879-1979) - BHS became a state-commissioned, 4-year high school in 1979, however the grades (1-12) began in 1873 and grade levels weren't established until 1876. Also in this case, you will find a purple cheerleader beanie worn by Paul E. Seal (1935/1936), and a purple B Athletic Letter earned by Howard Stewart (1936) as BHS colors were originally purple and white.
Along the walls, you will find many more relics of BHS history, including:
Senior class photos from the years 1951-89 (excluding 1980). These photos were originally housed in the new 1951 annex.
Photos of the first BHS wrestlerettes, and the first tennis, golf, wrestling, and football teams.
Photos of the undefeated football, basketball, and wrestling teams, and the National Champion BHS Girls Drill Team.
Pictorial baseball history.
Photos of George E. McKinney (Principal) and Charles L. Zuck (Superintendent).
Cheerleading sweaters from Brookville, Laurel, and Springfield.
The semi-state cross country team.
A listing of superintendents and principals of BHS, as well as the last graduating class of Whitewater High School in 1974.
A photo of Becky Cly Hohman and Julianne Jones - editors of the 1964 BHS yearbook. Inside, there are various symbols to help identify the various classes (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior).
A photo of BHS players scoring 1,000+ points - David Back, Randy Lanning, Doug Price, and Stephen Jobe.
Lastly, for the wall displays, there is a pair of basketball shoes worn by 1987 Eastern Indiana All-Star Steve Jobe.
Next up, we have the Rusty Sprague display case from CVS. In here, you will find:
A memorable photo of the very first BHS Girls' Basketball team, who were undefeated!
A photo of the reserve basketball team, who also went undefeated.
Items from Whitewater, as well as other miscellaneous memorabilia.
Last in this case is a photo of Bill Froman and Quentin Kersey, both state tournament wrestlers.
The Metamora display case holds various documents throughout the history of BHS, as well as miscellaneous memorabilia of different dates.
The last to mention is the Nancy Hamilton Conference Room, which was established by the commissioners (Brack). Hauberg provided the memorabilia. These include a painting by Dorothy Humbarger - the view looking out of Miss Hamilton's classroom window, framed articles reflecting on Miss Hamilton, and a few of Miss Hamilton's personal pictures.
The Archives is an incredible place to stop and visit. Don Jobe has spent years dedicating care and upkeep to this room and its contents, much like how he treated his staff and students when he himself was an educator. His desire to have a room created solely to share the history of BHS has been a project for the ages and everyone is encouraged to stop in and take a tour.