Jerry Baum sketch of Centennial School. In the latter part of the 19th century, Evansville as it stands today did not exist. In addition to Evansville, there were small, independent pockets, one of these being Independence, which was roughly the area west of Pigeon Creek. This area was annexed into the city in 1870, and one of the benefits was the 1875 construction of a 3 story, 12 room school to serve the needs of a growing west side population. It replaced a smaller school on Wabash Ave., which in turn became the colored school. The bell tower shown here was removed in 1945 due to poor condition and thereafter displayed within the school. Centennial School was closed in 1965 when a newer school, Helfrich Park, was constructed to serve these students. When public higher education came to Evansville, the school served as the regional campus for Indiana State University. ISUE (Indiana State University-Evansville), now the University of Southern Indiana [owner of this photographic collection], opened in September 15, 1965. By September of 1969, the university moved out to its present location leaving the building vacant. (http://historicevansville.com/site.php?id=centennial) Centennial School was razed in 1972.