Community Collaborations Today

The 2020s have seen a lot of Crawfordsville community interest in the history of the Lincoln School for Colored Children and advocating for its remembrance.

• Local community members and historians Shannon Hudson and Vicke Hudson-Swisher published a book in 2023 entitled To Remember the Forgotten School: Lincoln School for Colored Children that tells the story of the school and provides detailed biographical information on students, teachers, staff, and community members.
• In collaboration with Shannon and Vicke, the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County completed an exhibit entitled Unequal and Undaunted: Education and Community at Lincoln School for Colored Children. The 2023-2024 exhibit curated by Janna Bennett (Curator) used To Remember the Forgotten School as a foundation and delved deeper into the history of the Crawfordsville school system and community events at the school and later recreation center.
• After several years of planning, the Crawfordsville Parks and Recreation Department's Lincoln Park—located at the site of the second Lincoln School building—is being renovated in 2024 to include remodeled basketball courts, new pickleball courts, a shelter, expanded parking, and historical signage that commemorates the people and history of the Lincoln School.
• Summer 2024 will see Crawforsville's first Juneteenth celebrations. Organized by several community partners, the weekend included a lecture on the importance of preserving Black historical sites and history, the Crawfordsville Soul Stroll—a walking/driving tour of Black historical sites in the city—and a religious service (Gospel Sing Service). These events were funded through money from Wabash College's "Restoring Hope, Restoring Trust" grant and supported by Bethel AME Church of Crawfordsville, Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County, Crawfordsville Community School Corporation,  Crawfordsville Main Street, and Creekside Lodge.