Ford School

Courtesy of Tippecanoe County Historical Society

Ford School stood at the top of the hill at 14th and South Streets, at the current site of the Army Reserve Center. The school was opened September 3, 1869, and served as both an elementary school and a high school. Students came from as far away as Dayton to attend. Eventually, the second floor was condemned and no longer used for classes although the Girl Scouts were still allowed to have their meetings there after school. Demolition began in January, 1953 to clear a site for the Army Reserve Center.

Madeline Rochester's Addition

The 160 acre area including and surrounding the Valley Center neighborhood was transferred from the United States of America to James Cochran; the document that decreed this was signed by President John Quincy Adams on May 15, 1827. James Cochran and his wife Rachel sold it to John Taylor on May 6, 1835 for $3,200. John and Mary Ann Taylor sold it to Jeremiah Brown on February 3, 1840 for $12,000. Jeremiah and Elizabeth Brown conveyed 100 acres (including Valley Center) to John and James McCormick on February 11, 1842 for $4,100. They sold it to William K. Rochester for $2,820. His wife, Madeline, in order to settle his estate and provide for his minor heirs (Ada Rochester, age 10, and Lizzie D. Rochester, age 12) transferred the land now referred to as "Madeline Rochester's Addition" to The City of Lafayette on March 23, 1869 so it could be parceled into lots within the city and sold.

Street Names

Digby Drive and Digby Road were named in honor of our city‹¨«s founder, William Digby. He purchased the town site at the United States land sale, and laid out the plat for Lafayette in May of 1825. Digby named the town after Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the Revolutionary War. He sold it to four other investors in 1826. We don't know a large amount about him, but like many lawyers at the time, Digby was an avid card player.

Kossuth Street was named for Louis Kossuth. Kossuth, known as the "Father of Hungarian Democracy", was the first foreign Statesman officially invited to the US since the Marquis de Lafayette. The following is an excerpt from a speech he delivered to the Ohio State Legislature on February 16, 1852.

"All for the people and all by the people. Nothing about the people without the people.
That is Democracy, and that is the ruling tendency of the spirit of our age."
Spoken before the Ohio State Legislature, February 16, 1852

Valley Street between Congress and South Streets was long known as "10th Street Hollow." There were no houses present before the Moses Fowler House. Children would run soapbox cars down the hollow and play in the caves that are behind the current houses.

Purdue Street was renamed "Perdue" after enthusiastic fans of the University kept stealing the street signs.

Tippecanoe County Historical Society

The Tippecanoe County Historical Association (TCHA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to documenting and preserving the history and culture of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, and its citizens. More information may be obtained at the Genealogy and Research Center at 1001 South Street, Lafayette. TCHA currently maintains four historical sites; the first two are in the Valley Center area.

• The Genealogy and Research Center is the home of the Alameda McCullough Library,a comprehensive collection of genealogical and historical resources.
• The Moses Fowler House, a mansion built in 1851-1852. The Fowler House is currently closed for renovations, but is available for rentals and special events.
• The Tippecanoe Battlefield Museum is located on the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe, where U.S. soldiers engaged with the forces of Tecumseh and the Shawnee Prophet.
• Fort Ouiatenon Historic Park includes a replica of the Fort Ouiatenon Blockhouse, an early French trading post.