Culver Town Halls

Jail House "Calaboose"

1911 - May Errect Building

Town Board Takes Necessary Steps to Provide Quarters for Fire Company and Apparatus.

The town board has for a short time past been giving consideable thought to the project of putting up a town hall - a building which will accomodate fthe fire apparatuas and provide a meeting place for the board and the fire company, and a pollin place at elections.

The structure in favor is a cement block building 20 X 40, one story high, to b e etected as an addition to the water works pumping station.

Another storage reservoir is already meeded by the Water company, necessitating additional room at the pump house, and the new building would meet this. At a future date a second story over the old and new building would provide an excellent public hall for entertainments, conventions and meetings.

The town has funds on hand which make the project here outlined feasible.

The town board has been led to take up the matter of erecting a town hall by the attitude of the fire company.

It may not be generally known, or at least held in mind, that the company has maintained its organization at its own expense. It bought and furnished a building for its meetings, the water company firnishing the apparatus.

Recently the lot on which the bulding stood was sold and the purchaser raised the rent of the land.

The company the decided to disband unless the town provided suitasble quarters. The members said as long as they stood bettween the rpoeprty owners and a serious loss by fire they were ientitled to finanancial support from the town authorities.

Previous town boards had never done anything for the fire boys, and when it came to a question of going down into their own pockers and paying more rent or moving the would throw up their organization. With the latter course in view they advertised their furniture for sale.

This movement aroused the town board, and its appeciation of the importance of the fire company to the property owners is shown in the steps now being taken to give the company suitable quarters paid for, as is the case everywhere, out of the public funds.

The fact that nor fire has destroyed property is the businee center for a number of years is perhaps the reason why our town boards have been slow to recongnize the claims of the fire company.

But the time is sure to come when the fate of one or more business firms will hang upon the efforts of an organized fire company equipped with efficient apparatus.

] As property owners the members of the town board look at the matter in the light that the rest of us do - there isn't one of us who, if he knew that his property would be endangered by fire tonight, would not gladly put up a pretty liberal sum of money to get the services of the company rather than trust of the unorganized efforts of the neighbors with buckets.

In the Oct. 6, 1911 Citizen, it was reported that a one-story, 20 by 40 foot bloc k building would soon be added to the pumping station, primarily to house firefighting equipment, but also to provide a meeting space for the town board and fire department, and a polling place at elections.

1911 - Nov 11 - Culver's New "City Hall"

The town board has secured a preliminary sketch of the building which will be erected on the town lot in part occupied by the water works pumping station.

The will be 20 X 44, one story in height, constructed of cement blocks.

It will contain two rooms - one 20 X 26 for the fire company's apparatur, and one 18 X 20 for the board meeting.s

A basement will be excavated with a view to finishing it, at a future date, as a place for holding public meetings and elections.

The immediate cost of the building will be not far from $1,000.

After the contract is let work will begin when the weather permits.

1911 - Nov 23 -The town board has called upon its architect for an estimate of the cost of the town hall building according to the placs adopted this will be followed by advertising fords, and it is expected tha the contract will be let and work begun this fall.

1912 - Apr 18 Culver's New Town Hall

Plans drawn for the new town hall or municipal bulding have been adopted, and the constructiion will be let on May 9.

Te building is to be 20 x 40, one story and basement high, built of conrete blocks.

The basement will contain a coal room, a storage room ofr tools and plenty of space for such other purposes as my be found convenient.

The ground floor will be a fire station, and will have two rooms for the use of the town board. The space used by the fire apparatus wull afford a convenietpollling place also.

1912 - Nov 7 - The old calaboose is being torn down. The blocks will be used in the construction of the new Town hall, and the two steel cages will be installed in the new building

	1906 - the Jail - was located on Lake View at 305 - Lot 11 - Jail by the Sanborn map 1906 - Jun 7 - The New Jail - The town board has closed a conract with Charles Hayes for a ten year's lease on a lot on which to erect a calaboose. The building will be commenced this week under the day labor plan. It will be constructed of cement with glavanized iron roof. The steel cage is already here.

1912 Dec 11 Town hall completed (on Plymouth St.)

The city bastile, otherwise the town hall, is getting its finishing touches this week.

It is a one story and basement cement block building, costing $1,700.

' The main flor is divided into two compartments. The front room is for the fire department apparatus, and the back room is the councul chamber.

The jail cages have been set up in the basement to which there is access from the outside by a broad gently sloping flight of stairs which can be safely neogtiated by any citizen who isn't "paralzed", and will not prove difficult to a large-size man wearing a good-natured smile and a nickel-plate star.

This large, tall man thinks the building might be called Vanmeter's Villa in case anybody is desirous of giving it a fashionable name

In the Oct. 6, 1911 Citizen, it was reported that a one-story, 20 by 40 foot bloc k building would soon be added to the pumping station, primarily to house firefighting equipment, but also to provide a meeting space for the town board and fire department, and a polling place at elections.

1923 - Oct 23 - Alter town hall - An additional doorway has been built into the west wall of the town hall and the townshIp for truck placed next to its big brother, the pumper. The chemical truck has been housed in a shed in back of the town hall but the clearing of the land to make room for the new water tower it was necessary to find a new home for the township's fire apparatus

1928 - 5 Oct Alter Town Hall - An additional door way has been built into the west wall of the town hall and the township fire truck places next to its big brother, the pumper. The chemical truck has been housed in a shed in back of the town hall but with the clearing of the land to make room for the new water tower it was necessat to find a new home for the township's fire apparatus.

1928 - July 18 - Town Board Plans Larger Water Tower

1928 - Sept 19 - Town buys lots at corner of Washington and Plymouthstreet as location for future town hall NOTE it is interesting that some 39 years later they moved to the same location that they sold the lot sometime between 1928-1945

1928 - Oct 3 - Alter Town Hall

An additional doorway has been built into the west wall of the town hall and the township fire truck placed next to its big brother, the pumper.

The chemical truck has been housed in a shed in back of the town hall but with the clearing of the land to make room for the new water tower it was necessary to find a new home for the township's fire apparatus.

1933 - May 3 - The Trustees wish to dispose of the barn on the town lot and the cement block house back of the town hall and will consider all offers

1933 - Jul 5 - Town Board Plans to Remodel Town Hall

Bids are being called for by the town board for the remodeling of the town hall which houses the council room, jail and fire department.

It is planned to remodel and decorate the basement for the use of the town board and an office for the town clerk. The main floor will be enlarged for the fire trucks and the jail

New floors will be laid, a hot water heating plant installed, the interior will be re-plastered and redecorated and the exterior painted. It is estimated the work will cost about $2,000.

1933 - Jul 12 - Notice to Contractors

Notice is hereby given that the Board of Town Trustees of the town of Culver City, Marshall county,Indiana, will receive sealed bids or proposals for the remodeling, reconstruction and rebuilding of the present town hall located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Cass Street and Plymouth Street in the town of Culver City, Marshall county, Indiana, according to the drawings and specifications on file in the office of the town Clerk, on the 24th day of July 1933, at the town hall in said town, between the hours of 7:00 and 3:00 p.m.

Each bidder must file with the Clerk of said town when he files his bid the usual statutory affidavit on forms to be furnished by the Town Clerk and deposit with him the sum of $100.00 as a guarantee that he will accept said bid; that he will enter into a written contract and furnish a satisfactory bond, both to be approved by the Town Boardmen and that he will perform all the work and furnish all material in strict accordance with the plans and specifications. The successful bidder will be required to give a bond with surety, to be approved by the Town Board, insuring the faithful completion of said work according to the contract.

The Board reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to re-advertise said Work

By order of the Board of Town Trustees of the Incorporated Town of Culver City, Marshall County Indiana. L. A. Rockhill, Town Clerk. W. O. Osborn Town Atty.

1933 - Jul 26 - Barnes Low Bidder On Town Hall Work

Local Firm to Start with Remodeling within Ten Days

Russell Easterday, local manager of the J. I. Barnes Construction company, was the low bidder on the work to remodel the hown hall. The bid was $1,743. It is planned to start the work within ten days.

The plans call for the remodeling of the basement into a meeting hall for the town biard. The walls be be decorated and the room rebuilding into a more spacious and attractive council room that the present quarters.

The main floor will be enlarged for the use of the fire company and jail quarters. New floors will be laid, the interior replastered and redecorated.

A hot water system will heat the entire building, replacing the antiquecoal stove now in use.

The exterior will be painted, giving Culver a much improved town hall.

1933 - October 4 - from the Culver Citizen: Shed a tear for the departed landmark: they remodeled the town hall! Town board meetings now won't have that setting of the 80's. The old stove has been replaced by a modern hot water heater. Gone is the thrilling expereince of trying to wedge your way through the fire trucks to get to the council meeting; no longer will visitors have to sit in the laps of the honorable board in a room no larger than a jail cell. Now the council room is in the basement with easy outside access and plenty of room. The town hall interior has all been done over in aluminum, including the downstairs and the first floor where the fire dept., police cheif's office, jail, and street dept. hold sway. The exterior has been repainted in aluminum with a green trim, giving the building a modern appearance.

1947 - Dec 3 - Old Pressure Tank Comes Out for New Fire Truck

The 20,000 gallon water pressure tank has been removed from the north side of the town hall and sold to the Standard Oil company for a storage tank.

It will be buried in the ground at the corner of State Roads 10 and 17, north of Culver.

The tank was installed in 1906, providing pressure for the town's new water system. When the present tower was built the tank was kept as an emergency standby, but the present system does not need the tank.

The room will be used to house the new high pressure fog truck that arrived Sunday, giving the community a fourth fire truck.

The truck was bought by public subscription. Culver now has twice as much fire equipment as the city of Goshen, it is stated.

1957 - opposition to new fire station and jail house After the nrst anonymous blast of the ain't-it-a wful-Mable variety of what a deplorable fire station

1965/6 - The Town hall and fire department moved into new quarters at Lakeshore Drive and State Street - sharing it with the town hall. It was the old International Harvester building

New Town Hall For Culver

Nelson Equip. Co. Building and Lots fire Purchased" Occupancy June 1

The purchase of the Nelson Equipment Co. building on Lake Shore Drive for use as a new Town Hall was announced by the Culver,Town Board at its regular meeting on Monday night.

Board President Ted Ervin said the total purchase price of $25,000 includes the building which houses the Nelson farm equipment business now being liquidated, and two vacant lots across the street, behind the Shell Oil Co. property.

The price of the building was $23,500, and for the two lots, which will be converted to parking lots, was $1,500.

Possession was promised by June 1. though Maurice Nelson, the owner, indicated that the building will probably be available to the town before that date.

Slated to be moved into the new quarters over a period of several months will be the Fire Dept., Police Dept., Council Chambers, and Clerk-Treasurer's

The Fire Dept. will move first, the board indicated, since it can be accommodated with a minimum of building renovation.>

Later, as space for the various departments is allocated and the interior of the 70 x 80-foot building is remodeled to these requirements,the other departments will be moved.>

The present Town Hall on Pl ymouth Street will be taken over by the Street Department as it is vacated by other departments, and the building presently used by the Street Department will probably be sold. >

The present Town Hall has housed the town departments for at least 40 years, according to Ernest Carter, building commissioner, and a longtime Culver resident. >

The building has been overcrowded in recent years, particularly the F i re Department, which has added new and larger equipment...>

The purchase price for the new Town Hall will be paid over a three-year period through financing arranged with The State Exchange Bank...

Oct 1967 found the Culver present building up for sale

Culver Town Hall 1976 - ?  

Culver Police Department 1976 - ?  
Culver-Union Township Emergency Medical Services - 1976 - ?