The old Jefferson Elementary School Building demolition is planned for this summer.
Jefferson Grade School halls were once filled with busy students, laughter and doors opened to classrooms and hard working students laboring over their books and studies. Jefferson, Colfax, Jackson (in Antioch) and Mulberry grade schools all closed down after Clinton Prairie Elementary School was put on line. Colfax Elementary was closed and moved to Jefferson early on in the 1960’s. The school building once housed Washington Township students all the way to 12th grade before Clinton Prairie Consolidation was completed in 1962. It became a grade school for Washington Township students and also Perry Township students (Colfax) before it was abandoned. For a few years in the 1980’s, Jim Strader stored caskets in the building, which he sold to funeral homes throughout the Midwest.
The former Jefferson Grade School building has fallen into a hopeless condition. Plans to raze the building are in place for this summer, according to Dion Ventura, President of Versatile Construction in Frankfort. Versatile Construction was initially thinking of maintaining a new office at the facility but now, according to Ventura, plans are in place to build housing in the space after the building is removed.
According to Ventura, a permit for the demolition of the building has been secured. The building is now within the Frankfort City Limits.
Versatile Construction specializes in cement work including foundations, drive ways and industrial sites.
Ventura anticipates demolition to take place “this summer”, perhaps even in the next “two months”.
The old Mulberry Elementary school building remains standing.