Type: Metal Historical Plate on SignpostErected by: IUPUIInstallation Date: 2007Location: Southwest Lawn of Gateway Parking Garage (XL)A historical marker was placed to mark the original site of the Mary Cable School (School No. 4).
One of the seven original public schools built in Indianapolis, School No. 4 was built in 1867 on the northeast corner of Michigan and Blackford Streets. Each of the original schools were named after the ward in which they were located-- School No. 4 served children who lived in the 4th ward of Indianapolis.
Beginning in 1922, when schools were segregated, School No. 4 served the African American children of the community. During that time, Mary E. Cable, an African American educator and civil leader who brought the NAACP to Indianapolis, served as the school's principal until 1933. In 1953, a new school building was constructed and renamed in Cable's honor.
The school was closed in 1980-- many residents moved out of the community as IUPUI expanded the campus-- and the building razed in 2006.
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Resources and additional information:
-Butsch Freeland, Sharon. (September 1, 2015). Indianapolis' First Public Schools. Historic Indianapolis Mailbag. (website)- Historical image courtesy of W.H. Bass Photo Co. Collection and the Indiana Historical Society.- Historical map courtesy of David Rumsey Co.