Past: New Harmony
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The sense of community in New Harmony was instilled at the
very start. Originally founded as a Utopian Society, New Harmony
was the home for the followers of George Rapp. The Rappites, as
they were called, lived in this small town until the late 1800's.
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Past: Ribeyre Gymnasium
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In 1924, Alfred Ribeyre, a school trustee, donated three buildings
to the New Harmony School. His intentions were for these
buildings to be turned into a gymnasium. By helping create this
gymnasium, Mr. Ribeyre hoped to bring great fame to New
Harmony athletics. The school gymnasium that had been
previously used was small, poorly ventilated, and construction
was dangerous to the athletes. Along with donating the buildings,
Mr. Ribeyre offered to pay 1/8 of the $25,000.00 to turn the
buildings into a gym. This gift was referred to as "the greatest
Christmas present our children ever received," by local
newspapers. The day the cornerstone was laid, school children
lined the streets in anticipation.
Since it's opening in April of 1924, the gym has hosted countless
basketball games and other athletic events, school dances, class
reunions, and a variety of community functions. In 1925 the
building was called into service as a hospital for those injured in
the historic tri-state tornado. The addition of an annex to the
gymnasium in the early 1950's provided additional space for both
school and community activities. A portion of the 1992 movie, "A
League of Their Own" prominently featured interior scenes of the
gym. The Ribeyre Gymnasium is also a contribution site in the
New Harmony Historic District. In 1987, upon completion of a
new New Harmony Consolidated School, the Ribeyre Gymnasium
was left but only seldom use as a meeting place or secondary
gymnasium, primarily for elementary sports practices and dances.
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Past: Ribeyre Gymnasium Restoration Group
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The Ribeyre Gymnasium Restoration Group came together after a
group of New Harmony School students volunteered to join a
program with the Center for Interactive Learning and
Collaboration (CILC). The CILC Vista program challenged
students with a community service project of their choice. They
chose the project of renovating the "old gym." This was in
October of 2001. Since the project began, the students have
progressed immensely. Teachers and students were asked to
volunteer their time for this community service project; Slowly
the group started to grow. Because of the small size of New
Harmony and the interaction between people and the town itself,
community members were interested in becoming active in the
group. The group consisted of students, adults, and elderly,
making an intergenerational atmosphere. In becoming a group,
there were many preliminary tasks to be done. These included
forming bylaws, articles of incorporation, and conducting a
feasibility study. Once this was done, the simple idea of restoring
the gym was a reality.
The group realized that in order to generate the projected 1.4
million dollars, they would need to become a professional
organization. This meant establishing a board of directors and a
not for profit status. Then came the question of how the group
would raise money. Students volunteered to write grants while
others organized fundraisers. As the group continued to grow and
progress, they became more and more professional. The group
also found a lawyer who was willing to volunteer his time and
services and hired an architect.
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