Wilbur and its historic schoolhouse

Wilbur, Indiana — located among the rolling hills in the heart of Morgan County — is often overlooked by passers-by driving along Stae Road 142. But for locals in the area, the small crossroads community — and in particular, the longstanding Wilbur Store — serves as the hub of activity for the nearby rural residents and has done so for nearly 200 years.

The “village” of Wilbur — located at the intersection of Ind. 142 and Wilbur Road to the south, as well as Baltimore Road to the north — was established in the 1830s, not long after the county itself was founded in 1822. The small hamlet was initially named Lincoln, but the state already had a town named Lincoln, so the local post office — which opened in Sept. 15, 1873 — was told a new name was needed. As the story goes, a post office official, whose name was Wilber, decided a variation of his own moniker would be a sufficient substitute.

But the community also had another nickname, one that speaks to its rural roots. For many early residents, the community was known as Lick Skillet. According to folklore, the matriarch of a local family, which had a brood of both kids and canines, was known to cook up biscuits and gravy nearly every morning. In keeping with the “waste not, want not” mentality of the era, she would set the soiled pans on the porch to let the dogs get some nourishment, licking the skillets clean in the process.

At one time, the village itself had several stores, a sawmill, a couple of blacksmiths, a carpenter, and up to 15 families.

But many other families were also located in the surrounding hills, which prompted local residents to open a one-room schoolhouse in 1852. The original school was a log-cabin structure, which was replaced by a wood-framed building that ultimately burned down.

A brick-and-mortar, one-room schoolhouse was built in 1876 and has remained ever since. It was used as a school until 1947, before being converted into a community center as improved transportation consolidated early education in larger locales. The Wilbur Schoolhouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

The longstanding Wilbur Store — now a gas station and convenience store, complete with tables, chairs and a few menu items — stills serves as a gathering place for locals, and at about any time of day — but especially in the mornings — visitors can stop by, chat with the old timers gathered and tap into the living history of the area that stretches back nearly 200 years.

(Prepared by the Morgan County Leadership Academy Class of 2022 on behalf of the Morgan County Bicentennial Committee)