McCutchanville is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Center Township,
Vanderburgh County
Vanderburgh County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 179,703. The county seat is in Evansville. While Vanderburgh County was the seventh-largest county in 2010 population with 179,703 people, it is also the ...
, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. McCutchanville was established in 1845 and is named for Samuel McCutchan, a
Scottish/
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
immigrant
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
who was the first postmaster for the area.
Geography
McCutchanville is located at .
History
McCutchanville was first settled by
Scottish and
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
immigrants in the early 19th century. In 1845, Samuel McCutchan became the Post Master of the community's first post office. This led to the community being called McCutchanville. The post office operated from 1850 to 1906.
McCutchanville was also the childhood home to
Annie Fellows Johnston
Annie Fellows Johnston (1863–1931) was an American author of children's fiction who wrote the popular ''The Little Colonel'' series, which was the basis for the 1935 Shirley Temple film '' The Little Colonel''; many of the books were illustra ...
, American author of ''The Little Colonel'' series. Annie died on October 5, 1931 and is buried at
Oak Hill Cemetery in
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...
. ''
The Little Colonel'' series was later adapted into a 1935 American comedy drama film directed by
David Butler that starred
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...
,
Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''A Free Soul'' (1931) ...
,
Evelyn Venable
Evelyn Venable (October 18, 1913 – November 15, 1993) was an American actress perhaps best known for her role as Grazia in the 1934 film ''Death Takes a Holiday''. In addition to acting in around two dozen films during the 1930s and 1940s, ...
,
John Lodge,
Bill Robinson
Bill Robinson, nicknamed Bojangles (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid African-American entertainer in the United States during the f ...
, and
Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893October 26, 1952) was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. For her role as Mammy in ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first African ...
.
School Districts
This area, originally part of the Vanderburgh County School Corporation, was served beginning in the mid 1800s by Center Township School #3 (McCutchanville School) on Old Petersburg Rd. In 1918, #7 (Hooker School) and #8 (Kansas School) were closed and consolidated into McCutchanville School, causing students living some distance east and south of McCutchanville to attend. In 1944, a local resident remembered walking six miles each way as a child between McCutchanville School and his home on what is now Hitch-Peters Rd.
From 1948 to 1957, students in the district attended Lynch School for grades 1–2 and McCutchanville School for grades 3–8, adding students from the old Lynch School area. Between the growth of subdivisions and the
Baby Boom
A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds of defined national and cultural populations. People born during these periods are often ca ...
, there was a need for a new school. The new Oak Hill School was opened in 1957 for grades 1 to 5, with grades 6 to 8 attending McCutchanville School. The Oak Hill School 1966 upper grades addition opened the school to all students in grades K to 8, and McCutchanville School was closed.
From 1966 to 1984, all students north of Lynch Road and west of the Vanderburgh/Warrick county line, in an area extending halfway into McCutchanville to the north, attended Oak Hill Elementary School (K-8) and North High School. With the 1984 EVSC middle school redistricting plan, the entire McCutchanville area (along with areas south to St. George Rd, attended Scott Elementary School, Oak Hill Middle School, and North High School. In 2011, another redistricting split Scott School's students again, with the southern part of the district again attending Oak Hill School as it was renovated into an elementary school once again.
In August 2018, the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) built a new elementary school near McCutchanville Park. This returned a McCutchanville School to the community for the first time in 50 years. Students from Scott School and Oak Hill School were again put through another redistricting. The current boundaries of the new McCutchanville School are Boonville New Harmony Road to the north, Warrick County line to the east, and US 41 from the west and US 57 to the south. Students for the new school picked the "Mustangs" as their mascot, and incorporated the school colors after colors used by teams at the nearby McCutchanville Park sports fields.
Notable residents
*
Albion Fellows Bacon – reformer and writer
*
Annie Fellows Johnston
Annie Fellows Johnston (1863–1931) was an American author of children's fiction who wrote the popular ''The Little Colonel'' series, which was the basis for the 1935 Shirley Temple film '' The Little Colonel''; many of the books were illustra ...
– author
*
Bruce Rehnberg
The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been ...
- Baja 1000 race winner. XR Series
References
External links
McCutchanville Journal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mccutchanville, Indiana
Unincorporated communities in Vanderburgh County, Indiana
Unincorporated communities in Indiana
Populated places established in 1845
1845 establishments in Indiana