CARLISLE BARRACKS PLANS TO RESTORE INDIAN SCHOOL FARMHOUSE

Submitted by Louellyn White

April 14, 2014 - About two years ago, I joined a small group of concerned individuals (the Farmhouse Coalition) who were fighting to save a historic building from demolition. That building, (the Farmhouse), is located on the grounds of the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School (CIIS), in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks now uses the grounds and buildings of the former institution and made plans to tear down the Farmhouse to make room for modern housing. Residential schools were another tool used by colonial governments to “Kill the Indian and Save the Man,” and to tear down one of the last remaining buildings of this era would have made it that much easier for the public to forget this dark period of Indian history. This issue was particularly significant to me because my grandfather Mitchell Aronhiawakon White attended the institution along with his brother, John White. My Great Aunt Genevieve Jacobs was also a Carlisle student. In fact out of the 10,000 students who went to CIIS between 1879–1918, representing 150 tribes, at least 352 of them were Mohawk.

My grandfather was a part of Carlisle’s Outing program and worked on farms in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for white families. The Outing program was a means to further assimilate Indian students into white society by teaching them white ideals of industriousness, thriftiness, and individuality, while keeping them from returning to any semblance of Indian culture. The Farmhouse was a training ground for agriculture with its working farm and students spent their nights in the house so they could wake up before dawn to milk cows. It’s quite possible my grandfather was among those trained in farming skills at the Farmhouse.

When I learned that the Farmhouse was slated for demolition, I helped start a public relations campaign to make the public aware of the travesty of losing this piece of Indian history. Drilling had already started in the building in preparation for demolition and we thought it might be too late. I quickly started a petition that garnered almost 1,000 signatures and sought the support of various individuals and tribes around the country, including the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe. It was their support along with the pressure of the media, concerned individuals, and other tribal representatives, which ultimately halted the demolition of the Farmhouse.

Carlisle Barracks previously conducted studies indicating the Farmhouse was not connected to the CIIS, wasn’t historical significant, and was beyond repair. They also never consulted with tribes across the nation who might have had interest in the building. However, we as a Coalition met with Carlisle Barracks officials in October 2012 in Carlisle, PA and expressed our concerns. They finally agreed to undertake a new study of the building to determine if it was historically and culturally significant. We are thrilled that the new finding has indeed determined that the building is worth saving. Furthermore, the study recommended that the farmhouse be added to the existing National Historic Landmark district of the main CIIS campus.

Discussions between the Farmhouse Coalition and Carlisle Barracks leadership, including Garrison Commander Lieutenant Colonel Kimberly Peeples, are now underway to determine the best use for the restored farmhouse. There is currently no visitors’ center dedicated to the CIIS experience at Carlisle Barracks. As a symbol of the Indian residential school experience, the farmhouse could fill this role. As Indian tourism grows, it could become a major destination for those who wish to honor CIIS relatives, or for anyone who wishes to better understand the impact residential schools have had on Native cultures and families. Many Native people feel the farmhouse stands as a monument to Indian survival and has the potential to begin healing the intergenerational trauma caused by Indian residential schooling.