[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 15, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         COMMEMORATING THE LYLES CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL CENTENNIAL

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                           HON. LARRY BUCSHON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 15, 2022

  Mr. BUCSHON. Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 100th 
anniversary of the completion of the Lyles Consolidated School located 
in Gibson County, Indiana. This school served as a cornerstone of Lyles 
Station, a town that began as an African American farming settlement, 
until its closure in 1955 and again today as a museum where the history 
of the site and town are preserved.
  Throughout its history, the Lyles Consolidated School produced 
exemplary graduates including; Alonzo Fields, the Chief Butler for 
Presidents at the White House for 21 years, Burniss Priestly, a member 
of the Tuskegee Airmen, Aaron Fisher, the most decorated African 
American soldier from Indiana to serve in World War I, and Matthias 
Nolcox, the first principal of Indianapolis' Crispus Attucks High 
School.
  It wasn't until 1999 when this outstanding piece of our history was 
recognized and protected by being added to the National Register of 
Historic Places, an important step in preserving the building after it 
had fallen to disrepair after closure. Today, the Lyles Station 
Historic School and Museum continues the tradition of educating 
visitors on the contributions, struggles, and achievements of the 
African American Hoosiers who studied and lived here. The school is 
filled with period-correct seating, books, and other materials that 
help bring the site to life for those that visit.
  I am grateful to the Hoosiers that painstakingly work to preserve 
this part of our history, and encourage my colleagues and all of their 
constituents to come visit southern Indiana so that they can stop by 
the Lyles Station Historic School and Museum to recognize their 
centennial and contributions to the United States.

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