About Us – Lyles Station

What Is Lyles Station?

The Lyles Station Historic Preservation Corporation (LSHPC), a not-for-profit (501(C) 3) organization, was established in August 1998. The mission on the Lyles Station Historic Preservation Corporation is to preserve the oral, written, and physical history, artifacts, building, and land which identifies and/or describes events, activities and life experiences of the people and the community known as Lyles Station in Gibson County, Indiana, incorporated in 1886.

In 1999, the same year that the Lyles Consolidated School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Historic Landmarks Foundation listed it as one of Indiana’s Ten Most Endangered Places. The Lyles Station Historic Preservation Corporation acquired the property and began renovations on the building and developed a two-fold plan for use of the former school. This plan called for the establishment of a museum/local history center which would provide an opportunity for the public to witness the accomplishments and contributions of African-Americans, specifically those persons with heritage in rural southern Indiana, and the development of the Heritage School. Through the use of Historic Landmarks Statewide Revolving Loan Fund, the Lyles Station Historic Preservation Corporation purchased and completed emergency stabilization of the school.

In addition to previous support from the Gibson Community Foundation, LSHPC was awarded a grants from the United States Department of Agriculture & Build Indiana to complete the restoration of the building. The Architect was George Ridgway, the contractor Jeffrey Koester both noted by Preservationist to be among the best in the physical restoration of rare and historic properties.

Board Members

Stanley Madison – President and Founder of the LSHPC
Edna Bigham – Vice President
Bobbie Granger – Secretary
Julia Madison – Treasurer
Clair Juenell Owens
Carmen Jones
Rhea Jones-Price
Valgenia McCray
Aaron Tyson Sims
Audrey Sparks

Enduring Legacy of Family

The descendants of the Clift, Gooch, Parks, Roundtree, and Walden families gathered at Lyles Station in Gibson County on June 27, 2026, to honor their deep-seated roots in Lyles Station, Indiana, one of the nation’s most significant pre-Civil War African-American settlements.

The story of the lineage of these five foundational families is featured permanently in the “Power of Place” exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC.

By gathering in Indiana, the families continue their legacy of “Celebrating Freedom, Knowledge, and Success,” a mission established by the first cousins who launched this reunion over six decades ago, and who have now joined the ancestors.

“We gather to honor the enduring legacy of the Clift, Gooch, Parks, Roundtree, and Walden families. Their collective spirit and the remarkable story of Lyles Station remain our connection today. After traveling the country, returning to the ground where our ancestors built a thriving community is a sacred homecoming.”

Lyles Station stands as a historic beacon of Black agency in the Midwest, having been established by free Black settlers like Joshua and Sanford Lyles.

At its peak, it was a self-sustaining community featuring its own railway station, post office, and schoolhouse.

The Lyles Station Historic School & Museum is central to this reunion and homecoming.

Once in disrepair, the structure that symbolized the community’s economic shifts, the school was meticulously restored through the efforts of local champions and organizations such as the Gibson Community Foundation, the USDA, and Build Indiana.

Today, the museum serves as a living classroom, ensuring the story of Black self-reliance in the Midwest is never forgotten. For the families, visiting the school is a tribute to the family motto, honoring the education that fueled their ancestors’ success.

This year’s reunion was more than a family meeting; it was a celebration of the enduring Midwestern African American experience, and an opportunity to support future generations and preserve the legacy. As a part of the festivities, the family awarded scholarships to new graduates as they invest in the success promised by their forebears.