Centerville Community College

(1963 to 1970)

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In April of 1963, the Centerville Independent School District purchased the Bradley home to serve as the new campus for what was then called Centerville Junior College (which was later renamed Centerville Community College), now part of Indian Hills Community College.

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Centerville Junior College started in 1930 and had relocated multiple times as it expanded. Before the purchase of the Bradley home, the junior college had its main offices and classrooms on the Northeast corner of Centerville’s historic courthouse square. The Centerville Junior College had been renting the Bradley home’s original two-story carriage house to use as a science laboratory and classroom.

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Upon taking over the Bradley home, the junior college re-christened it Fannon Hall, after Everett William Fannon. E.W. Fannon worked for the Centerville school system for forty years (1918-1957). He served as superintendent for 34 of those years. During his tenure, E.W. Fannon founded the junior college, started the school’s kindergarten program, and developed a transportation service to help rural students get to school.

At its height, Fannon Hall served 800 community college students. Coursework included pre-professional and liberal arts classes, as well as terminal degrees in nursing and education.

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In 1966, the Iowa State Legislature created 15 Iowa Community Colleges. The city of Ottumwa, Iowa became the headquarters for the Area XV College. While Area XV intended to maintain Centerville Community College as a branch of its operations, it would have to buy the Bradley home from the Centerville School District to do so. Given the costs of purchasing and then maintaining the building, Centerville Community College ultimately vacated the Bradley home to build a new, lower-cost campus facility on donated farmland located on the Northwest side of Centerville. Indian Hills Community College’s Centerville campus remains there today.