Awards

IU Historical Marker - 2020

About Normal College of the American Gymnastic Union

Indiana University dedicated a historical marker in 2020 about Normal College of the American Gymnastic Union. The marker text follows:

The Normal College, now incorporated into IUPUI’s School of Health and Human Sciences, was the oldest continuously operating physical training school in the country. Founded by German immigrants, the school first opened in New York in 1866, moving to various cities before relocating tin 1907 to Indianapolis as the Normal College of the American Gymnastic Union in a wing of the Athenaeum (formerly Das Deutsche Haus). In 1932, the college became affiliated with IU, leading to a merger in 1941, creating the Normal College of the American Gymnastic Union of Indiana University. Camp Brosius was among the assets acquired. The work of the Normal College was incorporated when IU organized the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation in 1945. In 1973, the College’s name changed to the School of Physical Education. It became part of the School of Physical Education and Tourism Management in 2002, which was merged into the new School of Health and Human Sciences in 2018.