Edwards Gymnasium was dedicated on February 22, 1906, and was named in memory of Ohio Wesleyan University trustee John Edwards, whose initial gift made its construction possible. When completed, it was considered the largest and finest basketball facility in Ohio. Its second-floor basketball arena could hold as many as 3,000 spectators, and it also hosted early track meets, with a single-lane banked balcony track featuring a padded canvas surface while pole vault and high jump events took place on the arena floor. The last official collegiate basketball games there were played in 1977. In 1909, Delaware High School asked Ohio Wesleyan University to sponsor a nine-team postseason tournament. The event was first held in the Delaware Armory, then moved to Edwards Gymnasium in 1910, and continued to grow under the direction of athletic director Lynn W. St. John. By 1922, with 172 high schools participating, the tournament had outgrown both the university and the town, and its success led to the creation of the Ohio High School Basketball Tournament in 1923. A countywide high school basketball tournament was also held each year, involving twelve Delaware County high schools before school consolidation, and the last county tournament was held in 1962.

Photo: William Fischer, Jr.

Photo: William Fischer, Jr.

Photo: William Fischer, Jr.

Photo: William Fischer, Jr.