Albion (population 1,933) is located in southeastern Illinois and is the County Seat of Edwards County. The Illinois Routes of 130 and 15 intersect in the middle of Albion. The Southern Railroad makes its way through the south side of town. There is also a creek that flows to the east of town and a lake that sits to the south of town. For location sake, two towns of note in Albion’s area include Mt. Carmel 10 miles to the east and Mt. Vernon about 45 miles to the west.
According to the Illinois Trails web site, http://iltrails.org/edwards/index.html , Albion was “laid out” in 1830 by Morris Birkback and George Flower. It was not until 1860 however that the town became officially incorporated.
Albion began making schooling available for its children in the late 1800s. At some point Albion offered High School courses for its kids. The high school served Albion for about four decades. In the late 1940s all of the school districts in Edwards County agreed to consolidate their efforts to form one unified district in the county. This would include the towns of Bone Gap, Browns, Ellery, West Salem, Albion, and several small country school districts. It was decided to house the new high school in the town of Albion. The new district was named Edwards County School District and began operations in the fall of 1949 with the high school being located in Albion (see also www.echs.edwrds.k12.il.us/ for more information on this consolidation).
The Albion High School building pictured above was not the original, and has since been torn down.
Albion High School Quick Facts
Year opened: late 1800s
Year closed: 1949
Building used for: Edwards County High School
School nickname: the “Lions”
School colors: Red & Black
School Fight Song: unavailable
Athletics
Albion High School is only listed on the IHSA web site (www.ihsa.org) in one sport, boy’s basketball. We also know that Albion HS participated in football for a while. It is quite probable that baseball and track were offered at the school. School nickname, colors, fight song, team records, coach’s names, and conference affiliation all are items of interest for this site.
Boys Basketball
The Albion High School boys had some good court skills on the hardwood. The only mention of the teams on the IHSA web site are the years and coach’s names for those years. The school did win a District title and even a Regional title. If you have any further information you can add to the Albion High basketball success please write to us via e-mail. Several basketball scores were found on a website titled “Illinois Postseason Basketball Scores” ( https://sites.google.com/site/xtmi2000/). The scores are from the annual IHSA State Tournament and are listed below.
1921-22 Olney District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Fairfield 38-19
1922-23 through 1929-30 Postseason scores, records, and coach’s names needed.
1930-31 IHSA District Champions Coach’s name & record needed
1946-47 Mt. Carmel Regional Tournament Coach David Hart
1st Rd lost to Allendale 39-28
Allendale lost to Crossville in semi-final
Crossville lost to Mt. Carmel in title game
1947-48 Carmi Regional Tournament Coach David Hart
1st Rd lost to Mt. Carmel 56-43
Mt. Carmel lost to Carmi in title game
1948-49 Mt. Carmel Regional Runner-Up Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd Beat Enfield 66-40
Semi-final Beat Allendale 55-44
Title Game lost to Carmi 38-28
**Final season as Albion High School. Became Edwards High School in the summer of 1949.
Football
From Dave Rigg:
“This (photo below) is the first football team at Albion High School in 1923-24. I have the names of the backfield and 6 or the 7 linemen. Still trying to get the missing name. Here’s what I have:
Line: Cyril Pierce, Gilbert Colyer, Wilbert Rigg, Wilmer Rigg, Harold Smith, and Glen Bunting.
Backfield: Quarterback (no helmet) Harold Hutchins (who later coached at Albion, Carmi & Mt. Vernon), Virgil Hortin, Warpy Longbons, and Lyman Racster.”
Albion HS Football Team of 1923
Submitted by Dave Rigg
Extra-Curricular Activities
The Albion Community High School kids joined in many activities that provided for a well-rounded education. The school had a strong music program including band and chorus, as well as many other clubs and organizations.
Albion High School Spring Concert – April 1933
Submitted by Mike Grace
Seeking Your Assistance
If you have ANY further information about Albion High School before it became Edwards County High School, please share it with us. Photos and information can be e-mailed to us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net. You can write to us via real mail at:
