Farmersville (population 768) is located on Interstate Highway 55 about 20 miles south of Springfield. This places Farmersville in the middle of the Montgomery County panhandle. The Macoupin Creek and its branches surround the town. The Illinois Central Gulf Railroad cuts north and south through the middle of town.
Farmersville quite likely began a school system for its children in the late 1800s. It is known that the “modern” brick school building for the high school students was completed in 1923 (see photo above). It was there that the high school-aged students of Farmersville earned their diplomas for 39 years. The early 1960s saw a concern of the Farmersville residents for the wellfare of their school. It was decided in the spring of 1962 to close the Farmersville High School District and join efforts with nearby Raymond. The result was the creation of the Lincolnwood High School District (http://www.panhandle.k12.il.us/CentralOffice/History.htm) .
Lincolnwood High School is located in Raymond, about 8 miles southeast of Farmersville. Farmersville is host to an elementary school for kids in grades K – 5 as part of the Lincolnwood School District. The main high school building was eventually destroyed. The agricultural building and the gymnasium are still standing. The gymnasium is still used today by the commmunity.
Farmersville High School Quick Facts
Year opened: late 1800s
Year brick building built: 1923
Year HS deactivated: 1962
School nickname: the “Purple Panthers”
School colors: Purple & White
School Fight Song: “We’re Loyal to You Farmersville”
Click “play” button below for music and sing aong!
We’re loyal to you Farmersville!
We’re Purple and White, Farmersville!
We’ll back you to stand
‘Gainst the best in the land
For we know you have sand, Farmersville!
Rah! Rah!
So crack out the ball, Farmersville!
We’re backing you all, Farmersville!
Our team is our fame protector:
On boys, for we expect a
Victory from you Farmersville!
Che-he, cha-ha, cha-ha-ha-ha,
Farmersville High School
Rah, Rah, RAH!
Fling out that dear old flag of
Purple and White,
Lead on your sons and daughters
Fighting for you
Like men of old, on giants.
Placing reliance, shouting defiance
Oskee-wow-wow———
Amid the broad green plains that nourish our land,
For honest Labor and for Learning we stand.
And unto thee we pledge our heart and our hand,
Dear Alma Mater, FARMERSVILLE HIGH!
Athletics
Farmersville High School competed in boys basketball without a doubt. The school also offered track and baseball to the boys. In the 1950s and 1960s the Farmersville athletic program competed in the Christian-Montgomery-Sangamon Conference (CMS) as the schools who competed were from all three counties. These schools included Farmersville, Morrisonville, Raymond, Glenwood, Edinburg, and Mt. Auburn.
Boy’s Basketball
Farmersville High basketball was a strong program in its day. The school won 8 District titles including one the last season the school was open! Unfortunately the team records and coach’s names of these and other great Farmersville teams are not available. It is known that Bob Miller, Coach Albert Jaeger, and Coach Norm Keefner served the Farmersville program during the 1950s and early 1960s. If you have this or any other information about the Farmersville High School athletic program, please write to us. The years of the District titles are listed below.
1928-29 2nd Place – Montgomery Co. Tourney
Lost to Hillsboro 25-21 (O/T)
1935-36 District Champions
1936-37 District Champions
1940-41 District Champions
1944-45 District Champions
1948-49 District Champions
1952-53 District Champions Coach Albert Jaeger
1956-57 23 – 5 (great record) Coach Norman Keefner
Farmersville HS Basketball Team of 1956-57 (23-5)
Submitted by Paul Wiegert
Season Record 23-5
1956-57 Basketball Schedule
F’ville 60 Divernon 45
F’ville 57 Witt 31
F’ville 81 Girard 63
F’ville 50 Edinburg 58
F’ville 70 Mt. Auburn 61
F’ville 81 Ball Township 56
F’ville 69 Pawnee 57
F’ville 69 Morrisonville 46
F’ville 58 Virden 68
F’ville 72 St. James 36
F’ville 54 Raymond 52
F’ville 63 Girard 61
F’ville 101 Divernon 29
F’ville 72 St. James 56
F’ville 52 Raymond 68
F’ville 57 Ashland 50
F’ville 97 Witt 48
F’ville 59 Auburn 60
F’ville 72 Northwestern 48
F’ville 82 Routt 69
CMS Tournament (Champions)
F’ville 79 Mt. Auburn 49
F’ville 58 Raymond 45
F’ville 65 Edinburg 50
Kincaid Invitational (Champions)
F’ville 67 Morrisonville 53
F’ville 52 Kincaid 46
F’ville 47 Raymond 42
District Tournament (2nd Place)
F’ville 101 Divernon 70
F’ville 54 Girard 57
Norman Keefner, Basketball Coach
1957-58 15 – 14 Coach Norman Keefner
Farmersville HS Basketball Team 1957-58
Courtesy of Paul Wiegert
1957-58 Farmersville Basketball Team
Players pictured in above photo:
Front Row L to R: Jack Leonard (Fr), Wally Dunlap (Sr.), Paul Boll (Jr.), JohnBrubaker (Sr.)
Back Row L to R: Coach Keefner, Bill Brown (Jr.), Reuben Wiegert (So.), Loren Guthals (Jr.), Larry Clarke (Jr.), Bob Snopko (Sr.), Alex Jordan (Jr.)
1957-58 Basketball Schedule
F’ville 55 Divernon 56
F’ville 54 Witt 50
F’ville 61 Girard 45
F’ville 58 Raymond 63
F’ville 50 Edinburg 58
F’ville 50 Glenwood 66
F’ville 56 Pawnee 54
F’ville 48 St. James 67
F’ville 43 Morrisonville 46
F’ville 49 Virden 64
F’ville 66 Divernon 49
F’ville 60 Mt. Auburn 59
F’ville 40 Ashland 53
F’ville 52 Girard 47
F’ville 50 Edinburg 58
F’ville 60 Morrisonville 54
F’ville 60 St. James 48
F’ville 59 Raymond 61
F’ville 80 Witt 55
F’ville 57 Northwestern 58
F’ville 58 Routt 45
CMS Tournament (3rd Place)
F’ville 64 Glenwood 62
F’ville 43 Mt. Auburn 47
F’ville 66 Witt 58
Morrisonville Tournament (3rd Place)
F’ville 51 Morrisonville 69
F’ville 49 Raymond 46
F’ville 44 Kincaid 45
District Tournament (2nd Place)
F’ville 38 Divernon 69
F’ville 49 Raymond 46
F’ville 49 Northwestern 57
1958-59 16 – 9 Coach Norman Keefner
Farmersville High School Basketball Team 1958-59
Submitted by Paul Wiegert
1958-59 Farmersville Basketball Team
Pictured above from front to back, left side.
Reuben Wiegert Jr.
Robert Specht Jr.
Alex Jordan Sr.
Mike Snopko Jr.
Jim Taylor Sr.
Pictured above, front to back, right side
Larry Clarke Sr.
Bill Brown Sr.
Dallas Nickel Sr.
Jack Leonard So.
Paul Boll Sr.
Pictured center Coach Keefner
Season Record 16 – 9
1958-59 Basketball Schedule
F’ville 38 Divernon 37
F’ville 39 Witt 28
F’ville 45 Girard 42
F’ville 48 Edinburg 46
F’ville 49 Glenwood 51
F’ville 59 Pawnee 48
F’ville 47 St. James 49
F’ville 45 Morrisonville 55
F’ville 65 Virden 64
F’ville 50 Divernon 40
F’ville 47 Mt. Auburn 36
F’ville 50 Rochester 38
F’ville 46 Morrisonville 58
F’ville 48 St. James 52
F’ville 53 Raymond 50
F’ville 54 Witt 52
F’ville 52 Raymond 41
F’ville 47 Northwestern 38
F’ville 46 Routt 60
Morrisonville Tournament (2nd Place)
F’ville 45 Kincaid 36
F’ville 39 Morrisonville 49
DISTRICT TOURNAMENT (2nd Place)
F’ville 55 Divernon 43
F’ville 64 Raymond 54
F’ville 48 St. James 68
1959-60 19 – 8 District Champions Coach Norm Keefner
*The 1959-60 District Champions won the first game of the Regional tournament against Springfield Griffin, a school more than ten times their size. The Pirates lost the semi-final of the Regional to the defending State Champions of Springfield High School.
1959-60 Farmersville HS Panthers
Submitted by Paul Wiegert
Pictured left to right Joe Tischkau (Jr), Ron Craycraft (Sr), Jim McRoy (Sr), Robert Specht (Sr), Paul Wiegert (So), Reuben Wiegert (Sr), Barry Marten Jr), Herman Goetsch (Sr), Jack Leonard (Jr).
Coach Norman Keefner (back row)
1959-60 Farmersville Basketball Team Schedule
Norman Keefner, Basketball Coach
Season Record 19 – 8
F’ville 56 Divernon 51
F’ville 40 Witt 41
F’ville 56 Girard 40
F’ville 72 Edinburg 51
F’ville 47 Glenwood 56
F’ville 60 Pawnee 46
F’ville 40 Morrisonville 59
F’ville 56 Virden 59
F’ville 60 Divernon 51
F’ville 51 Mt. Auburn 29
F’ville 56 Rochester 40
F’ville 56 Morrisonville 51
F’ville 73 St. James 37
F’ville 75 Raymond 58
F’ville 54 Witt 48
F’ville 53 Raymond 42
F’ville 45 Northwestern 70
F’ville 55 Routt 68
C. M. S. Tournament (Christian, Montgomery,Sangamon County Tournament)
F’ville 52 Raymond 44
F’ville 74 Witt 59
F’ville 38 Morrisonville 37 (Morrisonville was 12-0 until this loss )
RAYMOND INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
F’ville 66 Raymond 50
F’ville 54 Morrisonville 56
DISTRICT TOURNAMENT
F’ville 56 Raymond 34
F’ville 51 Northwestern 42
REGIONAL TOURNAMENT
F’ville 64 Griffin 51 (Jack Leonard scored 31 points)
F’ville 32 Springfield 65
1960-61 10 – 10 Coach Norman Keefner
Farmersville High School Basketball Team 1960-61
Courtesy of Paul Wiegert
1960-61 Farmersville Basketball Team
Pictured Above, front row, left to right
Duane Gerlach (Jr), Claude Harlan (Sr), Larry Boston (Fr), Bill Stieren (So), Louis Weitekamp (Sr), Roger Webb Jr.
Pictured Above, back row, left to right
Jim Shepherd (Jr), Ben Beechner (Jr), Jerry Volsen (Sr), Paul Wiegert (Jr), David Boehler (Sr), Barry Marten (Sr), Coach Keefner
Season record 10 wins – 10 losses
Kincaid Tournament Champions
Farmersville 45 Nokomis 40
Farmersville 59 Kincaid 56
1961-62 24 – 5 District Champions Coach Norm Keefner
(Last season – school spirit to the end!!)
Farmersville HS Panthers 1961-62
Courtesy of Paul Wiegert
Pictured Left to Right: Jim Cornwell (Sr), Ralph Specht (Jr), Bill Stieren (Jr), Roger Webb (Sr), Karl Heien (Jr), Paul Wiegert (Sr), Bob Tischkau (Jr), Jim Shepherd (Sr), Duane Gerlach (Sr), Larry Bosten (So), Coach Norman Keefner
1961-62 Farmersville Basketball Team
Season Record 24 – 5
1961–62 Basketball Schedule
F’ville 60 at Tallula 35
F’ville 60 at Pawnee 70
F’ville 56 at Girard 58 (OT)
F’ville 71 Morrisonville 65 (2 OTs) P. Wiegert 30 Pts for F’V
V. Waterman 30 Pts. for M/V
F’ville 59 Virden 55
F’ville 54 at Raymond 53
F’ville 46 at Glenwood 49
F’ville 70 Witt 20
F’ville 61 at Edinburg 47
F’ville 59 Rochester 47
F’ville 50 at Mount Auburn 53
F’ville 90 Tallula 41
F’ville 53 Raymond 52
F’ville 62 at Witt 35
F’ville 47 at Nokomis 40
F’ville 72 at Northwestern 49
F’ville 72 Routt 39
F’ville 60 Edinburg 50
C. M. S. Tournament (CHAMPIONS)
F’ville 78 Livingston 49
F’ville 46 Raymond 27
F’ville 46 Glenwood 45 (Upset the top seed with Wiegert’s last second shot)
NOKOMIS INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT (CHAMPIONS)
F’ville 55 Raymond 40
F’ville 55 Kincaid 35
DISTRICT TOURNAMENT (CHAMPIONS)
F’ville 75 Divernon 48
F’ville 57 Auburn 42
F’ville 46 Raymond 41
REGIONAL TOURNAMENT (Held at Illinois State Armory, Springfeld , IL)
F’ville 61 Griffin High School 74
An Interesting Fact
FHS played their arch rival Raymond High School (whom they consolidated with in September, 1962) five times in the 1961-62 season. FHS won all five games.
**From Paul Wiegert, starting player on the 1961 and ’62 Farmersville teams:
“As a member of the last Farmersville High School Basketball team, I wanted to inform you that that the Panthers had a 24-5 record in the 1961-62 season. At one time we had won 18 out of 19 that year. We were defeated by Griffin High School in the Regional Tournament after Farmersville High was leading most of the game. The final score in that game was 74-61. I was a starter in both Regional games (1959-60 & 1961-62 ) that Farmersville played against Griffin High School.”
Need Your Help
Help us fill in the missing information regarding the success of the Farmersville High School supporters. Information is needed regarding the athleitc program and the other accomplishments acheived during the high school’s life. You can e-mail photos and information to us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net. You can also write to us at:
