Geff High School

Former Geff High School Building
A house with a fence around it

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Credit to Laurie Selpien and http://www.genealogytrails.com/ill/wayne/
Geff High School Students – 1934
A group of people posing for a photo

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Credit to Laurie Selpien and http://www.genealogytrails.com/ill/wayne/

The History of Geff High School

Geff ( Jeffersonville ) – population 366 – is located in Lamard Township in central Wayne County , about 7 miles northwest of Fairfield.  The village is accessed by two county roads and also is (or was) served by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.  The information below is primarily from Laurie Selpien’s excellent genealogytrails.com/ill/wayne/ website.

Geff is unique in that the town is known entirely by its own nickname.  The town was platted in the 1850’s as Jeffersonville , and was incorporated under this name in 1907.  However, confusion with the larger Indiana town of the same name caused many problems with the post office and the railroad.  At some point, the railroad began calling the station “Geff”.  In 1917, the post office was also officially re-named.  Today, the town is known entirely as Geff, although the incorporated name has never been changed.

A four-room wooden school building was built in Geff around 1890.  Three rooms were used for school, with the fourth room initially used as a Masonic hall.  Later a brick building was constructed.

The Geff school offered high school classes (likely a 2 or 3-year high school), probably between the 1920’s and 1940’s.  A picture from 1934 shows about 15 high school students, which may have been the entire student body at that time.

Geff students today attend Fairfield High School, but the community has maintained its own elementary school district (Geff CCSD #14).  Enrollment in 2007 is around 110 students in grades K-8.  A picture of the current school on the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce website seems to indicate the presence of an older school building in the background – this may be the Geff H. S. building.

More information is needed on activities, sports, etc. at Geff High School

Geff High School Quick Facts

Year opened:                  1920s?

Year closed:                   1940s?

Consolidated to:              Fairfield School District

Geff HS team nickname:  unavailable

Geff HS team colors:       unavailable

School Fight Song:          unavailable

ATHLETICS

We believe that the boys of Geff High School competed in basketball.  Track and baseball may have been offered as well.  We are searching for information on the Geff High School team nickname, uniform colors, coach’s names, season records as well as individual accomplishments.

Extra-Curricular Activities

School plays, band, chorus, FFA, FHA, and other clubs may have all been a part of the Geff High School experience.  If you have information on these or other activities please drop us a line.

Special Gratitude

To our good friend Gerry Halpin, a long-time fan of the Glory Days site, for providing the research and text for this page.

If You Have Further Information To Provide….  

Please contact us via the following means:

E-Mail:   ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net

USPS:    IHSGD Website

              6439 N. Neva Ave.

              Chicago, Il.   60631

Geff Grade School – 2007
A sign in front of a house

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As Viewed on the Fairfield CC Website – http://fairfieldillinoischamber.com/pages/Schools

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