Griggsville Academy

Griggsville Academy Building – 1852
A picture containing text, building, old

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Found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griggsville,_Illinois

The History of Griggsville Academy

Griggsville (population 1,258) is located in west-central Illinois in the northeast portion of Pike County.  The town is located about 35 miles southeast of Quincy, 30 miles west of Jacksonville.U.S. Route 54/Illinois Route 107 is the main roadway to and from Griggsville as it intersects with County Highway 2.  Interstate Highway 72 travels by about 1 mile to the south of town.  The Norfolk Southern Railroad travels by the south side of Griggsville.

The Wikipedia web address of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griggsville,_Illinois tells us that Griggsville was a fast growing town which began in the 1830s.  It was not a town built on the frontier ways of the time, rather it was, from the start, a clean town interested in becoming a good place to live for any family.

One of the first cultural entities to exist in Griggsville was the Griggsville Academy for Boys and Girls.  This Academy began in 1836 and may have served the community through at least the 1880s. An advertisement for Griggsville Academy from those first few years can be viewed at the web address of http://genealogytrails.com/ill/pike/schoolgriggsvilleacademy.html.

Griggsville Academy offered students advanced learning from what they would have received through public school at the time, which, in nearly all cases, stopped after the 8th grade.  Griggsville Academy, as many others of its time, was the only opportunity for learning above the 8th grade level in those days.  It was a very important part of Illinois, and United States, history.

Griggsville Academy Quick Facts

Year opened:     1836

Year closed:      1880s?

Sports likely not offered

IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT GRIGGSVILLE ACADEMY…

Please contact us via e-mail at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net. Photos of the original school building, more history of the town and school, and information about the operation of the school are all welcome items we would like to share with others.  You can also mail items to us at the following postal address:

IHSGD Website

6439 N. Neva Ave.

Chicago, IL.   60631

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