Hume is a town of 382 residents located in East Central Illinois, in far northern Edgar County. It is approximately 29 miles southwest of Danville, approximately 29 miles east of Tuscola. U.S. Route 36 is the main roadway leading to and from Hume and is shadowed by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. The Brushy Fork Creek flows to the north of town. Hume was established in 1873 by Elizipahn W.S. Hume, who also became the postmaster of the first post office extablished in 1874.
Hume High School was in existence from the early years of the town, at least since 1900, until the late 1940’s. It was in 1949 that the school was consolidated with Metcalf, and other schools in Young America Township, to form Young America High School.
According to Hume HS student Nelson McMullen, who finshed his junior year at Hume before graduating from Young America HS, there was a graduating class from Hume High School in 1899 or 1900, the year his grandmother graduated. At the bottom of this page is a photo of the Graduation Announcement for the Hume High School Class of 1897. It lists this as the “Fifth Annual Commencement.” This would make Hume High School active at least in 1892, most likely in 1889 or 1890.
The original school building is completely gone with only the gym still standing . After consolidation with Metcalf, the school was used for grade and junior high school classes until its further consolidation into Shiloh School District.
Hume High School
Gymnasium to right of building
Young America High School was located in Metcalf and existed until 1968 when it joined Brocton-Redmon to form the Shiloh School District. The Shiloh District is currently located, along with the junior high, and a grade school, just south of Hume. In 1993 Newman HS consolidated into the Shiloh School District as well. (Shiloh is C.U.S.D. #1 At Shiloh they can always say with certainty “We’re #1!”:>).
The original Hume High School building has been destroyed. We did find the building pictured below (above the “Athletics” portion) to still be standing in Hume. At one time it served as the Hume High School gymnasium.
Hume HS Gymnasium – 1927-1939
Hume HS Student Body of 1926-27
Hume High School Quick Facts
Year opened: 1892
Year closed: 1949
Consolidated to: First to the Young America School District, then to Shiloh HS District #1
School nickname: the “Wildcats”
School colors: Orange & Black
School Fight Song: “On, Hume High School”
ON HUME HIGH SCHOOL, ON HUME HIGH SCHOOL
SMASH RIGHT THRU THAT LINE
PASS THE BALL RIGHT TO YOUR FOWARD
BASKET SURE THIS TIME,
HUME RAH RAH!
ON HUME HIGH SCHOOL, ON HUME HIGH SCHOOL
FIGHT ON FOR YOUR FAME
FIGHT FELLOWS, FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
WE’LL WIN THIS GAME !!!
Inspirational Song Number Two
If the “On Hume High School” fight song doesn’t show you the school spirit of the Wildcat fans, how about this gem from Dick Rogers (Class of 1939). This, too, was sung during games and pep rallies to “charge up” the troops!
ALTHOUGH WE’RE SMALL IN NUMBER AND OUR TEAM IS VERY LIGHT
WE WILL SHOW OUR FIGHTING SPIRIT IN THIS GAME WE PLAY TONIGHT
WE ARE SURE TO WIN THE VICTORY AND NO HONOR SHALL WE LACK
FOR OUR TEAM WILL STAND DEFENDERS OF THE ORANGE AND THE BLACK!
(Hume High must have been a special place to attend school!)
Hume High School Gymnasium – 2009
Constructed in 1939
Cornerstone – Hume HS Gymnasium Building
Athletics
The accomplishments of the Hume High School kids is is need of research also. Basketball and track were offered for the boys. This is evidenced by their success documented on the IHSA web site www.ihsa.org. It is believed baseball was played at Hume HS too. We are searching for the school team nickname, colors, and fight song as well as the conference membership of Hume High School.
Boys Basketball
The Hume HS basketball program had some real nice seasons. Some of the scores involving Hume HS participating in the annual IHSA State Tournament were located on a website titled “Illinois Postseason Basketball Scores.” These scores are posted below. We are in need of season records and coaches’ names for nearly all of the Hume High School basketball seasons.
1921-22 Charleston District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Kansas 33-10
Kansas beat Charleston in title game
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1922-23 through 1932-33 Postseason scores, records, and coaches’ names needed.
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1933-34 Tuscola District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Redmon 25-24
Redmon lost to Longview in semi-final
Longview beat Brocton in title game
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1934-35 Tuscola District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Newman 30-8
Newman lost to Tuscola in 2nd Rd
Tuscola lost to Villa Grove in title game
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1935-36 Paris District Tourn. Runner-Up Coach’s name & record needed
Semi-final Beat Newman 27-22
Title Game lost to Rardin 17-16
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1936-37 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1937-38 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1938-39 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1939-40 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
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1940-41 Sidell District Runner-Up Coach’s name & record needed.
1st Rd Beat Scottland 53-15
Semi-Final Beat Allerton 44-37
Title Game lost to Indianola 41-19
**In 1941 both teams from the championship game of the District Tournament advanced to the Regional Tournament.
Westville Regional Tournament
1st Rd Beat Georgetown 36-35
Semi-Final lost to Danville 39-36
Indianola beat Danville in title game.
Indianola lost to Urbana 32-31 in Sectional Semi-final.
Urbana placed 2nd at State Tourney losing to Morton Township (Cicero) 32-31
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1941-42 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1942-43 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1943-44 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1944-45 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1945-46 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1946-47 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
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1947-48 28 – 3 SIDELL DISTRICT CHAMPIONS COACH LEO BERNS
The Hume High School Basketball team excelled when they succeeded as District Champions in the 1947-1948 season! Check out the resume’ for this team as provided by Harold Stone:
Edgar County Tournament Champs
Tied for Ambraw Valley Conference Championship
Runner-up Ambraw Valley Tournament
**Sidell District Tourney Champions – Scores
1st Rd Beat Ogden 49-46
Semi-Final Beat Indianola 58-32
Title Game Beat Allerton 45-38
**Westville Regional Tournament
1st Rd Beat Catlin 44-40
Semi-final lost to Georgetown 53-41
Georgetown lost to Danville in title game
The team members and their coach, as viewed in the photo below, are as follows:
Front L to R
Phil Roller, Nelsie McMullen, Gene Compton, Pat Carr and Carroll (Peno) Johnson
Back L to R
Conrad Dillman, Mike Carr, Carroll (Bud) Coombes, Bill McMullen, Junior Steen, Sam Overton and Coach Leo Berns
Hume HS Basketball Team of 1947-48
District Champions
Harold Stone provides his memories and thoughts of this team:
“Here was a team that only had three losses all season and two of the losses were to arch rival Metcalf who, in just two years time, would combine with Hume to form Young America HS. Let your mind dwell a moment on how good Young America might have been in 1947-48 !
The athletic banquet honoring Hume’s 28 and 3 team was huge. In those days the banquets were a community “potluck” affair. I was 12 years old and remember I how I had never seen so much food! That year (1947-48) the Illinois State High School Basketball Champion was Pinckneyville. The guest speaker at the Hume athletic banquet was Pinckneyville Coach Duster Thomas and he brought along his State Champion starting five ! I remember what an impression that made on me, then only a sixth grader.”
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1948-49 Sidell District Runner-Up Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd Beat Ogden 52-41
Semi-final Beat Fairmount 64-52
**Title Game lost to Indianola 67-54
**Final game as Hume High School, school merged with Metcalf High School in the summer of 1949 to form the Young America School District.
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Boys Track & Field
One male trackster from Hume High School earned a gold medal and a big mark of respect for the Hume High School athletic program. Bill Barrett was the STATE CHAMPION in the 1 Mile Run at the 1921 Class ‘B’ State Track Meet. His efforts actually placed Hume 9th overall when you discount the tie scores in front of Hume that year. Excellent job Bill Barrett!
1920-21B Bill Barrett 1 Mile Run STATE CHAMPION!!
Harold Stone, an avid fan of the Hume and Young America (Metcalf) Schools, provided these interesting bits of information regarding Bill Barrett:
“Bill Barrett listed in the Hume High School site that was State Champion in the mile run 1921, came from a family of 14 children, 10 boys and 4 girls. One of the 4 girls was Sister Mary Blanche Barrett who was Principal at Springfield Sacred Heart Academy in Springfield for 27 years.
Bill Barrett died at the early age of 31 at Morgantown, W Va, after undergoing surgery to have gall stones removed. He was employed to start his 5th year as High School Basketball Coach at Rowlesburg, W Va. Of the 4 full years he coached at Rowlsburg W Va High School, they won the state tournament 2 times !
Tina Barrett, Bill Barrett’s granddaughter, has had a great career on the LPGA tour.”
Hume Memorial to Edward Doisy
Distinguished Alumni
A 1910 graduate of Hume HS was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1943 in Physiology and Medicine! Edward Adelbert Doisy locally born and bred, graduated from Hume High School in 1910, the University of Illinois in 1914, and earned a Doctorate at Harvard University. He went on to a career in teaching and research at St. Louis University, where he discovered the nature of Vitamin K, its chemical structure, and its role in the clotting of blood. He died in 1986 at the age of 92.
A memorial stone stands in the Hume City Park in his honor and can be viewed directly above. Click on the photos to view a larger version.
Hume Tractor
Built in 1917
The Hume Tractor
For a brief period, maybe two years, the town of Hume was in the farm tractor business. In 1917 the Hume Tractor was being manufactured at a factory in town. Its success was short lived as there were only around 300 models manufactured before the company was discontinued. There is believed to be only one Hume Tractor still available in the world today. It is pictured to the right.
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Seeking Further Information
If you have any information you can share regarding the history of Hume and its former school system please take the time to share it with us so we can share it with others. The hard work of the Hume ancestors should be forever remembered. You can e-mail items to us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net. You can also write to us at:
