Kansas Eton Academy High School

Kansas (population 787) is located in far east-central Illinois in the southwest portion of Edgar County. Kansas sits on Illinois Route 16 at the intersection of Illinois Route 49 and County Highway 12. Kansas is located about 14 miles northeast of Charleston. The success of Kansas’ early growth stems from the construction of the Terre Haut & Alton Railroad through the area.  Kansas enjoyed trhe benefits of a railway system in their town until 1983 when railway service was discontinued.

A nice history of the town of Kansas can be viewed at the web address of  http://www.kansas-illinois.com/history/OurFirstHundredYears.htm . In summary the history of Kansas is as follows:

The area in which Kansas was established was first settled in the early 1820s. In 1853 the village was created and initially named Midway. It was later found that there was a village named Midway in Fulton County. The town was eventually incorporated in 1858 and named Kansas after the township it was located in.

The first school in Kansas was started in 1853. In 1889 the Kansas school district was formed which included both a grade and high school. This school system continues to be in service today. The sports teams were known as the Kansas High School Bulldogs until 2004 when an all-sports cooperative agreement was made with nearby Oakland.

In 1894 a private school known as the Eaton Academy was created. It was the dream of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Willasey.  The school accepted students from age eight through high school. This school closed in 1904. Another website for limited information regarding Eaton Academy is found at the web adddress of

http://www.archive.org/stream/historyofschools00hump#page/n81/mode/2up

Kansas Eton Academy Quick Facts

Year opened:           1894

Year closed:            1904

Consolidated to:       Kansas High School

Unknown if sports were offered

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT KANSAS ETON ACADEMY…

then please contact us. We are always looking for information about the school, memories and information of former students, and so on. A picture of the school building would also be greatly appreciated. Please contact us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net or thru the USPS at:

Illinois High School Glory Days

6439 N. Neva Ave.

Chicago, IL  60631