(McNabb) Swaney High School “Pirates”

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Swaney High School – Original 1906 Building
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The History of Swaney High School

Swaney High School was located in a true country setting. The IHSA web site (www.ihsa.org), when listing the athletic accomplishments of the school, refers to it as (McNabb) Swaney High School. However, the reality is that the school was located in the country between the towns of McNabb and Magnolia, but postmarked as McNabb. McNabb (population 310) is a small town located in eastern Putnam County. It sits along Il. Route 89 at County Road 11. This places it approximately 11 miles southeast of LaSalle. The Conrail Railroad runs through the center of town. A branch of Clear Creek runs through the northwest side of town.

Swaney High School was established in 1906. A book was written regarding the founding of the school and its great reputation of fine education. It is titled “John Swaney Schools – Rural Education Pioneers 1906-1966.” Swaney High School was located in a Quaker community and was closely associated with the University of Illinois. In fact, John Swaney himself donated six acres of his land to the U.of I. for agricultural research purposes. This move led to Swaney High School being named one of the first high schools in Illinois, as well as the nation, to devote an interest in agricultural education and development.

Swaney School Building 1920s
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Swaney was featured in a 1920 Illinois schools journal. The following facts about the school were furnished:

No. of districts consolidated:          3

Square miles:                               20

Assessed valuation:                      $546,296

Cost of house:                              $40,000

Annual tax levy:                            $6,000

Tax rate:                                      1.11

Annual tax levy before:                  $1,950

Teachers now:                              7

Teachers before:                           3

Enrollment now:                           180

Enrollment before:                        100

Enrollment in grade school:           120

Enrollment in high school:             60

No. studying agriculture:               15

Aid from vocational fund:               Yes

Years of high school course:         4

Months in year:                            9

Swaney High School served the people of McNabb and the surrounding countryside well. In 1946, the residents of Magnolia, its neighbor to the south (and also featured on this site), entertained thoughts of disbanding their high school and joining Swaney HS. This became a reality in 1948 when the residents of Magnolia voted to make the consolidation/annexation complete. The school was then known as Magnolia-Swaney High School.

Swaney School Building 1920s
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The school thrived for nearly two more decades until another consolidation effort was begun. This involved all of the existing high schools in Putnam County. This effort, too, became a reality in 1966 with the establishment of Putnam County High School in Granville. The Swaney School system was effectively deactivated. The building currently serves as a junior high school.

The current Swaney Middle School is said to have it’s ghost stories. Lockers in the P.E. changing rooms at games have been known to open and shut. When people stay after school sometimes they will find themselves being chased by a person in a black cape. Now, we don’t know if this is true or not, but who would possibly make up such a thing like that?

Swaney High School Quick Facts

Year opened:                            1906

Year merged with Magnolia HS:  1948

Year closed:                             1966

Size of last graduating class:      15

School nickname:                      the “Pirates”

School colors:                           Blue & Gold

School Fight Song:                    unavailable
Athletics

John Swaney High School offered basketball for sure. This is evidenced by the four District titles won by the Pirate boys’ basketball teams. The Pirates also saw one of its boys bring home two medals from the Illinois State Track Meet under the old one class system. Baseball was offered throughout the existence of SHS. Short runs in wrestling and football are touched upon later.Tennis courts were built on the school grounds; however, tennis was never offered as a competitive sport. The successes of the school in athletics are listed below.

Boys Basketball

The Swaney High School Pirates took home a total of four District titles. Two of the titles were won as Swaney High School and two were won as Magnolia-Swaney High School.

As (McNabb) Swaney High School:

1919-20                  LaSalle District Tournament           Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd Beat DePue 35-21

                               2nd Rd Beat Tonica 25-11

                               Semi-Final lost to Streator 30-16

Streator Beat LaSalle in title game

1920-21                  LaSalle District Tournament           Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Mendota 18-10

1921-22                  Ottawa District Tournament            Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd Beat Bureau Township 30-16

                               2nd Rd lost (Score Needed)

1922-23 thru 1926-27 Postseason scores, record, and coaches’ names needed.

1927-28                  IHSA District Champions             Coach’s name & record needed

District Scores Needed.

Peoria Sectional Tournament

                               1st Rd lost to Manito 23-11

1929-30                  IHSA District Champions             Coach’s name & record needed

Tri-County Tourney Runner-Up

District Scores Needed.

Peoria Sectional Tournament

                               1st Rd lost to Peoria Manual 22-13

Manual Beat Seneca in title game.

                               

1930-31                  Tri-County Tourney Runner-Ups    Coach’s name & record needed

District Scores Needed.

1931-32 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.

1932-33                  Wenona District Tournament          Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd Beat Lostant 30-22

                               2nd Rd Beat Rutland 19-13

                               Semi-Final lost to Long Point 26-24

Long Point Beat Henry in title game

1933-34                  Wenona District Tournament          Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Sparland 27-11

1934-35                  Streator District Tournament           Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Grand Ridge 40-13

1935-36                  Wenona District Tournament          Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd Beat Varna 41-33

                               Semi-final lost to Dana 35-20

Dana beat Lostant in title game

1936-37 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.

1937-38                  Wenona District Tournament          Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd Beat Magnolia 30-23

                               2nd Rd lost to Tonica 19-16

Rutland Beat Varna in title game

1938-39                  Wenona District Tournament          Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Varna 36-30

1939-40                  Record & District Scores Needed    Coach A.I. Bolton

1940-41                  Wenona District Tournament          Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Sparland 21-19

1941-42 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.

1942-43                  Varna District Tournament              Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd Beat Magnolia 26-21

                               2nd Rd Beat Tonica 25-24

                               Semi-Final lost to Lostant 45-24

Lostant beat Dana in title game

1943-44 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.

1944-45                  Varna District Tournament              Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Varna 50-18

1945-46                  Varna District Tournament              Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Magnolia 27-21

1946-47                  Wenona Regional Tournament       Coach’s name & record needed

(Not assigned to a District this season.)

1st Rd lost to Wenona 54-41

1947-48                  Wenona Regional Tournament       Coach’s name & record needed

(Not assigned to a District this season.)

1st Rd lost to Cornell 44-43

As Magnolia-Swaney High School:

1948-49 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.

1949-50                  Varna District Tournament              Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Sparland 50-31

1950-51                  Varna District Tournament              Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Sparland 53-26

1951-52                  Varna District Tournament              Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Toluca 39-28

  

1952-53                  Hennepin District Champions      Coach’s name & record needed

Semi-Final Beat Long Point 71-57

                               Title Game Beat Sparland

                               Henry Regional Tournament

                               1st Rd Beat Granville Hopkins 60-42

                               Semi-Final lost to Henry 71-55

1953-54                  Hennepin District Champions      Coach’s name & record needed

Semi-Final Score Needed

                               Title Game Beat Cornell 65-59

                               Granville Regional Tournament

                               1st Rd lost to Tonica 65-46

1954-55                  Tonica District Runner-Up               Coach’s name & record needed

Semi-final score needed

Title Game lost to Tonica 62-54

1955-56                  Tonica District Tournament             Coach’s name & record needed 

                               1st Rd Beat Hennepin 66-64

                               Semi-final lost to Tonica 69-50

1956-57                  Lostant District Tournament             Coach’s name & record needed 

                               1st Rd Beat Lostant 76-60

                               Semi-final lost to Sparland 66-61

1957-58                  Wenona District Tournament          Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Wenona 71-37

1958-59                  Wenona District Tournament          Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Wenona 55-36

1959-60                  Toluca District Tournament             Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Sparland 78-39

1960-61                  Lostant District Tournament            Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Lostant 87-39

1961-62                  Lostant District Tournament            Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Lostant 76-36

1962-63                  Lostant District Tournament            Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Tonica 62-52

1963-64 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.

1964-65                  Lostant District Tournament            Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Cornell 74-58

1965-66                  Tonica District Tournament            Coach’s name & record needed

*1st Rd lost to Cornell 61-54

*Final varsity basketball game played by the Magnolia-Swaney High School “Pirates.”

One of the best players to grace the hardwood of McNabb-Magnolia-Swaney High School was Jim Kinney. He had a couple of huge perforamances in the 1956-57 Basketball season. In a December 14, 1956 game against Neponset, he scored 56 points to lead his team to victory. A few games later, he broke his own record by putting up 61 points in a January 15 game against Hennepin. He was 23-for-45 from the field in that game.

Boys Track & Field

One athlete excelled in track on a State Meet level at Swaney High School. Thomas Quinney brought back two medals in two different years for the Pirates. The skipped year is not a misprint. We are not sure as to why Thomas Quinney did not place in the 1932-33 meet.

1931-32      Thomas Quinney          1 Mile Run        4th Place

1933-34      Thomas Quinney          880 Yard Run    3rd Place

Wrestling

Wrestling was also offered at Swaney High School. In fact, the boys there excelled at the sport. It was before the 1933 school year started when a teacher named Paul Benbow was hired to teach Chemistry and Agriculture. Mr. Benbow was also a former wrestler at the University of Illinois. He received permission to start a wrestling program for the boys of Swaney HS. What a great Coach he would prove to be, leading the boys to incredible heights from 1933 to 1936.

The Swaney boys teams had to travel far in some cases just to find another team to compete with as there were very few wrestling programs in the area at the time. A State Wrestling Tournament (wrestling was not officially recognized by the IHSA until the 1936-37 school year) was held by the schools who had programs.  The Swaney boys were winners of the tournament in 1934!  Imagine, State Champions for such a small school who competed against much bigger schools such as Champaign!  One of the rewards for winning the tournament was that Swaney High School was able to host the State-wide tournament the very next year.

Two of the boys from Swaney were recognized as Individual Champions for the school. Thomas Quinney and Gwynne Peterson both earned multiple individual championships for their respective weight classes.

Mr. Benbow left the school after the spring of 1936 and the wrestling program came to end.

Football

Though very brief, the football “program” at Swaney High was not without a great story. The school started a team in 1922. The Henry News Republican reported that the football team played its first game on October 7th, 1922. They were matched against a much larger school in Chillicothe. A much larger school meant much larger players and the result was none too pretty. The Swaney boys worked to the bitter end but came up on the short end of a 101-0 score. Their second game against Wenona resulted in a lopsided defeat, too. It also ended in many injuries for the boys on the team and football was discontinued then and there.  The football program ended with a record of 0-2 and was never restarted.

Need More Information  

We have received a great amount of information from local historian Lonna Nauman and will post more later. If you have any other information you would like to share regarding Swaney High School please complete a or a Guest Commentary Form. We always are looking for photos of the school building and great teams and coaches of note. You can also reach us via e-mail at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net or write us at:

Illinois HS Glory Days

6439 N. Neva St.

Chicago, Il.    60631

Swaney School Cheers
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Wrestling Champs – Thomas Quinney and Gwynne Peterson
 


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