Oneida High School “Mohawks”

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ROWVA Grade School in Oneida
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Photo Courtesy of Richard Soseman
Oneida High School – The Early Years
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THE HISTORY OF ONEIDA HIGH SCHOOL

Oneida (population 752) is located on US. Route 34 approximately 14 miles northeast of Galesburg in Knox County.  The south branch of Pilot Creek runs along the northwest corner of town. Oneida was established in 1854 and is likely named after a Native American word meaning “people of the standing stone.” The book titled “Place Names of Illinois” by Edward Callary states the name was likely brought by a settler from a New York County of the same name.

The first school in Oneida was organized in 1855. A high school was established in 1870, however a storm destroyed the building just seven years later. The bell from the building was saved and was reconstructed. The memorial is pictured at the bottom of the page. Nine pupils graduated from its first high school class in 1891. During the 1890s, high school curriculums were offered, but often times not many people studied a full four, or three, years of its education to earn a diploma. This explains the 21-year gap between the organization of a high school and the first graduating class. From 1899 to 1908, the school became a three-year course of study.

A gym was acquired in 1926 from the Congregational Church building until a new gym was built in 1937.

Oneida supported their own high school until 1948 when the high school was deactivated. The reason for this was a consolidation between the high schools in the towns of Rio, Oneida, Victoria, and Altona (all schools featured on this site).  The result was the formation of the original R.O.V.A. school district (Wataga’s addition in 1987 later made it “ROWVA”).  The town of Oneida was fortunate enough to land the high school in their town.

     

ROWVA Grade School Sideview
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Photo by Richard Soseman
ROWVA Grade School – 2006
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Photo by Richard Soseman
Sharon Karpinski provided the following information regarding the fate of the Oneida HS building:

“Oneida High School, constructed in 1937, will be torn down in February of 2014 in order to erect a new grade school and junior high school on the site.The ROWVA District is moving all the district’s students to a central campus in Oneida, leaving Altona, Wataga, Rio, and Victoria with no school facilities.”

ONEIDA HIGH SCHOOL QUICK FACTS:

Year opened:            unavailable

Year closed:             1948

School nickname:      the “Mohawks”

School colors:           unavailable

School Fight Song:    unavailable

ATHLETICS

Oneida High School probably offered baseball, track and possibly football.  It is known that boy’s basketball was offered as the OHS kids brought home three District titles in the sport in the late 1940s, ending with a title in 1948, their last year of existence. More information is needed regarding the better sports teams and athletics offered.  The basketball success of the Oneida High School Mohawks is listed below.

BOYS BASKETBALL

The Oneida High School “Mohawks” has some real nice teams from the 1920s through the 1940s. Back-to-back-to-back District titles were won in the late 1940s including the final District To0urnament the school would compete in during the 1947-48 school year. IHSA State Tournament scores found on the website titled “Illinois Postseason High School Basketball Scores” are reprinted below.

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1919-20                          Galesburg District Tournament                      Coach’s name & season record needed.

1st Rd lost to Aledo 29-15

Galesburg beat Rock Island in title game.

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1920-21                Postseason scores, season record, and coach’s name needed.

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1921-22                          Galesburg District Tournament                      Coach’s name & season record needed.

1st Rd Beat Buda 35-17

2nd Rd lost to Williamsfield 17-15

Galesburg beat Williamsfield in title game

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1929-30                          Knox County Tournament Champs               Coach’s name, postseason scores, & season record needed.

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1931-32                          Galesburg District Tournament                      Coach’s name & season record needed.

1st Rd lost to Wataga 17-10

Galesburg beat Abingdon in title game.

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 1932-33                        Galesburg District Tournament                         Coach’s name & season record needed.

1st Rd lost to Prairie City 23-13

Galesburg beat Knoxville in title game.

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1933-34                         Galesburg District Tournament                         Coach’s name & season record needed.

1st Rd Beat Wataga 22-20

2nd Rd lost to Victoria 27-11

Galesburg beat Knoxville in title game.

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1934-35                         Galesburg District Tournament                         Coach’s name & season record needed.

1st Rd Beat Gilson 20-16

2nd Rd lost to Altona 24-21

Galesburg Beat Knoxville in title game.

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1935-36                         Galesburg District Tournament                         Coach’s name & season record needed.

1st Rd lost to Prairie City 26-16

Altona beat Avon in title game.

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1936-37                         Maquon District Tournament                            Coach’s name & season record needed.

1st Rd lost to Maquon 38-16

Avon beat Maquon in title game.

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1937-38                         Maquon District Tournament                            Coach’s name & season record needed.

1st Rd Beat Rio 42-38

Semi-Final lost to Altona 38-28

Altona beat Maquon in title game.

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1938-39                         Galesburg Regional Tournament                      Coach’s name & season record needed.

(Oneida did not compete in District Tourney this season.)

1st Rd lost to Galesburg 45-15.

Galesburg Beat Abingdon in title game.

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1939-40                         Oneida District Runner-Up                               Coach’s name & season record needed.

(Early Round Scores Needed.

Title Game lost to LaFayette 27-21

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1940-41                         Oneida District Runner-Up                               Coach’s name & season record needed.

1st Rd beat Gilson 43-32

Semi-Final Beat Altona 36-32

Title game lost to Maquon 31-16.

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1941-42                        Oneida District Tournament                              Coach’s name & season record needed.

(Oneida Scores Needed)

Maquon beat Galesburg Corpus Christi in title game.

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1942-43                       Oneida District Runner-Up                                Coach’s name & season record needed.

1st Rd Beat Gilson 61-27

Semi-Final Beat Brimfield 26-25

Title Game lost to Altona 31-30

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1943-44                       Oneida District Tournament                              Coach’s name & season record needed.

(Oneida Scores Needed)

Altona beat Victoria in title game.

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1944-45                       Oneida District Tournament                              Coach’s name & season record needed.

1st Rd Beat Maquon 45-19

Semi-final lost to Woodhull 43-37

Title Game Altona beat Woodhull.

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1945-46                       Oneida District Champions                                Coaches name & season record needed.

Semi-Final b eat LaFayette 60-29

Title Game Beat Altona 58-36

Galesburg Regional Tournament Qualifier

1st Rd Beat Knoxville 48-47

Semi-Final lost to Galesburg Corpus Christi 44-38

Galesburg beat Corpus Christi 37-33 in title game.

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1946-47                      Oneida District Champions                                 Coach’s name & season record needed

1st Rd Beat Wataga 69-33

Semi-Final Beat Altona 55-29

Title Game Beat Woodhull 63-40

Galesburg Regional Tournament Runner-Up

1st Rd Beat Abingdon 74-23

Semi-Final Beat Galesburg Corpus Christi 61-36

Title Game lost to Galesburg 54-42

*Galesburg lost in Sweet 16 Round.

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1947-48                      Oneida District Champions                                 Coach’s name & season record needed.

Semi-Final Beat Altona 57-50

Title Game Beat Wataga 55-24

Galesburg Regional Tournament Qualifier

1st Rd Beat Williamsfield 51-49 (O/T)

*Semi-Final lost to Galesburg Corpus Christi 43-39

Galesburg beat Corpus Christi 37-33 in title game. (Galesburg lost in Sectional Tournament)

*Final boys basketball game for the Oneida High School “Mohawks.”

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MEMORIES

From Sharon Schraudenbach Karpinski:

“The building that now houses the ROWVA Central Grade School was the Oneida High School prior to the first consolidation of the Rio, Oneida, Victoria, and Altona schools in the late 1940s. It remained the high school for the ROVA District until a new high school was built in Oneida six years later, at which point the old Oneida High became the junior high school plus grades 1-4 for Oneida primary students. Oneida grades 5-6 were bused to Altona Elementary, the former Altona High School. This arrangement remained until the Wataga School District was added to R.O.V.A. district in the late 1980s.

I’m not sure what happened to the high school that had to have existed between when the original one, built in the 1870s was destroyed a few years later, and the building that still stands today. The current building dates from the late 1920s or early ’30s, I believe. That’s certainly the style of the facade and the interior appointments. If part of it dates all the way back to the 19th century, it had to have been significantly remodeled and enlarged in the ’20s/40s. I attended junior high school there.

My father taught at R.O.V.A. from 1950 until 1962, teaching high school history, government and geography. He therefore worked in both the old Oneida High School building and the “new” R.O.V.A. Consolidated High School building that was erected in the ’50s. I remember both buildings well.”

SEEKING FURTHER INFORMATION

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Illinois HS Glory Days

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Oneida High School Park Monument
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Richard Soseman
Oneida High School Park Monument
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By Richard Soseman
 


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