The History of Chicago Mercy Mission High School
Chicago (population: 2.8 million) is the nation’s third largest city that grew quickly within its first 100 years. From it’s founding in 1803 and even still today, the city possesses an eclectic feel with its numerous cultures and history that distinguishes the community from others world-wide. Even after a great fire in 1871, Chicago pulled itself up by its bootstraps and rebuilt itself, then annexed other smaller communities such as Hyde Park, Englewood, Lake, and many others.
Another thing that separated this Midwestern community was the diversity of education that was abundant during the latter part of the 19th Century. One of those schools that stood out was Mercy Mission, which opened its doors in 1887 near the Board of Trade in temporary quarters on LaSalle Street around the downtown district.
The school was started as a home for homeless boys called St. Paul’s Home for Working Boys by the Rev. Louis Campbell, but later changed its name to the Mission of Our Lady of Mercy when incorporation papers were filed the same year. Mercy Mission moved to 1140 West Jackson Boulevard in 1889 when Rev. Dennis Mahoney stepped in due to illness to Rev. Campbell and presented a down payment to purchase a home for the school.
Mercy Mission took in at-risk boys between the ages of 11-21 and gave them structure from family life that was full of chaos and dysfunctionality, plus offered them education to get ahead in the world with other males. High school classes were no longer offered after the 1981-82 school year, but Mercy Mission remains open as a home today for both boys and girls (which were added in 1987) that need personalized attention to find hope and a new way of life. According to this author, it is believed that the high school-aged students still live at Mercy Mission but attend high schools in Chicago.
Find out more about Mercy Home for Boys & Girls here: http://www.mercyhome.org/mercyhomehistory/.
FACTS ABOUT CHICAGO MERCY MISSION HIGH SCHOOL
Year opened: 1887 Year closed: 1982 School colors: unknown School nickname: unknown School song: unknown
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
We know that Mercy Mission offered athletics, including basketball, and belonged to the Chicago Parish School League with the likes of Corpus Christi, St. Gregory, St. Malachy, St. Michael’s, Cathedral, St. Benedict, St. Dominic, & Willibrord Catholic. No information has been found to show win-loss records or names of coaches and players that were part of any athletic team at Mercy Mission, but we did find that the school was on the receiving end of a 52-point performance by Jesse Green from Chicago St. Dominic on February 27, 1959 on 24 field goals and four free throws. We are hopeful that an alumnus or historian might be able to fill us with more details with what sports were offered at Mercy Mission, plus have records, names of coaches, and more. |
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AS YOU CAN TELL…
we are in need of plenty of information about Chicago Mercy Mission High School. Information such as school colors, team nickname, school song, photos of the school or its teams, and more are what we would like to have to make the story of Mercy Mission as complete as possible. Please contact us at dr.veeman@gmail.com or by mailing your information to:
Illinois High School Glory Days 6439 North Neva Chicago, IL 60631 |