Redmon High School “Indians”

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Redmon High School
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Courtesy of Don Ogden
Redmon HS Kids of 1947-48
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Courtesy of Don Ogden

The History of Redmon High School

Redmon (population 137) is located in the east-southeastern portion of Illinois.  The town is approximately 60 miles east of Decatur on Il. Route 133.  Other location points include being in the west central portion of Edgar County, about 16 miles west of the Indiana/Illinois state line.  The Prairie Central Railroad runs through the middle of town and the north branch of the Hickory Grove Creek runs along the northern and eastern edges of town.

Redmon was established in 1872. It was named after Joseph Redmon, an influential settler of those days. Redmon’s population peaked in 1900 at 282 residents. In 1990 the population was 201, the last time in the U.S. census that Redmon exceeded 200 residents.

This tight knit village took a lot of pride in educating its children.  The brick Redmon High School building was built in 1910.  The building served the kids of Redmon through the early1950s. In 1952 Redmon High School and nearby Brocton High School joined forces to form the Brocton-Redmon School District. The high school students attended school in Brocton while both Brocton and Redmon continued to host a K-8 facility. This worked well for many years until a new consolidation effort was realized in the late 1960s.  It was then that Brocton-Redmon High School was deactivated and the children of the two towns joined Hume in creating the Hume Shiloh School District in 1968.  The Redmon School building saw its last group of children attend class in the spring of 1968.

Redmon School Building Inscription
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Courtesy of Don Ogden

The following history of Redmon High School was provided by A. Joyce Brown:

“From at least 1937-38 through 1946 Edward “Ed” M Leamon served as Principal of Redmon High School, and probably also as Coach.  By fall of 1947 Carroll Dunn was our Coach, and probably also the HS Principal. Redmon High School started out as a 1 year High School around 1904-05. At least two females from the community attended that first year, and received a *Diploma dated 1905, or 1906.  (Believe one* of those is now in the Edgar County Historical Society’s collection.  One of those students was my foster mother, Avis Chesrown; the other was Mary Applegate*.  By 1919 it had progressed from 2-years to 3-years, and finally by 1924 it provided 4-years, with the first Senior Class graduating in 1928. There were three school annuals, “The Redmonian” published; in 1928, 1936, and 1952.  The first two are in the collection of the Edgar County Genealogy Library in Paris, Ill.”

The Redmon school building served as a shelter-care facility for a few years before being purchased by its current owners and Redmon HS alumni, Lee and Becky Newcomer. In 1978 they converted the building into a 10 unit apartment facility using the gymnasium as a garage.  The building still stands tall and proud in Redmon, a reminder of the town’s storied educational history.
Redmon High School Quick Facts

Year school building opened:         1910

Year High School closed:              1952

Consolidated to:                            Brocton-Redmon HS

Year all school functions ceased:   1968

School building today:                   10-unit apartment bldg.

School nickname:                          the “Indians”

School colors:                               Orange & Blue

School Fight Song:                        unavailable

Athletics

Redmon High School definately offered boy’s basketball.  The Indians competed in six-man football as well.  Track and baseball may have been a part of the sports program at Redmond as well.  If you have any information you can offer regarding the Redmon High School ahtletic program please follow the directions below.

Boys Basketball

The Redmon basketball program was a good one.  This is evidenced by the four District Championships they won in the 1940s. Unfortunately we do not currently have all of the team records and coach’s names of all of these and other great Redmon High School teams. We did locate some scores from the IHSA State Tourney involving Redmon High School. Those scores are added below.

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1930-31            Mattoon District Tournament     Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Humboldt 22-16

Mattoon beat Paris in title game

  —–  

1931-32             Mattoon District Runner-Up!    Coach’s name & record needed.

1st Rd Beat Gays 36-16

2nd Rd Beat Hindsboro 26-21

Semi-Final Beat Charleston 28-22

Title game lost to Mattoon 20-15

  —–  

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

1st Rd lost to Marshall 23-22

Marshall beat Chrisman in title game

  —–  

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

1st Rd Beat Hume 25-24

2nd Rd lost to Longview 53-14

Longview beat Brocton in title game   

  —–  

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

1st Rd Beat Pesotum 35-23

 2nd Rd lost to Arcola 36-23

Arcola lost to Tuscola in semi-final

Tuscola lost to Villa Grove in title game

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

1st Rd Beat Scottland 56-9

Semi-Final lost to Hume (score needed)

Rardin beat Hume in title game.

  —–  

1936-37            Greenup District Tournament   Coach’s name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Casey 38-8

Charleston beat Casey in title game

  —–  

1937-38           Kansas District Tournament       Coach Edward “Ed” M. Leamon

1st Rd lost to Brocton 45-22

Brocton beat Ashmore in title game. 

(Paris placed 3rd in State Tourney)

  —–  

1938-39           Ashmore District Tournament.   Coach Edward “Ed” M. Leamon

1st Rd Beat Gays 39-14

Semi-Final lost to Lerna 30-14

Brocton beat Lerna in title game.

(Paris lost in State Title game)

  —–  

1939-40  Postseason scores & record needed.   Coach Edward “Ed” M. Leamon

  —–  

1940-41          Kansas District Tournament          Coach Edward “Ed” M. Leamon

1st Rd lost to Kansas 28-16

Kansas beat Westfield in title game. 

  —–  

1941-42          Ashmore District Champions       Coach Edward “Ed” M Leamon

Early Rd Scores Needed

Title Game Beat Ashmore 37-11

Charleston Regional Tournament

1st Rd Beat Kansas 35-30

Semi-final lost to Paris 69-21

Paris beat Charleston in title game

Paris lost State Title Game to Centralia 35-33

  —–  

1942-43           Kansas District Tournament      Coach Edward “Ed” M. Leamon

1st Rd Beat Westfield 75-23

Semi-Final lost to Kansas 50-30

Kansas beat Brocton in title game. 

(Paris won State Championship)

  —–  

1943-44          Ashmore District Champions         Coach Edward “Ed” M Leamon

Early Rd Scores Needed

Title Game Beat Oakland 38-18

Casey Regional Tournament   

1st Rd lost to Casey 57-31

Paris beat Casey in title game. 

  —–  

1944-45          Ashmore District Tournament        Coach Edward “Ed” M. Leamon

Season record needed

1st Rd Beat Ashmore 35-33

2nd Rd lost to Newman 31-20

Newman beat Oakland in title game

  —–  

1945-46          Kansas District Runner-Up         Coach Edward “Ed” M. Leamon

Season record needed

1st Rd Beat Lerna 54-31

Semi-final Beat Hindsboro 26-25

Title Game lost to Kansas 58-28

  —–  

1946-47          Brocton District Tournament      Coach’s name & record needed.

1st Rd Beat Ashmore 60-35

Semi-Final lost to Brocton 50-34

Kansas beat Brocton in title game. 

(Paris won State Championship)

Redmon HS Indians of 1946-47
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Coach Carroll Dunn

1947-48              Kansas District Champions             Coach Carroll Dunn

 Season record needed

Semi-final Beat Kansas 48-37

Title Game Beat Hindsboro 44-42

Casey Regional Tournament

1st Rd lost to Charleston Teachers HS

Charleston lost in semi-final to Casey

Casey lost to Paris in title game

  —–  

1948-49              Brocton District Champions            Coach Gerald Mieure

Season record needed

1st Rd Beat Kansas 39-37

Semi-final Beat Newman 37-31

Title Game Beat Chrisman 51-43

Paris Regional Tournament

1st Rd lost to Casey 53-43

Casey lost to Paris in title game

Redmon Indians 1948-49 District Champions
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Coach Gerald Mieure and Principal Verne Roche

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

1st Rd lost to Newman 46-44

Newman beat Chrisman in title game

  —–  

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

1st Rd Beat Westfield 48-41

Semi-final lost to Newman 54-27

Newman lost to Kansas in title game

  —-  

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

**1st Rd lost to Longview 52-50 (2 O/Ts)

Longview lost to Kansas in semi-final

Kansas beat Chrisman in title game

**Final game for Redmon High School, consolidated with Brocton in the summer of 1952.

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Football

The boys of Redmon High had played with the pigskin too.  Redmon High Schol offered 6-man football for a while in the 1940s, possibly into the 1950s.  Team records and coach’s names are needed.

Redmon Six-Man Football Team 1947-48
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Courtesy of Don Ogden

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Grade School Greats

One of the great Redmon grade school basketball teams of all-time was the group of 1946 pictured to your right. The team had 30 wins and one loss which was the County Tournament. The Little Indians had one starter sick for the game we lost which hurt us immensely. The team was invited to the Charleston tournament that year and beat Matoon,Casey, Paris {Who eventually won the State Tournament That Year} then beat Charleston by 14 Points in Championship game. Redmon was not eligible for The State Tournament this year because they had played too many games.  Thanks to Don Ogden for this interesting grade school story!

Redmon Grade School Basketball – 1946
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Team Record 30 – 1

Seeking Your In-put

If you have any information you would like to share regarding Redmon High School or the town of Redmon, or the consolidation of Brocton-Redmon, please complete a School Submission Form or a Guest Commentary Form.  You may also write us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net 

The Class of 1950 as Sophomores (1947-48)
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Courtesy of Don Ogden
 
 
 
 


REDMON HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1929 – SUBMITTED BY LISA KRANZ

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