The History of Secor High School Secor (population 379) is located in upper-central Illinois about 25 miles east of Peoria. This places Secor in the southeastern portion of Woodford County. The town was named in honor of Charles A. Secor a member of the engineering firm of Cruger, Secor and Company, which was awarded the contract for construction of the Eastern Extension of the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad, and Zeno Secor, a director of the railroad line that passed through the village (source: book titled “Place Names of Illinois”). U.S. Route 24 passes through the south side of town as County Highway 5 passes through Secor’s middle. Route 24 is shadowed by the Toledo, Peoria, and Western Railroad. A branch of the Panther Creek flows into Secor as well. A nice website for the village of Secor can be read at the following web address: http://villageofsecor.com/ . The following information was sent to us by a fan from the area who obtained it from the Secor Centennial Book which was written in 1957:
Secor Centennial Book (1957) “The first log schoolhouse with a stick and mud chimney was built in 1844. Records for this school were destroyed by a fire. The first small frame school building was built in 1857. That building was sold as a home for a family. Secor believed that education was essential for a well governed community. The people worked hard to provide a safer and more modern building. The last school building built in Secor was a brick building built in 1906 at cost of over $10,000. (This building is pictured above.) The number of students that attended classes in this new building in spring of 1907 were 39 primary students, 26 intermediate, 27 upper grades and 30 high school students along with 1 teacher for EACH grade level and a principal. In the school year of 1916-1917 athletics were introduced. Early school records show that in the upper grades and High School, alternate grades were taught in succeeding years. Later two years of high school training were offered, The last High School classes were taught in 1939-1940.
Beginning in 1941, the Secor School was only an elementary school. In 1948 Secor merged with El Paso Community Unit Dist. 375. With this change, only the first 6 grades remained in the Secor School. Seventh and eighth grade students were transported by bus to El Paso. Due to crowded conditions at the time, the seventh grade was reopened in Secor in 1954. .” Secor High School served the community for about four decades, probably a little longer. The school building continued to serve the El Paso District into the 1980s until it was decided to close it with all students attending classes in El Paso. The former school gymnasium building serves as a community center for the town of Secor. Secor High School Quick Facts Year opened: Late 1800s Year brick HS building built: 1906 Year HS closed: 1940 Annexed to: El Paso School DIstrict Secor HS team nickname: unavailable Secor team colors: unavailable School Fight Song: unavailable |
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