| The History of Palmyra High School
Palmyra (population 733) is located in northwestern Macoupin County in the lower-western portion of Illinois. Illinois Route 111 is the main roadway to and from Palmyra. The Solomon Creek flows past the west edge of town. Palmyra is situated about 25 miles southwest of Springfield and 30 miles northeast of East St. Louis. A history of the town can by found on the Roots Web website page of http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilmacoup/history/palmyran.txt. In summary the first home located in the Palmyra area was a log cabin constructed in 1835. Originally the town was named Newburg, then Cummington, before being platted as Palmyra in 1855. Businesses and houses soon sprung up in this one time bustling town.
The history of the school system in Palmyra is in need of research. Palmyra High School was established in 1892. We know that Palmyra High School served the village and surrounding farm kids quite well through the late 1940s. It was then that the small towns (Hettick, Modesto, Scottville, Palmyra) and country school districts of the area agreed to combine their efforts into one school distrct. In 1948 the Northwestern School District was formed. The high school for the new district was located in Palmyra. The original Palmyra High School building, however, has been torn down. Palmyra High School Quick Facts Year opened: 1892 Year closed: 1948 Consolidated to: Northwestern School District (Palmyra) Palmyra HS team nickname: the “Panthers” Palmyra HS team colors: Orange & Maroon School Fight Song: unavailable |
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Palmer High School
| The History of Palmer High School
Palmer (population 248) is located in central Illinois about 20 miles southeast of Springfield and 6 miles southwest of Taylorville. The town is situated in the southwestern portion of Christian County. Illinois Route 48 is the main roadway to and from Palmer. The Norfolk Southern Railroad runs along-side Route 48 and also travels through the town. The history of the town of Palmer is given nicely on the Wikipedia web address of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmer,_Illinois . In summary the article states the following: Palmer was platted in 1869 along the new railroad line which was laid through the county. Palmer soon established its first businesses with a post office erected in 1870. The town was incorporated in 1873. The town was named after then-Illinois Governor John M. Palmer, who had also served as a major-general in the Union Army during the Civil War. Several businesses, including a coal mine, have served the town over the nearly 140 years it has existed. The history of the Palmer School District is in need of research. We believe that a school was established in the late 1800s. A high school for the District was probably started in the late 1800s to early 1900s. It is possible that Palmer High School was never more than a three-year high school, but four years may have been offered. Our guess is that along with many high schools of the 1940s that were the size of Palmer High, the enrollment did not meet state standards of the time. Palmer High School was likely closed in the late 1940s. The kids of Palmer were bussed to nearby Morrisonville to continue their educational needs. This arrangement continues through today. The Palmer school building has been razed. Palmer High School Quick Facts Year opened: late 1800s / early 1900s? Year closed: late 1940s? Consolidated to: Morrisonville High School Palmer HS team nickname: unavailable Palmer HS team colors: unavailable Palmer HS Fight Song: unavailable |
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Owaneco High School “Indians”
OWANECO — The Owaneco School house, shown above in this photo dated 1913, was built in 1907. The building, which was the second for the village, provided education to the residents until the late 1960s when the district was consolidated with Taylorville. (Breese Courier Newspaper)
The History of Owaneco High School Owaneco (population 239) is located in southwestern Illinois in the east-central portion of Christian County. Illinois Route 29 is the main roadway that will take you to and from Owaneco. Route 29 will also take you to the county seat of Taylorville just 7 miles to the northwest. County Highwayd 5 & 7 also lead to Owaneco. A nice article and a brief history regarding Owaneco and its former high school was located in the on-line version of the Breese Courier newspaper.. A link to the article is li http://breezecourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=34&SubSectionID=368&ArticleID=16618 . A great portion of the article is reprinted a the bottom of this page. In summary, the article states the following. Owaneco is a Native American word whose meaning is not clear. The area in which Owaneco is located was first settled in 1857, The town of Owaneco was platted in 1869. Like most small towns in Illinois, Owaneco had many businesses that helped in its early development. Owaneco was an important stop along the trail that lead from Pana to Taylorville. Owaneco likely had a school in place shortly after it began rising in population. A wood frame school was built in 1907 according to the article. A brick school building was erected in 1913. (However, according to the cornerstone which is part of the memorial seen in the photo above, the brick school was built in 1906.) A gymnasium was added to the school grounds in 1927. It is likely that high school courses were in place very early in the history of the Owaneco school system. For certain Owaneco High School offered at least a two-year course by the early 1920s. It is probable that Owaneco was at least a three-year high school. A fourth year was possibly offered as well. It was likely that in the late 1940s Owaneco High School was closed. The students were then bused to nearby Taylorville for their high school education. The Owaneco school system was closed in the 1960s. All students are now bused to Taylorville for their education. Owaneco High School Quick Facts Year opened: early 1900s Year closed: late 1940s . Consolidated to: Taylorville High School Owaneco HS nickname: “Indians” (1938 Springfield Newspaper article) Owaneco HS colors: ?? Owaneco HS fight song: ?? |
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Ottawa St. Xavier Academy
| St. Xavier Academy Catholic School | |||||||||
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| Ottawa, Illinois | |||||||||
| Entryway to St. Xavier Academy | |||||||||
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The History of St. Xavier Academy of Ottawa
Ottawa (population 18,307) is located in central LaSalle County in north-central Illinois. Ottawa serves as the LaSalle County seat and was established in 1837. The city is rich in history, including being the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate in 1858 (see pictures below). It is also home of the locally famous Reddick Mansion, formerly owned by sheriff and state politician William Reddick. Two major waterways, the Illinois and Fox Rivers, join forces in the heart of the town. Two railroad lines, the CRI & P and the AT & SF, also intersect in town. Major roadways connecting Ottawa to Illinois in every direction include Interstate Highway 80, U.S. Route 6, and Illinois Routes 23 and 71.
Included in Ottawa’s rich history is its equally-rich educational opportunities.This is where St. Xavier Academy comes in. Known as St. Joseph’s from 1859 to 1900, the Academy was established in the year 1900 and was primarily a college preparatory school run by the Sisters of Mercy for teenage girls. The nuns were summoned to Ottawa in 1859 to teach at what was known as St. Joseph’s Hospital & Orphan Asylum. This title was a little misleading as it actually was never an orphanage. The “orphanage” part was added to show the truthlfulness of the Mercy side of the order during an 1867 charter to qualify for legal corporation status in the state of Illinois. The St. Xavier name comes from St. Xavier Convent in Chicago. This is where the Sisters of Mercy were based when the request came to send help to Ottawa.
The Sisters taught grade and high school courses to boys and girls from 1859-1900 when three local Catholic parishes opened their own grade schools. At this point, St. Xavier Academy became an exclusively all-girls’ high school. The Bishop of Peoria, Joseph Schlarman, saw a need during World War II to have a co-educational high school in Ottawa. In 1946, Bishop Joseph Schlarman received a Papal decree from Pope Pius XII to transform SXA into a co-ed facility. A new wing was added to the building which included six classrooms, a cafeteria, and a gym/theatre.
Additionally, there was a convent for the nuns in a home near the school. The nuns were eventually moved into the fourth and fifth floors of the school building after the co-educational transformation was completed. The school did survive a fire in 1898 which destroyed what was to be a part of an existing building (constructed in 1888), which also burned. The VERY original school building (built in 1874) was moved 4 or 5 blocks west of the school’s current location and is still used today as a private residence.
In 1946 the new co-educational institution was renamed Ottawa Catholic High School. Eventually a full, four-year contingent of co-ed students was established. The school was then renamed Marquette High School in 1949, in honor of Father Jacques Marquette, who arrived in the area in 1673.
Marquette High School is still going strong today. The original St. Xavier building, however, has not faired so well. The building in the photos on this page was torn down in 1991. The demolition took place after Marquette built a newer building just to the east of the SXA building. However, part of the entryway from the St. Xavier building was salvaged and serves in the same capacity with the new MHS building, as evidenced by the photo above, taken by MHS graduate Kev Varney in 2006.
Ottawa St. Xavier High School Quick Facts
Year school opened as St. Joseph’s: 1859
Year named SXA (girls only): 1900
Year SXA named Ottawa Catholic (co-ed): 1946
Year building razed: 1991
School nickname: none
School colors: each class chose their own
School Fight Song: none
Athletics
Being an all-girls Catholic school before 1946 did not afford St. Xavier girls the opportunity to compete in inter-scholastic athletic competition. The school did have a Girls Athletic Association club, but that was the extent of their athletic endeavors. Private schools could not even join the IHSA until 1941, further inhibiting St. Xavier’s athletic growth.
Famous Alumni
**Four graduates of St. Xavier Academy were named to the St. Xavier/Ottawa Catholic/Marquette Alumni Hall of Fame. They include the following:
Sister Martina Schomas RSM
Class of 1918, taught at both SXA and Marquette, also a graduate of St. Xavier’s College.
Dorothy M. Crawford
Class of 1921, taught in Ottawa schools, graduate of Illinois State Normal University and University of Illinois.
Sister Marie Pillion RSM
Class of 1933, taught at Marquette High School, graduate of St. Xavier College, and Fordham University.
Elizabeth Cordial
Class of 1928, Office Manager and Benefactor, graduate of Browns’ Business College.
GHOST STORIES!
The rumors have floated for years, and many have “swore” to this being a fact, but it seems the old building pictured was rumored to house ghosts of its storied past. Many ears have heard footsteps on the upper floors as well as busy noises in the cafeteria kitchen and hallways during meetings at night, only to find them empty upon investigation. One wonders if those lonely spirits have moved into the “new” building, even more lost now!!
If You Have ANY Information…
…. you would like to share regarding St. Xavier Academy in Ottawa please e-mail us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net. or write to us at:
Illinois HS Glory Days
6439 N. Neva St.
Chicago, Il. 60631
| St. Xavier Academy Class of 1946 | |||||||||
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ST. XAVIER CLASS OF 1946
(taken from the Winter 2006 edition of Footprints, the St. Xavier/Ottawa Catholic/Marquette alumni newsletter, which came from the April 28th, 1946 edition of the Ottawa Republican Times)
Members of St. Xavier’s Academy senior class who graduated last night, pictured in their caps and gowns above are: seated, bottom row (left to right)-Louise Hiedmann, Darlene Sherman, Jane Callahan, Marilyn Aussem, Rita Fox, Eileen Donahue, Charlene Fitzgerald; second row from bottom-Jean Lavender, Lauretta Schiffgens, Mary Poutre, Frances Fiorini, Loretta Stoudt, Arlene Stillwell, Anna Tuleck, Marcella Stoudt, Marie Skoflanc, Ivis Donahue; third row from bottom-Lois Fitzpatrick, Thelma Busteed, Colleen McGrath, Elaine Burke, Jean Devine; fourth row from bottom-Beverly Corrigan, Irene Corcoran, Dolores Curtin, Patricia Hossack, Phyllis Mayou, JoAnn Smith; fifth row from bottom-Jean O’Neil, Eileen Murphy, Marjorie Helfrich; sixth row-Betty Zwick, Juanita Batt, Joyce Street, Patricia Lane, Shirley McAlpine, Rita Geiger, Colleen Revell, and Alice Schiffgens.
At impressive rites last evening at St. Columba’s Catholic church at 7:30, 39 senior students of St. Xavier’s Academy received diplomas. The girls entered the church through the sanctuary doors at the altar attired in white caps and gowns. Dean John T. Shields, St. Columba’s pastor, addressed the graduates and presented diplomas. Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament, celebrated by Dean Shields, the Rev. Stephen Gould and the Rev. Fabian Revel, OSB, the latter of Peoria, closed the service. Visiting clergy included the Revs. John Loughlin of Marseilles, and JP Farrell, pastor of St. Patrick’s of Ottawa. The program of instruction for the class of the academy 1945-46, was highly concentrated and accelerated in order to permit extensive remodeling work to continue unimpeded,
Boys to be admitted
St. Xavier’s academy is adopting a co-educational program in 1946 with the plan sponsored by Bishop Schlarman. In the coming year only, freshmen boys will be admitted under the co-educational plan. More than half of the 102 freshmen registrations for the coming year are boys.
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Ottawa St. Columba High School
| Ottawa St. Columba High School | ||||||||||
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| Courtesy of Mollie Perrot | ||||||||||
The History of Ottawa St. Columba High School
Ottawa (population 18,400) is located in north central Illinois along Interstate 80 between the Quad Cities and Chicago. The Fox and Illinois Rivers meet in the center of the city, and also can be reached by US 6, Illinois 23, and Illinois 71. The Chessie Railroad also has a line that runs thru Ottawa, which it acquired years ago after the Rock Island went bankrupt in 1980.
This community is stepped in tradition with regard to Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. Both men held the first of their seven debates in Washington Square in August 1858, and a boulder marks the spot where the platform stood. Ottawa was founded in 1837 and grew quickly due to its location along the rivers, plus had the benefit of the Illinois & Michigan Canal built in town.
Many immigrants from Ireland and thruout Europe came to Ottawa and other communities that hosted the canal, and settled there. Because of the population swelling, the need for a Roman Catholic Church was evident, and St. Columba was started in 1838. The church had several locations as it continued to grow, and settled into its current location in 1882.
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The patron saint of the school was born 521 A.D. in what is believed to be Donegal, Ireland, who studied under St. Finnian at Moville, and continuing to learn at a monastery in Clonard under another St. Finnian. St. Columba was ordained a priest at the age of 25, and was responsible for establishing a foundation of faith for those living in Derry, Durrow, and Kells. Columba left Ireland at the age of 42 (about 563) following deaths that were the result of a family feud that the priest felt he had partial responsibility about.
From there, he settled on the island of Iona off Scotland where he built a monastery that became famous. In that location, he helped spread the Gospel to the Picts, and formed a monastic rule that was followed by others. Columba died on Iona on June 9th, 597 (which also happens to be his feast day), and has been referred as Colm, Colum, & Columcille.
St. Columba opened its first school in 1892 for boys only at the corner of LaSalle & Washington Streets with 210 enrolled, taught by the Brothers of the Holy Cross from Notre Dame. The brothers would be joined later by the Sisters of Mercy, who were also located down the street at St. Xavier Academy (which was known as St. Joseph’s at the time). The sisters eventually took over the school in 1903, which continued to grow to the point that another building was needed by 1913. That second building, which was north of the original school and is shown at the top of the page, was a two-story brick structure like the original building and was dedicated on the same day in 1913 along with new school buildings at St. Patrick’s and St. Francis on the city’s west side by then-Bishop Edmund Dunne. The following information about the school building itself was located in the Ottawa Daily Republican Times by Mollie Perrot, a historian in Ottawa: “Information given about the St. Columba High School noted that the contract for its construction was awarded to the Ottawa firm of Sinnott Brothers about April 1st of 1913. Orders were given to rush the work with all possible haste. The building was of red pressed brick, trimmed in Bedford stone, the general architecture being in harmony with the St. Columba’s boys’ school adjoining it. The basement held ‘the heating apparatus, lavatories and play rooms,’ while the first floor encompassed a large lobby, two class rooms, and a large library room. A broad staircase led to the second floor, where there were three large class rooms and coat rooms. “The plumbing and heating contract for the building was awarded to J. M. Dougherty, of Ottawa, and a vacuum system of heating was installed. The whole building was designed with a view of taking the best care possible of sanitation, ventilation and lighting. Completed, the building represented an expenditure of about $30,000, and was ‘so designed that it will be possible to add to it without destroying its beauty. The building had a frontage of 90 feet on La Salle Street and is 47 feet in depth.'”
St. Columba’s was a compliment to the all-girls’ St. Xavier for those parents who wished to send their sons to a Catholic high school in town instead of elsewhere where they may have to be boarded. Unfortunately, St. Columba could not keep up with the demand of having the required equipment and available space for the boys that they were teaching, and it was decided to close the high school down in June 1919. Even though a high school no longer exists, St. Columba Grade School remains open and strong to those parents who wish to send their children to a private school in Ottawa. The school built another building that houses the administrative offices, classrooms, and gymnasium in 1963, and tore down the older two buildings in 1979. In its place today is an addition that was connected to the 1963 building in 1985 (pictured below) which houses more classrooms and a cafeteria large enough that it can hold weekend masses in the summer due to the fact that it is air-conditioned.
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| FACTS ABOUT OTTAWA ST. COLUMBA HIGH SCHOOL
Year opened: 1917 Year closed: 1919 HERE’S YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO GET INVOLVED!!!! If you know of anyone who may have attended the former St. Columba High School, then we would like to hear from you. We are looking for information such as courses offered, number of students enrolled, teachers that taught the courses, and photos of the school building. Please contact us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net. or by sending your information to: Illinois High School Glory Days 6439 North Neva Chicago, IL 60631
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Ottawa Pleasant View Academy
The History of Ottawa Pleasant View Academy Ottawa (population 18,500) is located in north central Illinois in LaSalle County, serving as the county seat. The community is the home of the confluence of the Fox and Illinois Rivers in the central of town, and is known for the silica sand that is mined daily to make replacement glass products as well as automobile glass products, such as windshields. It is centrally located along Interstate 80, US 6, and Illinois Route 23 & 71. In addition, the community boasts of its ties to history with Abraham Lincoln as it was the home of the first debate between the 16th President of the United States and Stephen Douglas in Washington Square. A stone boulder marks the spot where the stage was located for the event, and a mural portraying the debate is painted on the wall of a nearby building facing the square. In addition, the Reddick Mansion borders the square, having been built by glassblower William Reddick in the 1850’s. Pleasant View Academy was opened in the fall of 1896 as a preparatory course to Pleasant View Luther College, a two-year institution that was founded the previous year and was affiliated with the Lutheran Church. According to archivist Gary DeKrey at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, he stated to this author: “It appears that the ‘preparatory course’ was a part of the Pleasant View curriculum from the beginning of the school, which was founded in 1895 and opened for the 1896-97 academic year. Eventually, the ‘preparatory course’ or academy became a full-fledged high school, but I am not sure when that happened. Pleasant View itself did not ever become a four year college. It was eventually called a ‘junior college.’ The relationship between the academy or high school and the college was a very close one: same faculty, and many students progressing from one to the other rather seamlessly. “It looks to me like 1935-36 was the last academic year of the institution. I ran across a letter of April 1936 from its president to somebody at St. Olaf indicating that they were trying to figure what to do with the facilities at that point. So I think you can assume that the high school was there for the institution’s forty year existence, whether it was called the ‘preparatory course,’ the ‘academy,’ or the ‘high school.'” All the grade records and course catalogs from PVA and the junior college are stored at St. Olaf College, which also hosts archival information for the Norwegian-American Historical Association. The buildings are no longer standing, and the grounds are now the home for the Pleasant View Luther Home. In that neighborhood, some of the street names reflect the school’s history with names like College, University, Erickson, View, and Lockrem. |
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Ottawa Catholic High School “Crusaders”
The History of Ottawa Catholic High School Ottawa (population 18,307) is located in central LaSalle County in north-central Illinois. Ottawa serves as the LaSalle County seat and was established in 1837. The city is rich in history, including being the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate in 1858. It is also home of the locally famous Reddick Mansion, formerly owned by sheriff and state politician William Reddick. Two major waterways, the Illinois and Fox Rivers, join forces in the heart of the town. Two railroad lines, the CRI & P and the AT & SF, also intersect in town. Major roadways connecting Ottawa to Illinois in every direction include Interstate Highway 80, U.S. Route 6, and Illinois Routes 23 and 71. |
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Osceola High School
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Orland Township High School
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The History of Orland Township High School
Orland Park (population 55,461) is located in far northeastern Illinois in the southwest portion of Cook County. The town is situated about 12 miles southwest of downtown Chicago with U.S. Route 45 traveling through the center of town. U.S. Route 6 and Illinois Route 83 also pass through Orland Park. The Norfolk and Western Railroad makes its way through Orland Park as well.
A nice history of the town of Orland Park can be found at the web address of http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/936.html . This article states, in essence, that the area in which Orland Park is now situated was originally settled in the 1830s. The actual land on which the town was platted was owned by a man named John Humphrey. The town was originally called Sedgewick however those from the area successfully changed the name to Orland Park.
Orland Park was incorporated in 1892. In the year 1900, the census revealed that there were but 366 people residing in Orland Park. The town’s growth increased slowly but steadily through the 1960s, reaching a population of about 2,500. The population exploded in the 1970s through the 2000s, reaching its current status of over 55,000 today.
A brief mention of the history of Orland High School is available on the web address of https://district.d230.org/about/History/default.aspx . We know that the area around Orland Park enjoyed at least a grade school as early as the 1830s.
It was in 1917 that Orland Township High School was established. Orland Township High School enjoyed growth and several location changes over the next 30-plus years. It was in 1952 that the voters of the area agreed to create a new school district out of the existing high school districts of Palos and Orland Townships. A new building was built and the students all moved in together in the fall of 1954. Thus ended the run of Orland Township High School District #222. The new school was Carl Sandburg High School, with Orland Board of Education member Donald Bond coming up with the name.
The school was originally a two-year high school held in one building for all school purposes. It was upstairs in the Village Hall on Beacon Street. The village population at that time was 200. A Miss Davis, a graduate from Chicago University High received her Ph.B. from the University of Chicago and set out to organize an accredited Chicago high school in a rural district.
In 1922, there were four periods of 43 minutes each. The school year ran 38 weeks. The school taught standard subjects plus mechanical drawing and book keeping. At that time, the nearest high schools would have been in Chicago (either Englewood or Lindblom).
Special thanks goes out to Maggie Hanlon at the Orland Park Public Library for her assistance in our research.
Orland Township High School Quick Facts
Year opened: 1917
Year closed: 1954
Consolidated to: Carl Sandburg High School
Orland HS team nickname: none
Orland HS team colors: none
Orland HS Fight Song: none
| ATHLETICS
We know that Orland Township High School competed in boys basketball. We are fairly certain that the boys competed in baseball and track as well, possibly even football. We are interested in the Orland Township High School team nickname, uniform colors, fight song, coaches names, and season records. Individual accomplishments are also welcome. BOYS BASKETBALL The boys of Orland Township High School won two District Championships before the school was renamed Carl Sandburg High School in 1954. These two championships came back-to-back in 1952 and 1953. If you have any further information on the Orland Township High School basketball program please contact us via the means listed at the bottom of this page. 1951-52 District Champions 1952-53 District Champions EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES School plays, dances, homecomings, clubs, parties, and student government all were likely a part of the Orland Township High School curriculum. Please let us know if you have more to share regarding this portion of the OTHS experience. WE NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE The people who made Orland Township High School thrive for so many years deserve to have its existence memorialized. A photo of the high school building used from 1917 – 1954 and any other information is welcome to be shared on this page. You can contact us via e-mail at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net.. Items can be mailed to us via USPS at: IHSGD Website 6439 N. Neva St. Chicago, Il. 60631 |
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Oquawka High School “Indians”
The History of Oquawka High School Oquawka (population 1,539) is situated on the banks of the Mississippi River in far western Henderson County. Il. Route 164 is the main highway in town. A larger town of note in the area is Monmouth which sits 16 miles east of Oquawka. Oquawka was established in 1833 as “Yellow Banks” referring to the sandy bluffs near the area. The name of the town was changed to Oquawka in 1836. This is a Native American word with more than one potential meaning. The residents have a long history of good education in regards to their children. Oquawka High School provided many years of solid learning and the production of good solid citizens. It was in 1914 that the first students attended classes of Oquawka Township High School. According to Marilyn Thompson Stailey, these first classes were held in the German Lutheran Church in Oquawka. It was in 1948 that the towns of Oquawka and Gladstone initiated consolidation talks. This initiative was completed and became a reality. The Gladstone / Oquawka School District was started, effectively ending the the solo educational system of Oquawka. You can learn more about Gladstone / Oquawka High School by reading their page on this site. The Gladstone / Oquawka School District eventually joined a consolidation effort of all the schools in western Henderson County. The students of Oquawka now attended school as part of the Biggsville Union School District which has become the West Central School District also in Biggsville. Oquawka High School Quick Facts Year opened: 1914 Year closed: 1948 Consolidated to: Gladstone-Oquawka High School School nickname: the “Indians” School colors: Black & Gold School Fight Song: “On Oquawka” Sung to the tune of ON WISCONSIN. Thank you to Marilyn Thompson Stailey |
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