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Hartsburg High School “Stags”
The History of Hartsburg High School Hartsburg (population 358) is located in south-central Illinois in the northwestern portion of Logan County. Illinois Route 121 runs through the center of Hartsburg and connects it with Lincoln, its neighbor about 7 miles to the southeast. The Illinois Central Gulf Railroad also angles through Hartsburg. The town was platted in 1871 by its founder, David Harts. The history of the early educational system in Hartsburg is in need of research. It is thought that Hartsburg residents began schooling for their children in the late 1800s. A high school was established in town in the late 1800s / early 1900s. The high school functioned effectively in Hartsburg for about five decades. In the mid-1940s the towns of Hartsburg and Emden began talks of consolidating their high schools. In 1947 the talks were put into action with the development of the Hartsburg – Emden School District. The high school for the new district was (and still is) located in Hartsburg. The photo above is of the original Hartsburg High which now serves as a part of Hartsburg-Emden HS. A new addition for H-EHS is shown below. Photos taken are courtesy of Jon Wheat!! Hartsburg High School Quick Facts Year opened: late 1800s Year closed: 1947 School building: now Hartsburg-Emden High School School nickname: the “Stags” School colors: Orange & Black School Fight Song: unavailable |
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Harmon High School
The History of Harmon High School Harmon, Illinois is located 3 miles south of United States Route 30 on Harmon Road in western Lee County in Northwest Illinois. It is about eight miles in between Dixon and Sterling-Rock Falls as the crow flies. The hamlet of Harmon has just a little over 100 people residing there and was served by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (later Burlington Northern) until the mid-1980’s. The tracks are now gone, but there is still a couple of empty downtown buildings as well as a tavern and a couple of grain elevators. The origin of the school system in Harmon is in need of research. The school was located on the northeastern corner of Harmon Road and “Main Street” (Sterling Road). The origins date back to 1854. The people of Harmon kept their school until the plans of state-wide consolidation efforts were agreeable with the town. In 1948, the high school students were bused to Amboy High School to the east. The school building may have served for an Elementary purpose before ceasing. From Roberta Van Briesen: “Harmon School was located on Harmon Rd. North of Sterling Rd. on the East side of the road in Harmon Twp. On April 1, 1861, a new district was formed. It would be known as District #3 but would later be known as Harmon School District #12. The building, fourteen by twenty feet was built and equipped for the use of a school. The building would be used as a church by the Latter Day Saints and also for several other functions over the years. In 1869, a new building was built north of the original building. In 1869, that building was sold. A new school was built that was later destroyed by fire. A new brick school was built in 1900. (Source: Illinois Historical Society, Jan 1918 issue) (this issue is quoted a lot in the book) Harmon School District dissolved and was annexed to Amboy CUD #272 in 1956. The school operated as an attendance center for District #272.” Today, the building is used as an apartment complex. For more information on Harmon High School please go to http://genealogytrails.com/ill/lee/leeschoolharmon.html .
Harmon High School “Quick Facts”: Year schools organized: 1854 Year HS closed: 1948 Deactivated to: Amboy School District Building Status: Apartment complex School Colors: Unknown School Mascot: Unknown School Song: Unknown |
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Harding High School
| Harding Grade School | |||||||||
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| Part of existing building where high school classes were taught | |||||||||
The History of Harding High School
Harding (population 150) is located in north central Illinois in LaSalle County, about five miles south of Earlville, seven miles west of Serena, and ten miles north of the county seat, Ottawa. As a rural community, Harding only measures abouit three blocks long and three blocks wide with a church, a school, and a community center to go along with the homes that are there. County Highway 1 (aka Wesley J. Freebairn Highway or the Harding Blacktop) brings people into town from either US 34 to the north by Earlville, or from the junction of US 52 and Illinois 23 at the south. The Crooked Creek Run meanders its way nearby as does Indian Creek.
The area welcomed settlers as early as 1830, but they were driven away in 1832 due to the Black Hawk War and an infamous tale called “The Indian Creek Massacre,” where 15 men, women, and children were killed by a group of Indians. Another group of settlers came to the area within the next two years, led by E. Z. Allen in 1834, along with the Rev. Wesley Batcheller (1836), and the Rev. Charles Harding (for whom the village is named, who arrived in 1843) and they were able to form the community that still stands today.
Hardng’s first school was built in 1839, and Rev. Batcheller was the first teacher. The post office was established a year later and Freedom Township (where Harding is located) was organized in 1850.
We are uncertain as to when Harding began to offer high school courses to its grade school graduates, but the practice stopped following the 1941-42 school year under the guidance of principal Chuck Markman. Students had the option of finishing their work towards a high school diploma at Earlville, Serena, or at Ottawa.
Today’s high-school aged students are part of the Serena school district, as a grade school remains at the east edge of the village. Part of the building that high school students attended still remains with a newer addition that was added within the past five to ten years.
FACTS ABOUT HARDING HIGH SCHOOL
Year opened as a 2-yr school: early 1900’s
Year closed: 1942
Now part of: Serena High School
School colors: Blue & Gold
School nickname: may not have utilized one
(grade school uses “Eagles”)
School song: unknown
ACTIVITIES It is believed that the school offered some sports to its students, along with other activities such as dances, parties, and the like. There are no records of any hardware won by Harding in an IHSA state tournament series on the Serena High School page (http://www.ihsa.org/school/records/sum1914.htm). If you know of anything, please contact us at the addresses listed below. We have been told that the community had an semi-pro basketball team called the Harding Orioles, but that team had no connection with the school. One of the school’s best-known alumni was former Illinois State Representative Betty Hoxsey, who served the area in Springfield in the 1970’s. |
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| A BIG THANKS!!!
We would like to thank former students Stanley Wright and Norman Simpson for their help in volunteering information about this entry, and to former Serena High School basketball coach Al Stegman for lending some facts as well. IF YOU HAVE MORE INFORMATION… please contact us. We can be reached by submitting information by clicking on this link to the Guest Commentary page and fill out information, then send it to us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net, or by using the USPS. Our address is: Illinois High School Glory Days 6439 North Neva Chicago, IL 60631 |
Hardin High School “Tigers”
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The History of Hardin High School Hardin (population 959) is located in lower-western, some may even say southwestern, Illinois. Hardin is the County Seat of Calhoun County and sits about 25 miles northwest of Alton and about 35 miles northwest of St. Louis, MO. Illinois Routes 16 and 100 lead you to and from Hardin. Hardin sits on the banks of the Illinois River and is only four miles east of the Mississippi River. According to the website http://www.greatriverroad.com/Cities/Hardin/HardinCover.htm , Calhoun County is unique in that it is 37 miles long and only seven miles wide at its widest point. The website goes on to say about Hardin: “Hardin is named in honor of Col. John J. Hardin, who was killed leading a charge of the First Illinois volunteers at Buena Vista during the Mexican Civil War. The town’s original name was Child’s Landing but was changed when the county seat was relocated from Gilead in 1847. With several restaurants having riverfront views, Hardin is a popular lunch spot for Bald Eagle watchers in the winter.” The history of Hardin High School is found on the Roots Web address of http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilcalhou/Education/ruralschools.pdf . Hardin High School was the first high school in Calhoun County according to newspaper accounts of the day. The paragraph from Roots Web reads as follows: “The Hardin High School, which was started in 1917, was operated by District 20. More than half of the students were from rural areas, their tuition being paid to District 20 by the Non-High School Board. In 1937 a new gymnasium was completed and the old grade school re-modeled. The school was recognized by the state as a four-year high school during the school year of 1939-40. The new unit district was organized in 1951-52, and high school pupils of Batchtown, Hamburg, and Kampsville were being brought to Hardin by school busses. The new Calhoun High School one mile north of Hardin was dedicated in 1961.” As stated above, it was in the early 1950s that the communities of Calhoun County began talks of consolidating their educational efforts. This effort became a reality in 1951 with the creation of the Calhoun School District. Hardin High School had its’ final graduating class of 38 receive their diplomas in May of 1951 The new high school complex for the Calhoun District was completed in 1961 and is located 1 mile north of Hardin where it remains today. The fate of the original Harding High School building, which was utilized as the Calhoun HS from 1951-1961, was provided by Justin Lee: “The Hardin High School structure is still standing. After the HS closed in 1961, the building served as a K-8 facility until 1993, and from then until 2000 it served as a K-5 school. It was then closed and sold to the Village of Hardin for redevelopment.” Hardin High School Quick Facts Year opened: 1917 Year became 4-year HS: 1939 Year consolidated: 1951 Year Bldg Ceased as GS: 2000 Consolidated to: Calhoun School District (Hardin) Hardin HS team nickname: the “Tigers” HHS team colors: Orange & Black School Fight Song: unavailable |
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Hanover High School “Red Devils”
The History of Hanover High School Hanover (population 836) is located in far northwestern Illinois in the southwestern area of Jo Daviess County. The town is nestled quietly on Illinois Route 84 about four miles south of U.S. Route 20. The Apple River winds through and around Hanover and was very instrumental in the town’s location and early growth. To give you an idea of how far northwest Hanover is located in Illinois, it is 20 miles south of Wisconsin and six miles east of Iowa. It is also both about six miles east of the Mississippi River AND four miles north of the Mississippi River. Check it out on Map Quest (www.mapquest.com) An official Jo Daviess website page http://www.hanover-il.com/abouthan/history.htm describes Hanover’s early history: “The present site of Hanover was a Sac and Fox Indian village when white settlers came to farm the area in 1828. A natural drop in the Apple River made the location ideal as a dam and mill site, the first of which was built in 1829 by James Craig. The settlement was initially known as “Craigsville,” but in 1838 Craig laid out and platted the streets in the village and renamed the community Wapello after the chief of the Indian village. In 1849 the name was again changed, this time to Hanover. The village became incorporated in 1877.” The same webpage describes the educational history of Hanover in this manner: “Hanover township had many one-room schoolhouses from the 1840s onward. The last one, Lost Mound, closed in 1960. A two-story brick school was constructed in 1863 where White Park now stands. In 1929, the Hanover school building was constructed, and the old school was torn down in 1935. The present school building will cease use in 2003 when the new River Ridge School is built.”
It would be safe to say that high school curriculum was established for Hanover kids by the late 1800s, probably in the 1870s or so. The high school proudly served the residents of Hanover for about 100 years. In the early 1980s consolidation talks were initiated with nearby Elizabeth (also on this site). Their talks became a reality in 1985 with the creation of the River Ridge School District (http://www.riverridge210.org/) . The high school building in Hanover was used for the River Ridge grade school from 1985 until 2003. It was in 2003 when a new, all-inclusive school complex was built between the towns of Hanover and Elizabeth. The Hanover school building is now used as a community center for the Hanover Township Park District. Hanover High School Quick Facts Year opened: late 1800s Year closed: 1985 Consolidated to: River Ridge School District (Hanover) School nickname: the “Red Devils” School colors: Red & White School Fight Song: “Our Director” Thank you to Brian Callahan Go, Hanover High School. Go Hanover High. H.. A… N… O… V… E.. R. Oh, here’s to our dear high school. Lets treat her right. We’ve got a team that always wins a fight. Rah, Rah, Rah. Here’s to our dear fellows doing their best. Winning a victory for H. H. S. !!
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Hammond High School “Wildcats”
The History of Hammond High School Hammond (population 518) is located in east-central Illinois about 17 miles east of Decatur. This places Hammond in south-central Piatt County. U.S. Route 36 is the main roadway to and from Hammond and runs by the south side of town. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad runs through the north side of town. According to Map Quest (www.mapquest.com) the Hammond Mutual Ditch flows by the east side of town. The village was established in 1873. Its original names included Shumway and Unity. It was decided eventually to name the village after the president of the newly erected Indianapolis-Decatur- Springfield Railroad line which passed through town. His name was Charles Hammond. The history of Hammond school system is located in booklet titled “The Prairie Is Our Home.” The book is a history of Hammond from the years 1873- 1998. Copies of pages from the book were provided to us by Donna House. It is probable that a high school for Hammond students was established in the late 1800s. Hammond High School served the community for at least four decades. In the late 1940s the push to consolidate schools was felt by the folks of Hammond and nearby Atwood. The two towns agreed to consolidate their efforts in 1948 by creating the Atwood-Hammond School District. The high school for the newly created district is located in Atwood. The Hammond school building is still standing. It was used as a Junior High (6-8) facility through the 1980s. It was decided that declining enrollment and the busing of students from the larger town of Atwood to Hammond became an economical issue with Atwood having two school buildings large enough to handle the student population. In 1980 the Atwood-Hammond High School entertained 200 students in grades 9 – 12. That number has declined and steadied at around 120 students for the past 20 years. The Hammond school was sold to a private citizen and turned into an apartment complex which did not pan out.. It now sits vacant, a reminder of the town’s storied past.
“THE YEAR 1948 WILL SEE STUDENTS CLIMBING THE STAIRS OF HAMMOND COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE LAST TIME. STUDENTS EXPRESS DEEP REGRET IN LEAVING, AND WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE GOOD TIME HAD AT DEAR OLD H.C.H.S. TO ALL STUDENTS, PAST AND PRESENT, WE, THE SENIORS OF ’48, WISH TO DEDICATE THIS, THE LAST EDITION OF THE MEMORITER.” We know that Hammond High School, like nearly every small town school on this site, was a very special place during its time. The above photo was underscored by the written caption in the school’s final yearbook of 1948. Special gratitude goes out to Doris M. Gregory (a former HHS student) for the photos and several items of information on this page. Hammond High School Quick Facts Year opened: late 1800s Year closed: 1948 Consolidated to: Atwood-Hammond School District Hammond HS nickname: the “Wildcats” School colors: Blue & Yellow School Fight Song: unavailable |
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Hamburg High School
| The History of Hamburg High School
Hamburg (populaton 126) is located in southwestern Illinois in the north-central portion of Calhoun County. County Highway 2, which is best known as the “Mississippi River Road” is the main route to and from Hamburg. Michael Hollow Road also takes you into Hamburg. The Mississippi RIver flows to the west of town as Hamburg is seated right along its banks. The town of Hamburg was platted in 1836 by a man named John Shaw. For many years the village showed great promise and was utilized as a shipping port. Over the last 50 years or so it has settled into its current population. We know that Hamburg High School was a two-year high school due to the research conducted by Roberta VanBriesen. She located this information.while searching the internet and reading the page found at the Rootsweb address of: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilcalhou/Education/ruralschools.pdf . In summary this article states that as of 1932 Hardin County had a total of 32 school districts. In reference to Hamburg the article states: “Since the early twenties, Batchtown and Hamburg had operated two – year high schools with enrollments of twenty to twenty-five students. The new unit district (Calhoun School District) was organized in 1951-52, and high school pupils of Batchtown, Hamburg, and Kampsville were being brought to Hardin by school busses. The new Calhoun High School one mile north of Hardin was dedicated in 1961.” Hamburg continued to support a grade school through at least 1967 when 32 children were enrolled at the school. It is likely that the grade school closed in the 1970s or 1980s. Hamburg High School Quick Facts Year Opened: 1920s (two-year HS) Year Closed: 1951 Consolidated to: Hardin Calhoun High School Team Nickname: unavailable Team Colors: unavailable School Fight Song: unavailable |
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Griggsville High School “Tornadoes”
| Griggsville High School | |||||||||
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The History of Griggsville High School
Griggsville (population 1,258) is located in western Illinois on Il.Rt. 107 and County Rd. 2. This is in the eastern portion of Pike County approximately 30 miles due west of Jacksonville.
Griggsville likely had a school system in place for its children by the late 1800s. Griggsville High School served the town and surrounding farm kids on a solo basis for about 100 years. In 1995 Griggsville consolidated with nearby Perry High School to form the Griggsville -Perry School District.
According to an anonymous source, some information about the Griggsville school system is as follows:
“The school building is used as the high school for the Griggsville-Perry district. There are adjoing buildings that house pre-k through fourth grades. Our middle school is in the Perry school building in Perry and houses grades five through eight.
There was another bulding adjoining the high school that use to house the jr high. It was torn down about five years ago and a new addition was built in its place to give both the grade school and high school additional room.
The Tornado mascott was kept after the consolidation and so were the school colors of maroon, white and gold. The middle school colors of purple, gold and white and the mascott of eagles were also kept.”
The High School for the Griggsville – Perry School District is located in Griggsville and is pictured above. It is also the original Griggsville High School building.
Griggsville High School Quick Facts
Year opened: probably late 1800s
Year consolidated with Perry HS: 1995
School nickname: the “Tornados”
School colors: Maroon, Gold & White
School Fight Song “On GHS”
On GHS, On GHS,
On to victory!
Take that ball away from them,
A basket there must be!
Rah, Rah, Rah!
On GHS, On GHS,
Fight on for her fame!
Fight fellows, fight, fight, fight!
We’ll win this game!
Griggsville fight, Griggsville fight, Griggsville fight!
Athletics
Griggsville had some great athletic teams over the years. IHSA hardware was won in Boy’s Basketball and Boy’s Track. Baseball was offered. It is assumed other sports were offered for boys and girls and we are seeking this information from a fan, alumnus, or resident of Griggsville.
Our anonymous source also tells us:
“Griggsville High School has had great success in all sports both before and after the consolidation. Many regionals and quite a few sectionals have been won by both boys and girls in all sports. The middle school boys basketball has been very successful in state play, with alot of state tournement trophys and a couple of state championships won. The middle school has Coach Ken Stauffer.”
The most successful teams according to the IHSA web site (www.ihsa.org) are listed below.
Boy’s Basketball
The Griggsville High School Boy’s Basketball team of 1927-28 is probably one of the great stories of Illinois High School basketball tournament history. The GHS boys made it to the final four before losing its final two games to finish an incredible fourth place overall. Remember the IHSA was then a one-class basketball system. The Griggsville boys basketball team won a total of five Regional and two District championships. Their IHSA success is listed below.
1927-28 22 – 8 District/Regional/Sectional Champions Coach Ross Nichol
Team Placed 4th in the State Tournament!!
Elite Eight – Griggsville 22 – Hutsonville 21
Semi-final – Aurora West 31 – Griggsville 24
Third Place – Witt 40 – Griggsville 26
1950-51 N.R.A. Regional Champions Coach’s name unavailable
1953-54 N.R.A. Regional Champions Coach’s name unavailable
1970-71 N.R.A. District Champions Coach’s name unavailable
1975-76 N.R.A. Regional Champions Coach’s name unavailable
1988-89 24 – 6. Regional Champions Coach Howard “Jack” Roemer
*In a January 13, 1989 game against Industry, the Tornadoes scored 50 points in the fourth quarter in a win. No other Tornado team has scored more than 50 in one quarter.
*In the 1950 Macomb-Western Holiday Basketball Tournament, the Griggsville HS boys took 2nd place, losing the championship to Mason City 55 – 46.
Boy’s Track & Field
It is probably no coincidence that the best track athlete at the school also excelled in 1928. His name and accomplishment are listed below.
1927-28 Leonard Edmonston High Jump 2nd Place
Baseball
It is known that in the 1980’s, Griggsville had a very good baseball program. Some of the teams records include most hits in a game with 13 against Colchester on April 27, 1985; most extra base hits in a game with 13 against Barry on September 9, 1983 (4th best in Illinois history) and most homeruns in a game with six against Payson on September 30, 1985.
Also on September 18, 1985, Tornado pitcher Mike Baker had an impressive performance in a game against Payson. He pitched 14 innings and threw 25 strikeouts in one game. That feat hasn’t even been done on the Major League level yet!
Great Coaches
Ken Stauffer
*Gil Love – Had a brief stop in his coaching career at Griggsville. He also coached at Ellisville, Mendon, Morris and Ottawa. He had a career record of 505-209.
Great Players
Henry Laird
MEMORIES
“My Great-grandmother, grandpa, and dad all graduated from Griggsville HS. My Great-grandma’s dad and my grandpa both served on the Griggsville School Board. I believe they may still present an a ward each year in memory of my grandpa, Henry Laird.”
Joey M. submitted May 15, 2005
Seeking More Information
We are seeking assistance regarding further research on Griggsville High School. School colors, nickname, fight song, year opened, and some of the better athletic successes are being looked for. If you can help us please complete a School Submission Form or Guest Commentary Form. You may also write us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net or:
Illinois HS Glory Days
6439 N. Neva St.
Chicago, Il. 60631
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Griggsville Academy
The History of Griggsville Academy Griggsville (population 1,258) is located in west-central Illinois in the northeast portion of Pike County. The town is located about 35 miles southeast of Quincy, 30 miles west of Jacksonville.U.S. Route 54/Illinois Route 107 is the main roadway to and from Griggsville as it intersects with County Highway 2. Interstate Highway 72 travels by about 1 mile to the south of town. The Norfolk Southern Railroad travels by the south side of Griggsville. The Wikipedia web address of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griggsville,_Illinois tells us that Griggsville was a fast growing town which began in the 1830s. It was not a town built on the frontier ways of the time, rather it was, from the start, a clean town interested in becoming a good place to live for any family. One of the first cultural entities to exist in Griggsville was the Griggsville Academy for Boys and Girls. This Academy began in 1836 and may have served the community through at least the 1880s. An advertisement for Griggsville Academy from those first few years can be viewed at the web address of http://genealogytrails.com/ill/pike/schoolgriggsvilleacademy.html. Griggsville Academy offered students advanced learning from what they would have received through public school at the time, which, in nearly all cases, stopped after the 8th grade. Griggsville Academy, as many others of its time, was the only opportunity for learning above the 8th grade level in those days. It was a very important part of Illinois, and United States, history. Griggsville Academy Quick Facts Year opened: 1836 Year closed: 1880s? Sports likely not offered |
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