USA > Illinois > Jefferson County > History of Jefferson County, Illinois, 1810-1962 > Part 13
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miles. The next school was taught in the liethodist parsonage by Joshua Grant. Here Miss Elizabeth Bullock also had a summer school. It was in the edge of the woods, and the school was often thrown into much excitement by the appearance of snakes in the room.
It was finally determined to have an academy, and Governon Anderson gave the site off his farm, locating the new school house on Eighth Street, just south of Jordan. In 1839 the legislature incon- porated a board of trustees composed of Zadok Casey, Stinson H. Ander- son, Joel Pace, J. S. Van Cleve, E. R. Ridgway, Downing Baugh, . . ). Greetham and Angus M. Grant. A building committee was appointed. They Let the contract for the building, furnishing materials, etc., to John and Asa Watson and John Leonard for $350. There were two lange school rooms, one below and the other above, a hall and stairway on the north with a small room for apparatus, which was furnished by Governon Casey at a cost of about $100. The first school term was caught by Lewish Dwight, a Yankee school teacher-preacher, assisted by bliss Evans. While teaching, Dwight married Governon Casey's daughter. Joel F. Watson was assistant the next term. Dwight taught two terms. People were pretty well pleased with him as principal except Sheriff Bowman, father of two extra bad boys, Frank and Jim, one of whom Dwight ventured to connect. Bowman tried to raise an altercation with Dwight on the street and threw a brick at him, inflicting a severe head wound. Bow- man was fined $1.00. Dwight died soon after this, although I could find no evidence that it was from the effects of the brick bat, and Joel F. Watson taught the next term. Other laten teachers at the academy were Johnson Pierson, Dr. Beach and his wife, in. Jatbridge and his sister, Muss Bullock, J. J. Bennett, F. B. Tanner, Jillian H. Green, Sn., John H. Pace, and the nononious Bob Ingersoll of infidel Lame. These were all prominent people, and the reputation of the old lit. Vernon ; cademy was known fan and wide. Some of the persons who attended the academy were James F. Pace (the first mayor of It. Vernon and also an early Superintendent of Schools), Charles F. Pace ( a leading business man), Dr. W. C. Pace and N. C. Pace (bankers of Ashley. il. C. Pace was mayor of lit. Vernon for several terms), Governor Casey's sons, Dns. Newton Casey and John Casey and Judge Thomas S. Casey, Robert F. Wingate (Attorney General for Missouri), Lewis F. Casey, J. N. Haynie (Adjutant General and colonel), John H. Pace (who served many years in
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in various offices here) and Joel F. Watson (who served sixteen years as County (Lenk )
The academy building was never out of debt. It was attached and sold in 1854 to Richard and Barzilla Ragan, and after their death it fell into the hands of lins. Rohren. The lot was finally sold to C. R. Poole and the building was taken down in 1882,
After the fall of the old academy, school was held almost anywhere, In 1851-1, H. T. Pace built a school house on North 10th Street and employed Miss Willard to teach. A lins. Chamberlain, Mrs. Hogue and lionton Green taught there afterwards.
When the Methodist Church was built,, the three rooms below were for school purposes. Professor J. Leaton, the first stationed preacher, opened school there in 1854. The next year a charter was granted by the Legislature to Zadok Casey, J, Leaton, John N. Johnson, John H. Watson, Joel F. Watson and Walter B. Scates, who with three others to be selected by the Southern Illinois conference were to be trustees of the new lit. Vernon Academy. Professor Leaton was principal for three years. Then followed Professor A. C. Hillman, John H. Pace, Charles ¿. Robinson and others. There was a steady decline of enthusi- asm The war came, and the school quit.
After the Civil War interest revived. In 1865 the Board of Trustees was reorganized. The services of Rev. Thomas H . Herdman of Greenfield, Ohio, were secured as principal with lins. Carrie Smith of Mattoon as assistant. The school numbered from sixty to seventy-five pupils. Miss Sadie K. Sellars replaced Mins. Smith at the end of the first year. She remained two years and was succeeded by Miss Anna Waggoner, who became Mins. Gus Strattan.
In 1866 the subject of building a school house was warmly discussed; indeed, it was hot. Several sites were proposed, but it required an effort of the board to get the people to say they wanted any. The effort cost Bogan Satterfield and others their position. But a site was chosen where Franklin School now stands, and a deed was obtained November 6, 1866. After so long a time, a large two-story brick building was erected, costing about $12, 000 and having, two lange rooms above and two below. A lin. Barbour was employed to teach, but he got cut in an altercation by Duff Green, one of his pupils, and quit before his time was out. E. V. Satterfield finished his term. Then
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followed G. W. Johnson in 1869, then Ryder, Forbes, Wilson, Woodward, Courtney, Frohock, Nichols, Barnhart, lic(red, Alvis, Reubelt, Van Cleve and flinon.
The classes held in the Methodist Episcopal Church moved into the new public school, but those in the Presbyterian Church ne- mained there until 1878. The contract was made August 3, 1859, with the Presbyterian Church by the directors for use of the room for 99 years for females only. The directors were to finish the house and keep it continually in good repair, and to keep account of all expenses, and the church could annul the contract by refunding the sum expended. In 1878 the church asked for a settlement. The directors presentated a bill of about $555.00. The trustees of the church thought this too much, as noth ing had been done but lathing and plastering the noon, running a partitition and putting up two cheap privies and fencing the lots. They especially kicked at $50 and $60 for the privies. They also claimed to have kept up the repairs. They wanted something for the seats that had been in the room at first but were now gone. A hot war was brewing but was finally compromised by the trustees allowing the directors to use the rooms for one more term and paying $50. Then the school was consolidated. In 1881 an addition 80 feet long was erected in order to accommodate the sixty on seventy pupils.
This first building was destroyed by the cyclone that struck Mt. Vernon in 188, but it was speedily rebuilt langer and better. As the town grew another school house was built on the west side of town, where Andy Hall School now stands, and one on the south now called the Edison. In the summer of 1914, the Lincoln and liann Schools were built. The Washington School was first begun in the year 1894 in the C.M.C. Church on Grand Avenue. Two years later it was moved to a building on Twelfth and Vaught Street where it remained for two years. In 1900 the school was moved to its present location. (EDITORIAL NOTE: The Washington School is not now used as a school building. ) The Casey Junior High School was completed in November of 1937.
Located in lilt. Vernon we also have the lilt. Vernon Township High School, which serves children from all over the county. The list. Vernon High School is the successor of the fit. Vernon City High School which was held at the Franklin School from 1884 to 1905. The first
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Board of Education for the Township High School was elected in 1903. It consisted of Dr. Earl Green, Rufus Grant, G. "), Howard, Dr. 2. W. Hamilton, and L. L. Emmerson. Classwork did not begin in the new high school building until September, 1905. The school plant consisted of what is now known as Building B. That first year the faculty consisted of the principal and six teachers. The total enrollment was 162, The principal of the high school until 1915 was James M. Dickson. His faculty in 1905 consisted of Lillian Banton (German and mathematics teacher), Ida Bond (English), Silas Echols (history), Lillian Gubelman (Latin), Mary Maxwell (mathematics), and Renzo luckelroy (science. ). Nr. Echols was the principal beginning in 1915. The total number of graduates from the old City High School over the period from 1884 to 1905 totaled 188. The smallest class to graduate from the lift. Vernon Township High School was the first in 1906, when there were only 13. Building B was built in 1905. Building ( was completed in 1921. Buildings A, D and { were added in 1936-1937.
Other Jefferson County High Schools
The other high schools that have been established in Jefferson County are Bonnie, Bluford, Belle Rive, Opdyke, Dix, Woodlawn, Walton- ville, Nason, Ina and Shields. The Dix school was closed in the spring of 1943 at the close of that year's term, The Shields school has been closed previously, but had been operating a two-year high school the last few years until the fall of 1946. Nason was first a two-year high school, and then it changed to a three-year school. It has been closed since 1934-35.
The Woodlawn High School began as a two-year high school in 1919. It was later changed to a three-year h ight school, and operated as such until 1940 when it became a four year community high school,
The first high school work was introduced in Bluford in 1920. Classes met in the upstairs room in a building that stood near the present Oathout's Stone. Laten it was held in an upstairs room of the Elton Cornwell Stone and still laten at the Wollitz residence. After that, classes met in the old grade school building which is now (1947) used for the school lunch room for both grade and high school. During most of this time only two years of work was offered. After repeated attempts to organize a four-year high school district at
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Bluford, finally in 1940 an election was held authorizing the purchase of a high school site, the erection of a new modern building and the organization of a four-year high school. Work was begun under the plan of the W. P. A. For more than a year nothing was done on the building. Finally the school board was able to get a local man, Min. Keith Lowny, to take over the work as construction foreman, and the building was com- pleted in 1945-46. Due to shortage of equipment and teachers the school was not at first equipped for home economics.
The Waltonville Community High School was organized in 1923. The school was granted full recognition accredited by the University of Illinois in 1937. Prior to that time they had received only proba- tionary necognition. Among. the graduates so far there have been 47 qualified as school teachers (which includes me), two registered nurses, two dieticians and one doctor. Members of the first Board of Education elected were John A. Dycus, Frank Bean, Wm. S. Kirkpatrick, Isaac L. Quinn and John I. Shuntz, who is my grandfather. (NOTE: Hin Hinons is now serving as principal of this fine high school. )
The Belle Rive High School began as a two-year high school, alternating the 9th and 10th grades. The school started when Belle Rive was first a village. By the way, I am told that "Belle Reeve" is really the correct pronunciation and spelling of the town, which was the name of the tuo founders -- one was named Belle and the other Reeve.
The Non-High School District of Jefferson County was first voted upon the spring of 1918 at the end of the term of Charles Lee, County Superintendent of Schools from 1914 to 1918. Most of the out- lying high schools began after that date. The Non-High District of the county comprises all territory which is not included in a four-year high school district. Students Living in such territories can attend any high school in the State of Illinois, and his tuition will be paid by the Non-High School District.
There are records back to 1912 showing that Opdyke offered high school work in connection with the grade school. In the fall of 1912, there were four pupils in the 9th grade. In the school year 1913- 14, the 10th year was offered. The 9th and 10th years were alternated until 1921, when the present four-year school was voted in High school was held for a little more than a year in the old Opdyke mill
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while the building was being erected. Miss Letta Bristol was principal for those two years. School was begun in the present building in the early part of 1923. Opdyke was the first four-year school in Jefferson County outside the city of lilt, Vernon. In its early history it drew pupils from the three-year high schools of Dahlgren, Belle Rive, Blu- ford, Bonnie and even Woodlawn. The enrollment up until 1940 was from 50 to 100. It was first recognized as a four-year school by the Uni- versity of Illinois in 1923.
I would like to mention an interesting item I have come across. In the year of 1906 Mir. Arthur Summers, County Superintendent, made a survey of the textbooks in use in the county and found there were twelve different texts in grammar in use, seven histories, six readers, eight geographies, six arithmetics, five civics, and ten different spellers, with all thein various editions and revisions, many of them dating back over fifty years. Under lin. Summers' supervision a county uniformity of textbooks was established in 1910. " His list was com- posed of the Baldwin Readers, White's Arithmetic, Hunt's Spellers, Montgomery's History, Reed's Language, Spencer's Writing, Overton's Physiology, and Schwinn and Stevenson's Civics. lin. Summers also began the plan of alternating the four upper grades' work each year. One year the fifth and seventh years' work was taught and the next year the sixth and eighth. Mr. Summers also began a plan in which the teachers were given an outline of work to supplement the State Course of Study.
Downing Baugh was the first School Commissioner of whom we have any account. The following list is the order of the terms which the various men served. (I could find no record when the office was first filled by election. ) Downing Baugh (appointed 1836), 3. R. Satterfield (appointed 1845), J. H. Pace (appointed 1847), "J. H. Lynch (1850), J. H. Pace (1851), John R. P. Hicks (1859), J. M. Pace (1861 - changed from the title of school commissioner to County Superintendent of Schools), G. W. Johnson (1869), J. D. Williams (1873), Wm. T. Sumner (1886), Oscar O. Stitch (1894), James Hill (1898), Arthur C. Summers (1906), Charles Lee (1914), William liliner (1918), Charles likossberger (1922), Sidney Parker (1922), Raymond Lovin (1926), Rose Janssen (1926), Raymond Lovin (1930), Sidney S. Hirons (1942).
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HORROR IN MT. VERNON
(Taken from an article in the lit. Vernon Register-News : written by Addison Hapeman)
lit. Vernon has now had other tornadoes and the big blow of February 19, 1888, is no longer the epitome of catastrophe, But to those who lived through that twister of so many years ago, the blast of wind that ripped through the town on a Sunday evening, was always THE tonnado.
That particular February day had been warm and muggy. "Hits a weather breeder, " the oldtimers said. "Iffen it wasn't still winter it'd be cyclone weather. Hit'll likely bring a blizzard alone it's through. " Laten events proved them connect on both counts.
On that Sunday afternoon Jim Whitsell and one of his friends, a ilegno boy named Alec Lane, were sitting in the house of Miatt Rough, with liatt and his wife. Both boys were about eleven years old, and they were school mates at the big Franklin School. Jim had a spelling book and was giving out words for the other boy to spell. They had been anusing themselves with a two-boy spelling bee for some time.
This house of Matt's stood on one of the first hills on the east side of Casey Creek, northeast of town. To the north of the house was an old orchard, somewhat grown up to persimmon sprouts. South of the house were some other buildings, and a small "cave" on cellan, used for storing apples and potatoes,
It had rained enough the day before that Casey Creek was in flood, the water reaching from hill to hill. This flood was the reason Por fim and Alec being on their own side of the creek, Had it not been for the high water, they would have spent the day with the Williams boys and their other cronies in town; as it was, they had spent part of the morning exchanging shouted comments across the flooded creek bottom.
In the middle of the spelling match the people sitting in the house became aware of an odd sound. It was something like the sound of a high wind blowing, through the big woods, but it was much louder and was higher pitched. Startled, they looked out, and at the base of a rolling black cloud, they saw "the whole town coming night at them. "
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"Cyclone!" yelled Matt. "You boys get out and grab a sprout. Come on, old woman." "Matthew," cried his wife in a shocked voice. "matthew, you going to run off and Leave me?" Out of the yard cane the shouted answer: "If you don't hunny, I sure as hell am."
fins. Rough ran out to the noot cellar and slid inside.
liatt, who was a big man, started down head first Pari way down, his shoulders wedged in the narrow opening, and there he stuck. Meanwhile, Jim had tucked his spelling book under one ann, and he and Alec had dashed out through the sloppy mud of the orchard, where they dropped plat on the ground and each grabbed a persimmon sprout in both hands. Almost instantly the tornado struck them. They were flapped up and down like a woman snaps a dish towel. lud and assorted debris clogged their noses and peppered their faces. . later struck them with the force of a fiew house, and all the time they were being whipped up and down against the soggy earth.
By the time the boys realized what was happening, the
twister had moved on, leaving only the tonnents of rain. This con- tinued for some time, and then it, too, abated. The boys were able to struggle to their feet. Jim still had the spelling book clamped under his arm.
Through the diminishing rain he looked toward the town. It presented a strange aspect. His school, on the extreme edge of town, had always been most noticeable. Now it was nowhere to be seen; the courthouse was gone, and he apparently could see night through the town.
Closer at hand was another strange sight. The muddy flood waters of the creek now carried almost everything one could imagine in the way of human possessions: furniture, mattresses, Leather beds, clothing, books, buggies, wagons and dead animals. Fence nails and tree tops helped to cover the surface of the water.
They all got to the stricken town as soon as they could get a way across the flooded bottom. . Then they annived in town, scenes of honnon unfolded before them. People were wandering dazedly in the
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streets, calling for the rest of their family. Their cries mingled with the screams of the wounded in the wreckage.
Fires were breaking out all over town from the overturned stoves in the wrecked houses, and the firemen could do little about it. The wells and cisterns were soon pumped dry, and then the flames had their own way.
Crews Store (present lilammoth site) was one of the buildings to catch fine. Trapped in the wreckage, with a large beam across his upper legs, was a man named lilunnay. When he was discovered, the heat was already so intense that rescuers could not reach him, and he begged piteously for some one to shoot him and so save him from the fire. This no one would do, and he burned to death.
The next few days were busy ones, even for the boys. Every one worked at cleaning up the hubble. Three days after the storm some one was digging in the pile of debris that manked the site of the Franklin School and discovered a body there. It was that of George Person, a legno preacher who served as janitor.
Jim Whitsell was hired as a quand for the lise Clothing Stone's stock, which was exposed to looters. This paid him fifty cents a day, but the job didn't last long. In about a week school was opened again.
Neighborliness reached into every part of frontier like. A house on bann raising, beating of an Indian attack, a husking bee, a log rolling; it was all the same. The neighbors came in and the job was done.
And so it was when the tornadoes hit list. Vernon in the season when one could more reasonably expect snow and reindeer. To the farmers who loaded up chainsaws and axes and started out before dawn on their long drive, lit. Vennon was just a name on the road map. To the Plain People, the liennonites and the Amish, it was a call to obey the precept "Love thy neighbor." To both of them it was the instinctive reply of any Lanmen to the call -- "Your neighbor needs help. "
While these men were cleaning up the tangle of lit. Vernon, the people of nunal Jefferson County were taking care of their own. Several miles out of town, one of the twisters that seemed to in est that day had slammed across the Richview Road. Is it hovered over the
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farmstead of Alfred Koy, it picked the barn off the cows and left them in the rain. It shredded the other outbuildings, laid the house open like a cut watermelon, and twisted it off the foundation. Then it knocked down a few of the yard trees and went churning on.
Within minutes the neighbors were there. The part of the noof that remained was picked like a poonly scalded chicken, but the furniture was moved into the driest looking pant, and the family was sheltered elsewhere for the night.
The next day the yard was full of helpers. All of the house- hold goods was moved to a vacant house which had been lightly touched by the wind. The floor coverings were put down, the furniture and stoves moved in, and the roof patched. The work was finished in the rain, the first of four inches that fell in the next few days.
Nine days later the neighbors moved in again. This time it was a clean-up job, the first step in rebuilding. Some forty to fifty men spent the day picking up rubbish, dismantling sections of buildings that were strewn about, and salvaging such parts of the house as were reusable. Four chain saws converted the fallen shade trees into firewood.
After dinner, some of the men went to the farm woodlot to cut logs to be hauled to a local sawmill. There they would be saved into material for a new house. And it is inonic: the storm which destroyed the old house helped these neighbors by blowing down some of the trees which went into the new.
The story of Al Koy is only one of many across the county and the state. It is a perfect example of the heritage left us by the pioneers. And it is very comforting to know that even now when disaster strikes, a neighbor will soon be there.
THE HOLBROOK LAND IN JEFFERSON COUNTY
(Taken from an article written in the lit. Vernon Register- ileus by Addison Hapeman. )
Until a few years ago Jefferson County had hundreds of acres of land with no visible owner. The taxes were paid on it every year, and one heard of rumors of some people in Philadelphia who owned it,
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but for all practical purposes it was public domain -- and the public used it as if it was.
. If you wanted a few saw logs on a load of mine props on rail- road ties, on a place to set up a still on to dig a few dollars worth of noots, you went to this land. You and your friends from town hunted and trapped on it; and if your land adjoined it and you needed mone pasture, you fenced in a few acres of it. On you built a log house on it and cleaned a little patch. This land fed and clothed countless families, and with iis passing went a way of life in this county. It was the liacolester and Markoe, on (as it was more commonly known) the Holbrook Land.
Back in 1856 a man named Bissell filed entry on 480 acres of the land still open to homestead in Grand Prairie Township. Something went wrong, and the land reverted to the federal government. In 1857 Charles lacalester and James Markoe bought 320 acres of the Bissell land directly from the Land Office, receiving deeds signed by the President, James Buchanan, No mention is made of the price paid for this land.
That same year, a group of men and their wives, forty-four persons all told, formed a company in Philadelphia. It was the Illinois Land Company, and the stockholders subscribed a total of $80, 500 "to be used by William H, Bissell for the purchase of lands in the State of Illinois. " Macalester and Mankoe were the trustees and Alexander Bacon was the broken for the little company -- again there is no price men- tioned on amount of land bought.
Macalester died in 1873 and Markoe in 1876. Two other trustees were elected to serve in their places, and they in turn were replaced in 1890, when Albert P. Gerhard and Sidney Keith were elected, Whether these two were better businessmen than their predecessors on whether the need for land was becoming greater, we do not know; but between 1890 and 1920 the company sold enough "land and property to enable them to make 56 divisions of dividends totalling 262% on the investment. "
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