1860 photo taken 4 days after Mr.
Lincoln visited Lincoln, Illinois, for the last time. Info at 3 below.
This President
grew;
His town does too.
Link to Lincoln:
Lincoln & Logan County Development Partnership
Site
Map
Testimonials
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission of Lincoln, IL
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Internet Explorer is the
only browser that shows this page the way it was designed. Your
computer settings may alter the display.
April 24, 2004: Awarded "Best Web Site of the Year" by the Illinois State Historical
Society
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Marquee Lights of the Lincoln Theater, est. 1923, Lincoln, Illinois |
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33. Schools |
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"The
past is forever being swept away in the interest of neatness and order.
It is unforgivable, or at least I don't intend to forgive it." _____________________ In 2002, Lincoln is building a new grade school and a new junior high. This community has always provided modern facilities, including renovations and new facilities in every neighborhood. The early schools began a tradition of developing this high-quality public educational system.
33.1: Very Rare Picture
Postcard of The above images appear on a picture postcard for sale on eBay, June 30, 2003, with a minimum bid of $29.95. The publisher is unknown. The title is inaccurate because not all of the schools were public: the school at the bottom right is St. Patrick's Grade School (Roman Catholic). The school identifications are as follows: Top row (left to right): Jefferson Grade School, Central Grade School and Junior High, Monroe Grade School. Center (left to right): Washington Grade School, Lincoln Community High School, Adams Grade School. Bottom (left to right): Madison Grade School and St. Pat's. In 1854, only one year after its formation, Lincoln, Illinois, built its first public school on the south side of the block between the Logan County Courthouse and Scully Park (formerly Washington Park). Even before that, the first school in Postville was constructed in 1842 (Dooley, ed. The Namesake Town, p. 45). Public (and private) schools in Lincoln have included the following: · 1869, Central School, 7th St., $60,000, with 3rd floor to be used for the high school · 1881, Lincoln Business College · 1885, Washington School, same site as 1854 building, $8,475 · 1888, Jefferson School, 5th St., $9,750 · 1895, Madison School, 4th St., $14,000 · 1898, Adams, North Kankakee, and Monroe School, Delavan St., total for both, @$8,000 · 1900, High School, Broadway St., @$50,000, including lot · 1915, Central School, 8th St., $75,000 · 1925, Jefferson School addition attached to front of 1888 building, cost unknown ·
1925 High school connecting to the 1900 building on Broadway,
$150,000 Today Lincoln has five
elementary schools, one junior high, one high school, and an extension
campus of Heartland Community College. The
community has welcomed and supported private schools and colleges,
including Lincoln College and Lincoln Christian College and Seminary. Additional information about all of these
institutions will be found at their respective Web sites, listed at the
bottom of this page. |
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33.2: Enduring Landmark:
Square, Red-Brick Chimney of 1869
Central School |
33.3: Picture Postcard of 1869 Central School
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A new Central School to replace the 1915 structure is being built on the site of the 1869 building. At the top left corner of the building shown above, the top of the chimney is barely noticeable, while the boiler room is clearly visible. Both remain as of summer, 2002. The third
floor of the 1869 building was used for high school classes, as William
Maxwell alludes: "My Aunt
Annette [Blinn] had mysterious fainting spells which they thought were
caused by her heart. At that time the high school was on the third
floor of a building that also housed the elementary school, and rather than
have her climb the stairs she was tutored at home, which added to her sense
of isolation." (Maxwell, Ancestors, p. 221). |
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The Question of Preservation vs. Demolition of Historic Schools Many American schools have highly distinctive features of historic significance (in both design and construction). Sometimes the architecture of American schools was designed to reflect democratic ideals. Educated people world wide have always acknowledged the ancient Greeks as the originators of Western civilization, and so many schools are designed with features associated with that civilization (neo-classical style). In Lincoln, Illinois, the most historic existing educational buildings are University Hall of Lincoln College, the building that was Adams School (now used by Lincoln College as an art education facility and studio), Central School, and Lincoln Junior High School (the latter two, both in Lincoln Elementary Public School District Number 27). Central School and Lincoln Junior High School possess historic significance, each with its own distinctive design and construction. Many citizens of Lincoln, Illinois, value historic structures. The navigation panel in the left margin of every page in this Web site shows many such buildings. They are · effective in meeting contemporary needs, often different from their original purposes, · instructive of past building designs and construction methods, · symbolic of American ideals that unite past, present, and future, and · artistically pleasing for their distinctive visual features, built with high-quality materials and remarkable skill. In what ways could Central School and the Lincoln Junior High School buildings find productive new uses and thus be spared the wrecking ball? County and city offices? YMCA? Museum? Tourism office? Library extension? Private offices or even apartments? (Even a flea market would be better than oblivion.) The world waits and watches. |
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33.4: Adams Grade School, Built in 1898
(Photo from Gleason, Lincoln, Illinois: A Pictorial History, p. 111. ) |
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33.6: Demolition of Jefferson School (The 1925 section
is in ruins; the standing section was the original 1888 building.) |
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| Two Historic School Buildings in Lincoln Headed for Demolition | |
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33.7: Picture Postcard of 1925 Lincoln Community High School, Now Lincoln Junior High School |
33.8: 1915 Central School (Attended by black
Poet Langston Hughes, Author-Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, and white
Novelist William Maxwell) (Leigh Henson photo 12-01) |
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Central School is the setting for part of William Maxwell's short story titled "Love," which presents a portrait of the fifth-grade teacher named Miss Vera Brown. All of the boys are completely infatuated with her: "As she called the roll, her voice was as gentle as the expression in her beautiful dark-brown eyes. She reminded me of pansies. . . . We meant to have her for our teacher forever. We intended to pass right up through sixth, seventh, and eighth grades and on into high school taking her with us. But that isn't what happened. One day there was a substitute teacher. We expected our real teacher to be back the next day but she wasn't. Week after week passed and the substitute continued to sit at Miss Brown's desk, calling on us to recite and giving our tests and handing them back with grades on them, and we went on acting the way we had when Miss Brown was there because we didn't want her to come back and find we hadn't been nice to the substitute" (p.146). Miss Brown would never return. In the sixth grade, the narrator and his friend, Benny, rode their bikes southwest of town, past the cemeteries and the Chautauqua grounds to visit the bed-ridden Miss Brown. They found her gravely ill. In a few weeks she was dead, and in the Lincoln Evening Courier the narrator read about her passing from tuberculosis (p. 147). The final paragraph indicates she was buried in Old Union Cemetery. Besides "Love," William Maxwell's All the Days and Nights contains eleven other short stories (creative memoirs) about interesting people and relationships that reveal much about life in Lincoln, Illinois, and the Midwest. Jim Knecht, LCHS Class of 1962, emailed me in December, 2002, to say his mother had been a classmate of William Maxwell at Central School: "Thanks for the info
regarding citations to read about Maxwell. At a recent seminar for judges
that I told Bob [Goebel] about I met and became friendly with a literature
professor from Pomona and somehow Maxwell came up -- I kept referring to
him as Billy Maxwell because that is what my mother always called him.
The professor (who was one of the instructors at the seminar ) was
astonished that I would refer to such a dignified New York gentleman as
Billy until I explained that my mother had attended grade school with him. Respond to Jim at
j.knecht@gte.net. |
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33.9: Central School Christmas Tree Ornament |
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33.10: Central School Faculty in 1950 (Photo in Beaver, History of Logan County 1982, p. 33). Left to right: Ray Hitchcock, Harry Jackson, Miss Mattie Anderson (in hat), Lee Stoltz, Robert Taylor, Miss McGough, Mrs. Brandt (suggests Jane Browne Poertner) or Carolyn Acton (suggests John Swingle), Corrine Rethaber, Mrs. Small, Miss Ida Henry, and Miss Bessie Evans.
In response to my emailing this photo to about 150 LCHS alums of mid-20th
Century, identifications came by email from Jane Browne Poertner, John
Swingle, Gwen Lisk Koda, Fred Blanford, and Diane Farmer. |
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Memories of Miss Mattie Anderson, Leigh Henson wrote from Springfield, Missouri: The following description was part of my message when I emailed the photo of the Central School teachers to 150 LCHS alums: "In the faculty photo, what was the occasion for the corsages? The subjects don't seem formally arranged for the pic, more like an impromptu photo op. Note the lady, third figure from the left, behind a gentleman whose face is familiar but whose name escapes me. She appears to be Miss Mattie Anderson, legendary math teacher whose no-nonsense pedagogy helped to shape the character of several generations of Lincolnites. She's not with the other ladies: a chance happening or intentional alignment with the men? Was this "secondary" position of standing somewhat behind the men a minor compromise she was willing to pay to associate herself with them, or was she a bit camera shy? Probably not shy, given the most forceful personality she expressed daily in the classroom. Her countenance expresses about as much of a smile as I ever remember. Is she wearing a white necktie? And, oh, the power statement of that elegant, wide-brimmed black hat! Leigh Henson recalls Mattie Anderson: -- the first day I walked into Miss
Anderson's room. I was so frightened all I could do was look down.
I remember the hardwood floor inside the doorway. -- Miss Anderson's BBQ in the crock pot at the front of the room. Students of each period suffered having to work math problems while being tantalized by the appetizing aroma, but only the homeroom (?) got to dine. -- Gary Newman ("Little Beaver") driving Miss Anderson crazy by being the caboose and laughing at her attempts to scold him into working harder. Mattie Anderson was an eminent female educator of her day (perhaps even a bit of a feminist by temperament and example, if not a card-carrying member). The hat is most curious. For "important" meetings, female teachers used to dress in Sunday best. This awareness occurred to me in my first year of teaching at Pekin Community High School (1964-65). A teachers' institute was held in the fall of that academic year in Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse at Bradley University in Peoria. I'm not sure if the institute were a Tazewell County Institute or more inclusive (probably Tri-County --Tazewell, Peoria, and Woodford). There were hundreds and hundreds of teachers, maybe thousands. Anyway, I recall almost all of the women wore hats, and I was surprised and amused. Oh, so quaint and long ago!" Respond to Leigh at dlh105f@smsu.edu. Others have emailed their remembrances of Miss Anderson: Linda Henson Nelson Perry wrote from Pasco, Washington: Have enjoyed the pictures -- Ms. Mattie Anderson does not look so intimidating now that I am older -- But memories of her still hold fear!! I think I had her the last year she taught. That was when I was in seventh grade. And we were still in Central School. We moved to the new junior high (old high school) when I was in eighth grade. Yes, yes, Mattie Anderson -- she terrified me!! I remember she had long crooked fingers with long red fingernails. When she called on us it was generally -- you!! (She did not always remember our name) with her finger pointing at -- (we were not sure who) -- so no one responded -- which set her off!! I just wanted to melt into the floor. I usually sat as low in my seat as I could hiding behind whoever was in front of me. I spent the whole year hanging on at the end of the second train, for dear life. She made it quite clear if you were in the third train you weren't worth much. And she had little time for them. I worked so hard not be a them!!!! Respond to Linda at ljhnels@yahoo.com. Gwen Lisk Koda wrote from Montgomery, Alabama: "I could tell a hundred stories about Mattie Anderson. You already told the train story. I had the dubious honor of sitting in first seat, first train. I say dubious honor, since this "teacher's pet" position meant that the slightest mistake on my part brought the wrath of the Lord down on my head. I'm not sure if I was already a whiz in math or if she made me one. I know I was so afraid of her, I was ready to commit hara kiri if I missed a problem on any paper I turned in. Do you remember when she would kick you off the train and make you find a seat somewhere behind the caboose? She did that to the whole first train one day. Most of us had to sit on the floor, since there were only two or three seats behind Nelson Griffin, who happened to be in the caboose that day. My old boyfriend Vic Loesche got to sit in the hand car (a desk not attached to any others). Didn't have anything to do with his grades. It was because she considered him to be a trouble maker and wanted him close enough so that she could lean over the desk and whack the hell out of him with her yardstick. The same yardstick she used to slip down the neck of her dress to scratch her back. Ha. ha. You described her very well though. She was one scary lady, but whether you were first train, caboose, or handcar, you left the eighth grade knowing arithmetic. I remember a journalist making a sardonic comparison about President John Kennedy. He said Truman proved you could have a bad president, Eisenhower proved you didn't even need a president, and Kennedy was a by-God-you'd-better-be-president type of president. Well, I think Mr. Baker proved we could have a bad teacher, Ms. Henry proved we didn't even need a teacher (she slept through most classes) and Ms. Anderson was a by-God-you'd-better-be-a-teacher type of teacher. Do you remember Mr. Baker? He used to hit kids on the head with books, and during study period, he used to draw cartoon pictures of students with guns to their heads and ropes around their necks. Yikes. Well, I don't know if you can even post this since I named names, but I'll sign my name to it and take the heat if there is any. Gwen (Lisk) Koda. Respond to Gwen at yoshukai@knology.net. Sylvia Handlin Husted wrote: "I read
the information on Mattie Anderson and just had to comment. Mattie
had a sister, Bessie, who taught a first/second combo grade at Adams
school, and I was one of her little students. Everyone was scared
of her, but she really knew how to make us want to learn. I was
the last one of our family and had it pointed out to me numerous times
that I had to keep up with my brother and sister. Respond to Sylvia at silver146@aol.com. Stan Stringer wrote from the Washington, D.C., area:
(Stan had
attended the LCHS Class of 1952 reunion in the summer of 2002. His
report included another story about Miss Mattie Anderson.) For lack of a better description the
magician had a knife in a frame, somewhat like a guillotine. The magician
asked Richard to put his hand into the frame. Richard inserted his right
hand, and Mattie responded loud enough for our class to hear but not
Richard, "Use your left." I guess Mattie was caught up in the act and
expected a real danger. Write to Stan at sstringer@cox.net. Dorothea (Rich) Costa wrote from Eugene, Oregon: I am finally inspired to jump in on these conversations. Thanks for the picture of Miss Anderson and her old classroom. I'm a little younger than you and Fred (Jayne and I were good friends, Fred) so Miss Anderson was beginning to have health problems when I had her for 8th grade math and homeroom. I was one of those very quiet, studious types and did well in math, so she liked me. Still I was scared silly by her. The math classroom was divided into "trains." I was on the fast train, but I pitied those more challenged by math who were on the slow train. They knew they were on the slow train. Miss Anderson's hands and fingers had become quite arthritic. She would sit at her desk in the front of the room and watch while we worked on math. If she became irritated with someone's behavior, she would point her finger and say, "You!" Since her fingers were bent and gnarled, we were never sure who had offended her so we all jumped.
We had a student in our class who was older, having been retained a few
times. He was just waiting out his time until he could drop out of school.
He walked into class one morning with his jeans hanging low on his hips,
which was becoming the tough, cool thing to do. She marched him into the
cloakroom. When they emerged his pants were high on his waist and his
buckle cinched. No one ever said a word or asked and he never wore his
pants like that again. I'm now a middle school teacher myself and have to laugh at the boys with their low hung jeans. Wish I could get away with the intimidation Miss Anderson had, but, alas, I don't have her "gift." Write to Dorothea at costadorothea@msn.com. Dorothy Miller Duncanson, LCHS Class of 1947, wrote from Pekin, IL, in January, 2004: While playing around on the computer, I found your site with pictures of Central Junior High, Lincoln Community High School and other Lincoln schools What interested me most were the entries regarding Martha "Mattie" Anderson. A few years ago I took a class for seniors at Bradley University geared to "writing your story". I chose to describe my first couple of years after moving to Lincoln from a much smaller village. Following is a couple of paragraphs from my attempt. "There is one person in this period of my life who had a profound effect on me. To be precise, she scared me to death. Martha Anderson was our math teacher, and we girls seemed to think that she preferred boys and scorned us with her blistering tongue. I know that I was so frightened of her that I begged my parents to enroll me in the Lutheran school with my friend Lorraine. Never mind that I was not a Lutheran, I just wanted out of there. My grades were in the B and C range in her class, but I know I got a very good basic background in math which I have been able to use all my life. I can add a column of figures accurately, do lots of things in my head that others need a calculator for, and I certainly learned the value of keeping my personal math affairs in order. Most of this was learned from Mattie. This name, by the way was what we called her behind her back, never within her hearing distance. Miss Anderson had a pointing finger that was not quite straight and when she pointed in one direction, at least five people would cower in fright. I remember names of other teachers too. The Misses Henry, Dauber, Gehlbach and Hodnett and Mr. Craven are some who come to mind. All dedicated to their profession, they managed to fill my head with knowledge even though I played around a lot. I didn't always do my reading assignments and was not always prepared for English, but I always, always, had my math assignments done." On another note, both my sons were students at Pekin High School while you were there. I don't think either were in your class. Tom graduated in 1972 and is now teaching at Millikin and Alan graduated in "74 and is an Engineer with Raytheon in Indianapolis. Sorry this is so long
but the references to Miss Anderson just pulled at my heartstrings and I
had to share my memories too.
Dorothy Miller Duncanson, LCHS Class of 1947
Respond to Dorothy at dottied@heart.net
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Stan Stringer's Memories of the Old Monroe School and Neighborhood Stan Stringer grew up on Pekin Street, less than a block from the old Monroe School and behind the Logan County Jail block.
33.11: Pekin Street Behind the Logan County Jail in the 1950s (Photo by Mike Hamilton from top of City Hall. House identifications by Stan Stringer.) The above photo shows the block of Pekin Street where Lincolnite-Writer Stan Stringer's family home was located. Stan has identified several residences in the above photo. Washington-Monroe School is at the right. The water tower in the right background was that of Lehn and Fink. The dual smokestacks of Gullett's greenhouse are in the background at the left. (The chapter titled 22. Factories, Past and Present includes another version of this photo with text identifications of these and other industrial features.) Stan had attended the old Monroe School, and his family moved from Lincoln before the (new) Washington-Monroe School was built some time in the early-to-mid 1950s. In February, 2003, Stan emailed Fred and Leigh as a brief note on the builder of his family home:
"The houses at 912 and 914 Pekin were originally
built by Adam Bogardus. If you don't recognize the name, he was a Captain
in the Union army, but his fame came from being the world champion skeet
shooter. Dad said that when he first started gardening there, he found
bullet casings in the ground. [Leigh's note: As Stan says, Adam Bogardus is buried in the cemetery on Elkhart Hill -- a third luminary Lincolnite figure of the 19th-Century to be buried there, the other two being Governor Richard Oglesby and John D. Gillett.]
Stan continues,
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33.12: Stan Stringer's Diagram of the Pre-1950s Monroe School Block "A is the new building [pre-1950s 'new']; B is the old building; C is the baseball diamond and backstop described below; D is a backstop and diamond built for a youth league; and E is where the basket hoop stood after the diamond (D) was constructed.
33.13: Monroe School, Third Grade (@1943) The picture shows the back of Monroe School. The building immediately behind the students is the older structure, built in 1898, and behind it is an addition of an unknown date.
Stan
Stringer wrote in the fall of 2002: Stan Stringer's Memoir of the Old Monroe School Playground and Neighborhood I lived less than a block away from the school, and consequently spent a lot of time playing or watching one kind of ball or another there. One of the improvised ball games we played was 'screen ball.' The screen was a backstop made of rabbit wire attached to a pipe frame, and one of the rites of passage for small fry was to climb the backstop and sit on the top bar. This led to wires being broken and bent, so that a baseball would on occasion pass through an opening. Obviously, no one climbed the backstop if school authorities were still around. The screen ball was played as follows: The teams were one player each, and the game was played for nine innings. The batter would stand on the pitcher’s rubber (a flat stone buried in the dirt) facing the backstop, and the pitcher stood at home plate (a piece of concrete buried in the dirt) with his back to the backstop. There was no catcher so the pitcher had to throw easy pitches, which could be caught by the batter barehanded if it was not suitable for hitting. Because the distance was so short, the batter had to soft tap the ball toward the screen. Outs were made by: the batter striking out (foul balls were foul tips and balls hit to either side of the backstop were fouls), catching a fly ball, fielding a ground ball before it hit the screen, and any ball that went over the screen without hitting the top bar was an out. A single was any hit ball that reached the screen without being fielded. Doubles were balls that hit the screen’s end upright posts. Triples were balls that hit the top bar. Home runs were hits that went through an opening in the screen (as the screen got older and more wires were broken in the backstop, home runs became more frequent). Errors were unsuccessfully fielded balls that hit the screen. A 'fair ball' that never reached the screen was an out. With these rules everything else was just like baseball. A session of screen ball usually involved three people. The two people (teams) playing and the third person kept the scorecard. Scorekeeper was a fun job. Each team had its line up on the card. Usually our fantasy lineups were current major league teams. A session involved each person taking a turn at scorekeeper and each 'team' played the other two 'teams' once or twice for a total of 3 or 6 games. Afterward, we’d run through the statistics. This was always good for a laugh. The stats only partially resembled those of the real life players. The Monroe school grounds were good for pick-up games of softball, baseball, football (tackle and touch) and basketball. One group of former Monroe students fashioned a team they called the 'Monroe Maulers.' Later the team improved with players picked up from elsewhere in town. This team later became the 'Tibbs Maulers,' when Mr. Tibbs of the Tibbs' Ice Cream Parlor sponsored the team in the town’s recreational league. The next year a business that installed gutters and other metal work run by a Mr. Pluth sponsored the team and renamed it, the 'Pluth Tinners.' Other teams in the league were sponsored by more substantive organizations (e.g., the American Legion, Knights of Columbus, etc.). Those teams included a fair number of WW II vets, and they, generally, were physically more mature." In February, 2003, Stan wrote to fred, who forwarded to Leigh and others: "I lived at 912 Pekin Street and our house stands out clearly in the picture [33.10 above]. The open space across is part of the block that held the Sheriff's residence and the jail. The Washington-Monroe School was built after I left Lincoln. It stands where the baseball diamond stood. I've already told how it was a rite of passage for the younger set to climb the backstop and sit on the top bar. In the summer, several of us played screen ball. I've already shared the rules with everyone. Years ago, one of the sheriffs brought in sheep to graze in that half block across from us. There were maybe 30 sheep. I got to know the sheriff's son, and we'd sometimes go into the corral and chase the sheep. Envisioning ourselves as cowboys, but we never caught one. We'd think we had 'em cornered at one end, and as we closed in they'd race by us. The jail was fascinating. It was constructed of large light yellow blocks as I remember. It had a metal roof. One summer I made an especially good slingshot. That year I was getting more rambunctious. At twilight I'd sit on the curb and shoot at the roof of the jail. I used small rocks, and when they hit the metal they'd make a zinging sound. Lucky for me no one noticed." Write to Stan at sstringer@cox.net. Fred Blanford had replied with an observation about the old stone-block county jail: "Some of the blocks from the old jail 'went' various places while some were retained for the monument created on the grounds. I know the American Legion post got one. At one time Fricke's had one in their parking lot -- not sure it has remained. In retrospect--I might have liked to have a 'piece of history' but have no idea where I might have put it." Write to Fred at Class59@springnet1.com. Leigh suggests the front yard, where all driving by on Union Street could have enjoyed seeing it. The "New" Washington-Monroe School, Constructed in the Early 1950s
33.14: Postcard with Photo of Washington-Monroe School
The date of the picture postcard above is unknown,
but probably some time in the mid 1950s. Despite the black and white image, the
sky must have been blue with the thin, high, white cirrus clouds. The
wind is from the east. All looks well with the kids coming and going
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33.16: Guiding Principle:
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(Fred Blanford photo, 5-02) |
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33.18: Neo-classical Ornamentation and Inscription: (Fred Blanford photo, 5-02) The photo above shows the east wall of the 1925 LCHS red-brick building on Kankakee Street. Across the street was the Methodist Church. Joe Miller emailed the following account of his experience with traffic congestion in this block of Kankakee Street next to the school: "Thanks, Fred! Your interesting message reminded me of a (true) car incident involving John Mayberry and myself. Do you remember how cars parked on both sides of the street between the old high school and the First Methodist Church, where we had band practice? There was barely room for two moving cars to pass. Well, John's mom was delivering him and his big baritone saxophone precisely at the time I was driving my dad's car the other direction, looking for a parking place. Not sure whether our two cars would scrape, I stopped to let Mrs. Mayberry through, and just at that moment John got out and pulled out his sax in its huge case. You guessed it, the sax got caught between the two cars. Boy, did I have a tough time explaining the big dent in the side of his car to my dad! Amazingly, though, later I pulled the dent out pretty well by getting the door wet and attaching a bathroom plunger to it. -Joe"
Write to Joe at millerj@indiana.edu. |
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Truth Is Not Always Beautiful Dave Johnson, LCHS Class of 1956, emailed on August 11, 2003: "I received an email from Eleanor Gunderman (Wilmert) alerting me to the fact that our Dear Ol' L.C.H.S. was coming down. I thought I would send this picture, taken today, for the benefit of our out of town classmates. I must admit that a special feeling came over me as I prepared to take this picture. It is hard to explain. I was almost wishing that I would have waited until it was completely down before viewing the site. There were a number of people sitting in lawn chairs watching the destruction. I think they might have been having similar feelings."
33.19: Demolition of the 1925 LCHS Building (Photo by Dave Johnson, LCHS Class of 1956, August 11, 2003) Respond to Dave at dbjohnso@dpc.net. The following report by Fred Blanford brilliantly expresses the profound grief of many present and former Lincolnites: "When I was a quite young
lad I enjoyed puzzles. One day my granddaddy posed a question to me: Respond to Fred at Class59@springnet1.com. Leigh's note: The first pic fred refers to revisits 33.18 above. The second by Mike Hamilton was emailed to 250+ LCHS alums on August 16, 2003, following one of the darkest weeks in the history of LCHS.
33.20:
Life-Long Photojournalist Mike Hamilton's Last Photo of |
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Lincoln's Only School on Route 66 The first Jefferson School, constructed in 1888, was located two blocks east of the old Postville Courthouse and on the same street, Fifth Street, which has always been a main street. Whether by coincidence or design, all other Lincoln schools, except for the high school on Broadway, were located on streets with less traffic. The 1888 Jefferson School was set back on the north half of the block. The 1925 structure was located in front of and attached to the 1888 structure. One memorable feature of Jefferson School was its large bell. The bell housing is visible in the photo of the 1888 Jefferson school (33.21), and the bell housing is again visible in front of the chimney of the 1925 addition (33.22). Students in Principal Bernadine Jones's class enjoyed the privilege of being allowed to ring the bell from time to time. As I recall, she specified a specific number of rings (six?). Too many rings meant indefinite suspension of the privilege. The bell currently is on display in the foyer of the contemporary Jefferson School and can be seen through the door window. A vintage wall clock is also on display there. The flag pole reminds me of the time in which the flag became entangled in the rope, and Benny Birk was enlisted to climb the pole and untangle things. Benny was a macho guy and easily accomplished the assignment. The photo below at the right also shows a dog lying in front of the door. The boy's best friend faithfully waits for its Huck Finn companion to be paroled. This part of town had plenty of free-roaming, large canines. More than once I felt their teeth on my ankles when they chased me on my bike, especially in the neighborhood closest to the Logan County fairgrounds -- called Podunk, the roughest part of town. |
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33.21: Jefferson School (1888)
(Photo in Gleason, p. 111) |
33.22: Jefferson School (1925)
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33.23: 1888 Jefferson School Bell Encased and Enshrined in the Foyer of Today's Jefferson School (Photo by Leigh Henson 8-03 after the janitor let me in
the back door) |
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Memoir of Jefferson School Jefferson School was located in my family's neighborhood. My Grandfather Harrison Franklin Wilson attended the 1888 Jefferson School. His parents lived on Ninth Street between College and State Streets (the unsavory area that William Maxwell describes as "below the intersection" of Elm and Ninth Streets; see 5. Social Class, Race, and the Question of Universality in the Writing of William Maxwell Set in Lincoln, Illinois. My sister and I attended Jefferson School as did our parents and most of our aunts and uncles. All of my family lived either on the north side of Fifth Street (or a couple of blocks north of it), so we did not have to worry about the traffic of crossing Business Route 66 on our way to school.
33.24: Jefferson School Third Grade
Class in 1951; Some time in the early 1950s,
signal lights on metal yellow poles were installed at Fifth and Adams
Streets so that school patrol officers could stop traffic to let students
cross from the south side of Fifth to get to school safely. In Miss
Jones's sixth grade class, Jeff "Pete" Franz (front row above, third
from left) was elected captain of the
school patrol; I was first lieutenant; and Tom Kurtz (fourth row, last on
right) was second lieutenant.
We proudly wore the white harness-like belt and took care not to activate
the signals too soon so approaching trucks would not have to hit their brakes suddenly
(well, usually our timing was respectable). Leigh Henson is in row
three, second from left. |
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33.25: Jefferson
School Play on (Photo provided by Thomas Kurtz) |
33.26:
Principal-Teacher (Jane
Henson photo) |
| Private Religious Education in Lincoln, Illinois |
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Today private religious education in Lincoln is available at a Baptist academy, Carroll Catholic, and Zion Lutheran. ("Excellence is the Goal," Lincoln/Logan County brochure, p. 24). In the Route 66 era,
Catholic children attended St. Patrick's Grade School. At this time,
there were two Roman Catholic churches in Lincoln: St. Mary's and St.
Patrick's. A fire destroyed St. Mary's Church on December 9, 1976.
A history of the Catholic Church in Lincoln and of St. Patrick's Grade
School is given in Paul Beaver's Logan County History 1982, p.
60. |
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33.27:
St. Patrick's Grade School, Built in 1906 at Maple and Fourth Streets |
|
The Kate Coogan Memorial Library in St. Patrick's Grade School
33.28: Patrons of the Kate Coogan Memorial Library (Photo from Lincoln Evening Courier, 9-15-1953, p. 7) The quality of the above image suffers because it was made as a laser printout from a microfilm copy of the newspaper. The caption for the above photo reads, "This quartet of industrious readers is busy in the new Kate Coogan Memorial Library at St. Patrick's school. Funds for the Library were provided in the will of the late Miss Margaret Coogan as a memorial to her sister. The library is in a large room on the second floor of the school. In addition to the books a record player also is provided with a listening range from first to eighth grade. In the photograph are, left to right, David Coogan, a grand nephew, son of Dr. and Mrs. J.R. Coogan; Marcia Coogan, great grand niece, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold F. Coogan; James Richmond, great grand nephew, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Richmond; and Marjorie [sic] Coogan, grand niece, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. J.R. Coogan." Note: Fred
Blanford married Marge Coogan, both LCHS Class of 1959. Write to them
at class59@eosinc.com. |
|
Private Higher Education in
Lincoln, Illinois
This community is home to two colleges: the Lincoln Christian College
and Seminary, affiliated with the Christian Church, and Lincoln College, an
independent, private two-year liberal arts institution. |
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Lincoln Christian College and
Seminary This institution originated in 1944 as Lincoln Bible Institute (LBI), holding "its first classes at Lincoln College University Hall" (Gleason, Lincoln: A Pictorial History, p. 126). Pastor Earl C. Hargrove of the Christian Church (LCC) of Lincoln, Illinois, was the founder, and Dean Charles Mills was a key partner in the conception and early development. Later in 1944, LBI moved to a building it bought on Logan Street that was previously home to the Lincoln Business College. LBI remained there until 1951, when it moved to its permanent 35-acre campus east of Lincoln on Route 10 (Gleason, p. 126). In 1962, with continued growth, the College offered an undergraduate program, while the Seminary focused on a graduate curriculum to prepare ministers. The Web site of the Lincoln Christian College and Seminary (address below under Sources Cited) explains the missions and curriculums of the institution.
33.29: Original Building of LBI (Photo in
Gleason, Lincoln, A Pictorial History, p. 126). |
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33.29: Traditional College Pennant of LCC
33.30: Lincoln Christian College Campus
Scene from 1963: |
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Lincoln College Lincoln College is home to a museum that houses a collection of Lincoln memorabilia. A brief description of this museum appears at 29. Museums & Parks.
For more complete information
about Lincoln College and its museum, visit the College's Web site (address
below under Sources Cited). |
33.31: Early
20th-Century Picture Postcard Showing Chapel-Administration Building (left)
and University Hall |
| The Chapel-Administration Building, shown on the left side of the above picture postcard, housed the Lincoln Museum. This building burned in January, 1969, but much of the Lincoln collection was saved. | |
|
Sources Cited Beaver, Paul J. History of Logan County Illinois 1982. The Logan County Heritage Foundation. Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company, 1982. Central School Web page on Langston Hughes: http://logan.k12.il.us/les27/Central/hughes/langstonhughes.htm Central School Web site: http://logan.k12.il.us/les27/central.html Dooley, Raymond, ed. The Namesake Town: A Centennial History of Lincoln, Illinois. Lincoln, IL: Feldman's Print Shop, 1953. Gleason, Paul E. Lincoln, Illinois: A Pictorial History.
St. Louis, MO: G. Bradley Publishing, 1998. Material from Mr. Gleason's books is copyrighted with all rights
reserved. Mr.
Gleason's material used in this Web site is with permission from the G. Bradley Publishing Company, 461 Des
Peres Road, St. Louis, MO 63131. Call 1-800-966-5120 to inquire about purchasing Lincoln, Illinois:
A Pictorial History (1998) (200 pages of rare photos and text) or Logan County Pictorial History
(2000) (also 200 pages of rare photos and text). Jefferson School Web site: http://logan.k12.il.us/les27/jeffersn.html Lincoln Christian College Web site: http://www.lccs.edu/ Lincoln College Web site: http://www.lincolncollege.edu/ Lincoln Community High School Web site: http://www2.ccaonline.com/lchs Lincoln Junior High School Web site. http://logan.k12.il.us/ljhs Lincolnites, 1958 and 1959. [The Lincolnite is the yearbook of Lincoln Community High School.] Maxwell, William. Ancestors: A Family
History. NY: Vintage Books, 1971. |
| lincolncourier.com | lincolndailynews.com |
| Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County |
Lincoln Daily News Tourism Page |
Lincoln-Logan County Chamber of Commerce |
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"The Past Is But the Prelude" |
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