Peoria County One-Room Schools
Peoria Township


Ernest Grassel-Preserver of Peoria History


Ernest Grassel retired from Caterpillar Tractor Co. in 1973, and moved to Arkansas in 1975.  Peoria then lost one of her leading authorities on local history.  Before leaving, he donated 82 volumes of photographs on Peoria homes and buildings to the Peoria Public Library, hoping they would be of use to the public and especially to local researchers.  He  also gave an outstanding collection of his personal drawing to the Peoria Historical Society, now housed in the Special Collections Library at Bradley University  Many, many hours of his life are wrapped up in this collection created throughout the 1970's.

Mr. Grassel stated, " I have always been interested in buildings of all kinds.  During the era of the bulldozers and the wrecking cranes, I took a lot pictures in all areas of Peoria.  In a few years, I had a lot of long gone Peoria on paper.  When I moved I gave 82 volumes of photographs to the Peoria Public Library.  When I hear that history buffs are making use of them I feel well rewarded for my efforts."

West Bluff Word, May 1963, Page 14



This amazing collection of pictures will take you down memory lane.  Ask for the index file for the Grassel Collection at the Reference Desk at the Main Peoria Public.







Grassel Collection
  1945 Schools Districts
The pictures of old abandoned schoolhouses are from Grassel Collection.

               Site owed and maintained by  © R. Bantz  2008
                   
Peoria County Schools

Over one hundred years have passed since the organizing of the first school in Peoria County.  With each ensuing year, our older settlers become fewer and our existing possibilities, to gather data about our early education, melts away as snow before a tropic sun.

With these thoughts in mind, and a desire to preserve the interesting activities of our forefather, we have tried to secure from all the school districts, a brief history of the educational activities from earliest time.

From these historical reports, we find that the first school taught within the boundaries of Peoria County as it now is, was taught by Peter Grant at Fort Clark in 1821.  This school and the subsequent schools until 1855, were, for the most part, provided for and operated as subscription school.  Isaac Essex, who was appointed teacher to the Indians by Rev. Jesse Walker, taught the hero of Methodism in Illinois the second school.  Although this school was intended more especially for Indian children, white children were permitted to attend.

The first woman to teach in Peoria County was Mrs. Maria Harkness, wife James P. Harkness.  Her first school was Ogee’s log cabin, which afterwards was used as the court house.   Later she taught at a log school in the western part of the county in what is now District Number 30.  This was in 1839.  This was the third district in the county to have a school, District  Number having erected a building and holding school a few months earlier in 182\39.

Great strides have been made in one hundred and ten years.  Peoria County now has 134 one-room schools, 9 county schools of two rooms or more, 34 village, town and city grade schools, 9 high schools, 17 parochial grade schools, two parochial high schools, 1 college, 22 kindergartens, 4 commercial schools, 1 commercial art school, 1 art institute, and 1 kindergarten training. School.

The publishers tender their grateful acknowledgments and most hearty thanks to the friends, too numerous to mention, who in so many ways aided and encouraged the progress and completion of this enterprise.  Most loyally and generously have the men and woman of Peoria County, responded when solicited for facts and data, necessary to compile this work.  To these people and any other, who have given substantial encouragement, the author respectfully dedicates this work.

John Hayes
Superintendent of Peoria County Schools


Note:

The material used for this book was submitted by many different people from each school district.  John Hayes compiled and printed this material in the 1930's.



Early History of all of the  1945 schools was compiled and written by John Hayes, Superindendent of School
If you have any information or pictures to share, or if you know of any person who attended any of these schools, please email me.  In doing family research I tried unsuccessfully  to find a picture of my dad, a one room school student, and grandfather, a teacher and student in a one-room school in another county.  I hope this site may help someone find a link to a family member from Peoria County.
Sign InView Entries
Hawley Gruner Ak 1
Streitmatter Ak 2
Blue Ak 3
Morrow Ak 4
Townhouse Ak 5
Timmons Ak 6
Potter Ak 7
Summit Ak 8
Wilson Ak 9
Maple Grove Br 10
Whittier Br 11
Reed Br 12
Burt Br 13
Cowley Br 14
Brimfield Br 15
Radley Br 16
Bell Br 17
Paradise Chapel Br 18
Gilbert Br 19
Chillicothe (Pearce) 20
Senachwine Ch 21
Valley View Ch 22
Rome 23
Southport El 24
Elmwood El 25
Phelps El 26
Lehigh El 27
Texas El 28
Graham Chapel El 29
Harkness Grove El 30
Gibbs El 31
Blue Ridge Ha 32
Northampton Ha 33
Union Ha 34
Southampton Ha 35
Centerville Ha 36
Edelstein Ha 37
West Hallock Ha 38
Simms   Pleasant View Ha 39

Hollis Ho 40
Maple Ridge Ho 41
Mapleton Ho 41
Martin Ho 43
Wheeler Ho 44
Greenbush Ju 45
Shane Ju 46
Cahill Ju 47
Bramble Ju 48
Poland Ju 49
Robin's Nest Ju 50
Town House Ju 51
Carroll Ju 52
Orange Prairie K 53
Kickapoo K 54
Howarth K 55
Pottstown K 56
Forney K 57
Heinz K 58
Secretan/Lonsdale K 59
Charter Oak K 60
Edwards K 61
Pleasant Valley Li 62
Norwood Li 63
Central Limestone Li 64
Walters Li 65
Bartonville Li 66
North Limestone Li 67
Oak Grove Li 68
Pleasant Hill Li 69
Monroe/Hedge Row Li 70
Pinkerton Lo 71
Cherry Forks Lo 72
Patton Lo 73
Pleasant Grove Lo 74
Smithville Lo 75
Hanna City Lo 76
Salem Lo 77
Harker's Corner Lo 78
Mooney Me 79
Rice Me 80
Banner Me 81
Boylan Me 82
Mossville Me 83
Alta Me 84
Elmore Mi 85
Nightingale Mi 86
French Grove Mi 87
Laura Mi 88
Garrison Mi 89
Scotland Mi 90
Campbell Mi 91
Spring Valley Mi 92
Adams Pr 93
Moody Pr 94
White's Grove Pr 95
Byrnes Pr 96
Princeville Pr 97
Good Hope Pr 98
Monica Pr 99
Nelson Pr 100
Henry Pr 101
Keady Ra 102
Bell Tree Ra 103
Salem Ra 104
Dunlap Ra 105
Glendale Ra 106
Tucker Ra 107
Hazel Dell Ra 108
Parks Ra109
Dewey Ra 110
Kellar Ri 111
Gardener Ri 112
Hines Ri 113
Reservoir Hieights Ri 114
Chillicothe High School 115
Richwoods Ri 116
Sipp School  Ri 117
Woodrow Wilson Ri 118
Kingman 119
Peoria Heights Ri 120
Brown Ro 121
Cottonwood Ro 122
Nixon Ro 123
Morris Ro 124
Moore Ro 125
Golden Knoll Ro 126
Oak Hill Ro 127
Rosefield Center Ro 128
Glasford Ti 129
Saylor Ti 130
Todd Ti 131
Griggs Ti 132
Scovil Ti 133
Cowser Ti 134
Bateman Ti 135
Centennial Ti 136
Kingston Mines Ti 137
Tyndall Ti 138
Trivoli Tr 139
Pea Ridge Tr 140
Downs Tr 141
Blue Tri 142
Trivoli Center Tr 143
Bickford Tr 144
Concord Tr 145
Brunswick Tr 146
Penn Ridge Tr 147
White Tr 148
Oak Grove Tr 149