Maroa Grade School students, 1890 ¹

School Consolidations

---

During the school consolidations occuring in 1947 and 1948, the following rural Macon County schools became part of the newly formed Maroa School District: ²

American School - 1874-1952
Center Ridge School - 1860-1947
Excelsior North -
Fair Play School - c. 1874-1950
Flood School - c. 1880-1947
Forsyth Grade School - 1864-Current
Harmony North School - 1896-1948
Hickory Point School - c. 1861-1954
Independence School District - c. 1880-1936
Model School - 1909-1949
Parker School - c. 1890-1944
Pleasant View North School - 1868-1948
Pleasant Valley - c. 1880-1934
Upper Ridge School - 1856-1954

In addition, these Dewitt County schools consolidated into Maroa District as well:

Blue - c. 1872-1948
Randall -
Willow Lane - c. 1881-1947

Images of these schools and their students can be viewed on the MFSchoolArchives Rural Schools Omeka page.

The MF School Archives holds records from several of these rural schools including Center Ridge School's District Ledger 1892-1902, Hickory Point Grade School records from 1925-1954, and Pleasant View Ledger books from 1923-1929.

For additional information regarding these rural schools, see Rural Schools of Macon County. Edited by Florence Scott White, Macon County Historical Society, Decatur, Illinois, 1978.

---

Notes

¹ Maroa Sesquicentennial Book. Maroa, Illinois, 2004, p. 163.
Front Row: Rex Funk, Fred Reining, Fred Young, Carlos Moore, Bert Phillips, Chase Trowbridge, Ruby Williams, Ada Lowe, Goldie Cooper, Sadie Jones (Link), Amy Funk, Nellie Meeks, Andrew Luallen. Middle Row: Lee Kempshall, Nettie Ferree, Mamie Snow, ? Brintlinger, Draxie Smelz (App), Nora Alberty, Ora Davis, Agnes Schenck (Slater), A. Cooper, Emma Bogle (Morgan), Pearl Ludwick, Lottie Reining (Ritter), Vernon Gessamon, Iva Bowden (Malone). Back row not listed.

² See the following news articles:
4 Unit School Districts Set Opening Dates. Herald and Review. Decatur, Illinois, 21 August 1950, p. 3.
125 Expected to Register at Maroa High. Herald and Review. Decatur, Illinois, 20 August 1948, p. 3.
Five Rural Schools Sold. Dectur Herald. Decatur, Illinois, 9 November 1947, p. 3.
Maroa School Merger Vote Set for April 26. Herald and Review. Decatur, Illinois, 15 April 1947, p. 3.
New Merger Proposed for Maroa Schools. The Decatur Daily Review. Decatur, Illinois, 14 April 1947, p. 16.
Report Merger Plan Opposed. The Decatur Daily Review. Decatur, Illinois, 5 March 1947, p. 4.
Rural School Group Seeks County Plan. The Decatur Daily Review. Decatur, Illinois, 21 March 1947, p. 13
School Merger Talks Planned. The Decatur Daily Review. Decatur, Illinois, 4 February 1947, p. 21.
Shift to Maroa Schools Voted. Herald and Review. Decatur, Illinois, 16 September 1948, p. 3
Two Elections Set for School Consolidations. The Decatur Daily Reivew. Decatur, Illinois, 20 October 1947, p. 13.
Vote May Close 15 Schools in Macon, Dewitt. Herald and Review. Decatur, Illinois, 21 March 1947, p. 3.

---

Historical items have been made available to the community for research and study purposes and to satisfy curiosity. Due to the nature of the colloquialisms, culture, attitude, and/or political climate of the various time periods represented, some content may be deemed “inappropriate" if viewed outside of its historical context. In addition, the newspapers, logos, branding, and other publication identifiers are the trademarks of the newspapers and other publishers. Our use of newspaper content contained in this archive in no way implies an affiliation with, or endorsement from, the publisher. Included photos have been identified from owner's notatations or through community members. If you believe there has been an error in identification of any materials, please email the Maroa-Forsyth School Archives.