Photograph of Ballard School No. 153 taken in 1917 |
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Subject: Schools of the Towanda area; Schools Date: 1917 Description: Ballard School (#153) was located at the northwest corner of Section 34 in Towanda Township, Mclean County, Illinois. Today that would be described as the junction of 1500N and 2100E. Merna School was located two miles to the east and Barnes School was two miles to the west. In the early 1860s a small frame building was put up on this site. This house served until 1869 when it was moved to a nearby farm when the new school house was built. This neat white school on the hill was a landmark on the prairie. The children always heaved a sigh of relief when it was passed on their way to Bloomington. It meant that they only had a few miles left to travel in the buggy or wagon. Remodeled in 1915 with an addition for fuel and toilets, this was the first rural school in the county to install a jacketed stove (Smith Heater). Frank and Harve Ballard were nearby landowners, so it has always been called Ballard School. The Ballard School was closed with the district became a part of the Normal Unit District #5 in 1948 This picture was taken in 1917. The well on the left had been moved to the right - in front of the building sometime before it closed Publisher: Towanda Area Historical Society and Towanda District Library Rights Management: The images and documents in the Towanda Area Historical Society digital library may be viewed, downloaded, and printed for personal or educational use, but any commercial use is prohibited, without permission. ID: 1123 edu_1869_2041 Last Update: August 23, 2009 |
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