The History of Allerton High School
Allerton (population 293) is located in east-central Illlinois in the far southwestern corner of Vermilion
County. A portion of the town is also located in southeastern Champaign County placing Allerton about 20 miles
southeast of Champaign/Urbana. Illinois Route 49 is the main roadway leading you to and from town and intersects
with County E 300 North at Allerton. The Goodall Branch flows to the east of town and the Missourri Pacific Railroad
(formerly the C & E I(Central and Eastern Illinois) layed tracks through Allerton. This railroad however no
longer exists as the tracks have been removed.
A history of the Allerton school system was provided to us by Glenn Archer (see track &
field accomplishments below). Glenn found the history in a 1941 yearbook from Allerton High School.
It is copied word for word below:
Allerton Community High School
A
Brief History
"The growth of a high school or any school may be licensed to the growth of a home. As the family
increases in numbers, as the horizon broadens, new rooms may be added to accommodate that growth."
"We would like to trace briefly the growth of our house, and, much more important, the growth of the
group within. But to understand fully the history of this school we must understand something of the careers of the
schools which served this community."
"The first school was opened in Allerton September 2d, 1892, in a small frame school house that had
been moved from one mile north of town, with Chas. Smeeton, Sr. as teacher. Meanwhile movement was started by which we were
granted a new district, by two of the Trustees, viz, Taylor Gerlaugh and J.J. Southworth."
"This district was formed out of territory from four districts, and comprised eight sections of land.
The Board of Directors for the new district was J.H. Herron, Geo. Allen, Sr., and Joseph Warters."
"S.W. Allerton, of Chicago, donated twenty-five hundred dollars toward the erection of a five-thousand dollar
building. A meeting was held, and bonds to the amount of three thousand dollars were issued and sold to Dr. E.L. Hardman
for the building and furnishing of said school building."
"The new district had much opposition, and after the decision of the County Superintendents of both Champaign
and Vermilion Counties had been sanctioned by the Circuit Court of Champaign County, the parties in opposition carried the
suit to the Supreme Court, where the decision was rendered in favor of the new district. Meanwhile Architect Ennis of
Danville, had drawn plans for a four-roomed building, with all the necessary halls and cloak rooms. A substantial
brick building took the place of the old frame one."
"The year of 1894 found the new building, housing the grade and two year high school, opened with Chas.
Smeeten principal, and Miss Emma Mozier, of Danville, primary teacher, Miss Myra Mendenhall, of Vermilion Grove, E.J.
Vines, Margretta Parks, and Minnie Shaw were among the first teachers of the new building. This school was the abode of
the ambitious and industrious seeking to better to equip themselves for the future. This remained the seat of learning
of the community until it was destroyed by fire December 27, 1921."
"The present four year, accredited, Community High School was then built. It was completed and ready
for use by September, 1923."
"In this exceedingly well equipped house of ours, the Allerton School, boards with the financial support of
the community has provided us with as well trained a set of foster parents as it can procure."
"It remains for us, the student body, for whom all this has been done, to justify the vast expenditure of
time, money, and energy, that has gone into the making of ALLERTON COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL."
