The History of Ladd High School
Ladd (population 1,313) is located in north-central Illinois in the southeast portion of
Bureau County. Ladd is located on Illinois Route 89 approximately 1 mile north Interstate Highway 80. Two railroad
lines, the Burlington Northern & Sante Fe and the Illinois Railnet Inc., travel to and from Ladd. For a point of
reference, Ladd is approximately 4 miles northwest of the LaSalle/Peru metropolitan area.
The town of Ladd was incorporated in 1890. It began as a mining community in the late 1880s. The
town was named after George Ladd, an early businessman of the village. The Ladd's population quickly grew and
reached into the 2000s by the early 1920s. The mine closed, however, in 1924. This ended the time of growth for
the village. Ladd has maintained its current population of approximately 1,300 residents for several years now.
The history of the Ladd High School system is in need of further research. We only became aware that
the Ladd school system offered high school courses through a photo on the web page of http://www.genealogytrails.com/ill/bureau/Villages/ladd/village.html . This was due to the excellent research conducted by Roberta VanBriesen. This
page includes a photo of two school buildings, one of which is identified as "High School Ladd Illinois".
We are not certain as to the openening and closing dates of Ladd High School. We believe the high school
courses may have begun in the late 19-teens or early 1920s. It is likely the high school ceased in the 1940s.
If you have any further information regarding Ladd High School please contact us via the means listed at the bottom of this
page.
Ladd High School Quick Facts
Year opened: 19-teens?
Year closed: 1940s?
Consolidated to: Hall Township High School (Spring Valley)
Ladd HS nickname: unavailable
Team uniform colors: unavailable
School Fight Song: unavailable
