The Woodburn School #167

   

Pictured: Woodburn School #167 in 1852

    The Woodburn School went through many changes as enrollment changed.  It was first housed in the Baptist Church in 1837, then a brick building in the center of Woodburn, in 1846 with an overflow in the Congregational Church, during 1850-51.  In 1852, a two story red brick building was built which lasted until 1913.  Children kept on going past eighth grade as long as they wanted.  They had such courses as botany and advanced math, and a music teacher from Shurtleff College in Alton came out to teach music for paying students.

Pictured: Woodburn School in 1912

    In 1917, Mr. Charles Welch taught at Woodburn School for $70 a month.  By 1952, Woodburn was the only other school, besides Meissner School that was in operation in Community District #8.  It had an enrollment of 59 students and had three rooms to accommodate them.

Mrs. Mildred Pullen had grades one through four and Asbury Walk had grades five through eight.

Pictured: New addition to Woodburn School built in 1950

    The building was enlarged to nearly double its former size in the summer of 1950.  An addition costing $12,250 was made to the rear of the school and was used by Mr. Walk's classes.  Mrs. Pullen's classes occupied the south room in the original building.  The other room was used for a recreational room in winter months and also as a study hall.

Pictured: Map of Bunker Hill area Country Schools

There were many families that attended Woodburn School through the years.  Some of these families were Thyer, Wood, Buhs, Howald, Welch, Ray, Pennington, Dana, Morey, Schwallenstecker, and Heal just to name a few.

Pictured: Woodburn Class (October 1927)

Top row: Viva Doty, and Erma Schaum (teachers), Arthur Partridge, Orrin Schmidt, Leighton Sanner, Nelson Gugger, Olen Hallows, Harold Brueggeman, Evert Wood, Irving Bostick.

Second row: Opal Gugger Adcock, Lois Thyer Weishaupt, Fern Reader Long, Ruth E. Bouillon, Eldarine Buhs Kohle,Dorothy Welch Fite, Lola Payne Zargees Hallows, Arlene Wood, Dorothy Brueggemen Welling,

Third row: Ralph Partridge, Virgil Schmidt, Harry Show, Dale Welch, Charles Payne, Lymon Hallows, Melvin Buhs, Albert Wood.

Fourth row: Hallie Bostick Hand, Mary Wood Seward, Rosey Show Callahan Staggs, Anita Partridge Reynolds, Anita Schmidt, Dorothy Clayton King, Evelyn Elliott Schmidt.

...Read this and other Bunker Hill, IL historical stories at https://bunkerhillhistory.org/

--Cite this story: The Bunker Hill IL Historical Society. "A Look Back in Bunker Hill History." Bunker Hill Gazette-News, December 24, 2020.

Redford, Carol, and Betty Triplett. "Bunker Hill History." In Reflections: A History of the Bunker Hill-Woodburn Area, pp. 100-101. Bunker Hill: Bunker Hill Publications, 1993. Provided by the Bunker Hill Historical Society.