Putnam County Historical Society

08/25/2026

Part 2 in our series about early Putnam County Schools:

It wasn’t until 1845 that a law incorporated all congressional townships as school townships, allowing voters in school districts to levy a special tax for the support of schools. At the same time the legislature created a position of state superintendent of public instruction. It also specified that the County School Commissioner supervise, examine and certify teachers. In 1855 the legislature passed the Free School Law making it a responsibility of the state to provide a system of free schools for all children. This coincided with legislation that allowed the formation of township government in the counties. Four townships were established in Putnam County with boundaries as shown on the school map: Granville, Hennepin, Magnolia and Senachwine. Soon after political townships were established in 1855, each township established school districts for village schools and rural one room schools. Within a few years there were rural schools at or near the thirty-one locations shown on the map. The rural schools shown on the map are generally in their location at about 1900. Several of the schools were moved or replaced during the roughly 100 years of operation of the rural school districts.

In 1865 the County School Commissioner was made the County Superintendent of Schools and was required to visit each school at least once a year.

Although the County School Commissioner and then the County Superintendent of Schools conducted tests of school teachers, initially there was great variation in rules and curriculum because each school was controlled by a three member board mostly derived from male parents willing to serve. There were no grades and attendance fluctuated not only from year to year but during the year as well as demand for labor at home on the farm varied. Reading, writing and arithmetic were covered but the texts and emphasis depended on the preferences of the teacher.

1. Bisher (Brenneman) School
2. Gehm School
3. Moore (Colby) School
4. Barnard School
5. Dysart School
6. Hullinger School
7. Centerville School
8. Fairview School
9. Nash (Moronts) School
10. Shepard School
11. Durley School
12. Union Grove School
13. Florid School
14. Sprinkleburg School
15. Sand Prairie School
16. Pool School
17. Strawn (Cottage Hill) School
18. Payne’s Point School
19. Mt. Palatine School
20. Clear Creek School
21. Center School
22. Mathis (Bobbitt, Oxbow) School
23. Brush College
24. Union School
25. Bachman School
26. Church school at Salem Lutheran Church?
27. Winship School
28. Henkins School
29. Bracken School
30. Giltner School
31. Bacon (Sparling) School

08/18/2026

It's back to school season, so we thought we'd look back at some of the earliest schools in Putnam County. The following is an excerpt from the Putnam County History Book available from the Society. It's on sale for just $45.

"Many of the early settlers in Putnam County were ambitious people from educated well-to-do families that valued education. Consequently, space was made available for schooling in some manner wherever several families were in proximity, even before there were villages established. The teachers, who may have had no formal teaching qualifications other than being able to read, write, and calculate themselves, would generally board with local families and charge a fee per pupil. Many early educators who tried to organize schools in the first villages were preachers.

Teaching was done at several locations during 1831. The Clear Creek community appears to have had the first school in the County. Stoughton Edwards began teaching January 6, 1831 in a log cabin built in the fall of 1830 just north of Clear Creek. The cabin was reportedly still unfinished and lacking a door or a floor. Union Grove would seem to have been a close second. Mrs. Martha Ramsey taught in a blacksmith shop just east of the Union Grove Church in the summer of 1831. George Shaw taught on Ox Bow Prairie near Magnolia in the winter of 1831 (it is not clear whether this was 1830-31 or 1831-32) and Dr. Ashley taught at a schoolhouse near Caledonia. During the panic of the Black Hawk War of 1832 teaching was either abandoned or undertaken in the blockhouses that were put up for defense. In the winter of 1832-33, a school was conducted on the farm of Mr. Carter by a man named Hatfield. The next year, Jeremiah Strawn and Aaron Whittaker built a log schoolhouse about a mile northwest of Magnolia. It was replaced by a frame house three years later. The first school in Granville Township was taught by Miss Burr, in the fall of 1834. It was in a small log cabin, about twelve feet square, which Mr. Wafer had put up for a smoke-house near his residence on the edge of the timber, about one mile northwest of the Village of Granville.

Reverend Nathan Gould was a Presbyterian minister who, like many other pioneer ministers in the early nineteenth century, wanted to establish an academy that might then grow to become a college. With the support of the settlers in the vicinity of Granville he constructed a two story building in 1835 even before the village was surveyed by Felix Margrave in 1836. In the fall of 1835 Miss Abbie Hawks began teaching in the Granville Academy building while it was still under construction. The Granville Academy received its charter from the state legislature in 1837 and opened in December.

The first school in the Village of Hennepin was taught by Thomas Gallaher in 1833, in a log house on a lot later occupied by the Public Hall, at the corner of Front and Court Street. In 1835, school was taught in the old Simpson Tavern. The following year the old Presbyterian meeting house was used, as was the old Court House in 1837. Five years later Calvin Dickey taught in a log cabin near the home of Mrs. Reed. In 1843, a frame schoolhouse was erected on High Street then moved to where the public school building was later built. All these early schools were run on the subscription plan.

The first schoolhouse in the Village of Magnolia was built in 1836. It was a log structure, of the type commonly built in other parts of the state, and was erected in a field used for a brick yard. The number of pupils increased rapidly and the first little log schoolhouse soon proved too small. A new school was built on the west side of the village and opened in the fall of 1839.

The first school in Senachwine Township was a log cabin built perhaps in 1838 about a half mile north of where the Village of Senachwine (Putnam) was later established. Sometime later it was replaced by a cabin less than half a mile further north. Both of these schools would have been on the east side of the railroad built in 1855.

The free public schools of Hennepin started in 1845, in a building originally put up by subscription as an academy, but never operated. The Hennepin Tribune in 1857 reported that there were two public schools, with 80 or 90 students and two select schools with 45 students. The select schools were short lived."

Watch our page for more stories about specific early schools in the days and weeks to come.

08/15/2026

2026 Tractor Drive departs the Historical Society for its trek across Putnam County.

08/14/2026

The Illinois River Valley Tractor Drive will be leaving the Putnam County Historical Society Meeting House at 9:00 am tomorrow (Saturday, August 15) and driving throughout the county. They will be making a stop at the Magnolia Preservation Society around noon. They will return back to Hennepin between 3:30 and 4:30 pm. 🚜

08/13/2026

We still have raffle tickets available. Only 2000 tickets will be sold at which time we will hold the drawing. The winner will be contacted via telephone and announced here on this page. Tickets can be purchased from any board member or by contacting us via Facebook messenger - Venmo required.

Thank you to everyone that has already purchased tickets. Good Luck!🤞

08/11/2026

Magnolia Bicentennial

Magnolia’s Bicentennial

Fifty years after the founding of our country, Magnolia, Illinois was founded as the first village in Putnam County.
In 1824, William Haws was traveling through what is now Magnolia Township on his way to Galena, Illinois. He thought the area was beautiful and an ideal place to farm and raise his family. He marked his claim on an area north of Magnolia, north of Little Sandy Creek, by carving his initials in a tree.
In 1826, William Haws returned to the area, filed his claim and started building his homestead. Others coming soon after William Haws were Stephan and James Willis and John Knox. After building a cabin, these men brought their families to live here. John Knox opened an inn at the future site of Magnolia, and the village grew up around it. By 1836 there were enough residents to call Magnolia a village.
Although Magnolia has a current population of less than 300 people, it once was thriving community. There were many businesses catering to agriculture as well as department stores, pharmacies, doctors and more.
To celebrate Magnolia’s 200th birthday, Magnolia Township Preservation Association will present a program on the history of Magnolia, August 15 at 2 pm in the museum meeting hall. The museum is located at 110 N Peoria Street, Magnolia. There is a handicap entrance at the back of our building. Come hear the history of the first village in Putnam County.

The mission of the Magnolia Township Preservation Association is to research, collect, preserve, promote, and communicate the history of Magnolia Township to educate future generations.

08/09/2026

THANK YOU to everyone that came out for our open house today!

08/06/2026

Coming to Granville car show on Friday, Aug 7th? Look for the PC Historical Society selling raffle tickets for two amazing America 250 fi****ms.

Can’t make it to the car show? We’ll have them at the Open House on the 9th. Plus, every board member has them. Don’t miss your chance!