Message Board - Tampico Area Historical Society, Tampico, Illinois

Message Board > FOYTOWN SCHOOL

FOYTOWN SCHOOL
The Tampico Area Historical Society encompasses parts of Whiteside County and Bureau County in Illinois. Focus is on Tampico, Hume Twp., Hahnaman/Deer Grove, & Prophetstown in Whiteside County & Yorktown & Thomas in Bureau County.

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Denise 221 posts Apr 26, 2008 8:11 AM	A message from Janet Goodell from Prophetstown Historical Society: Hi Denise, or anyone over there who may know something about the rural schools in Henry Co. I am looking for the location of the Foytown School which is District 5. It is not on the list of Whiteside Co. Schools that I got from the regional superintendents office in Sterling. Do you have the list of rural schools in Henry Co., or know where I can get one. We have pictures of some of the old Whiteside Co. Schools and students that attended there, and in those are a couple of Henry Co. ones that were just across the border, like Lane and Specht. Foytown is also with them. From info I have at our church, Foytown and Bluff Schools were mentioned, so think it was in the area of the Leon Church and may have been what the area was called before the petition was circulated to name the area Leon. Janet Part 2 Denise or Joan, Here is the information that we are going by to try and piece this together. I have always thought from things that I have read and heard that the area of Leon Corners/Leon Church/Leon Cemetery/Leon School was called Foytown prior to the naming of the area as Leon. The name was chosen sometime around 1880 or just before. I always felt that the graveyard that is now a part of the Leon cemetery was the Foytown Cemetery, but no proof and no one agrees with me. But, there were several Foy Families in the immediate area of the cemetery and there was a Foy who operated a blacksmith shop !/4 mi. west of the cemetery and that is where the first post office for Leon was located. Lots of pieces missing to the puzzle. Maybe someone on your message boards will have some answers!! Janet Letter from Fred South: "OK, here is what I know. I have been scanning all of the items that Florence Bishop donated. One of the items was a school newspaper called "Foytown Siftings." The editor was Estella M. Richards, daughter of Leonard H. Richards, the Civil War vet, who lived out at Leon. On the first page it says: 'Foytown Siftings, Nov. 21, 1885, published by the pupils of Dist. 5.' I do know that in 1870 Leonard moved from Whiteside County to Yorktown Township in Henry County. Estella was born in 1872. So at least in 1885 his daughter, Estella, was attending Foytown School. Here is some from the obit of Hortensia Richards, wife of Leonard and mother of Estella. Foytown is mentioned here. The following is the obituary of Mrs. Leonard Richards as handed in by a friend: Hortentia Sabin was born September 7, 1843, in Charleston Township, Portage Co., Ohio, being the oldest of three children. When elven years old, she came with her parents to Illinois. They came by way of Sheffield, driving across coutnry from that point to what is now known as the Winkler farm. Here she spent her girlhood days. There was no schoolhouse in the neighborhood at the time. The following summer (1855) her father donated the land for the building of what was for many years known as the Foytown school house. Here she and her brother Edward attended school. The people of today cannot realize the privations and hardships endured by these brave pioneers. But now as in after years she possessed the faculty of always looking on the bright side. In speaking of those days she said, "What good times we had, school days were always so happy." She was united in marriage to Leonard Richards Sept. 26, 1861, at the home of O. D. Richards brother of Leonard, who was Justice of the Peace and performed the marriage ceremony. This home is still spoken of." *end of message* Last Edited by on Apr 26, 2008 9:02 AM
D&D 19 posts May 02, 2008 3:05 PM	I attended the Morrison Historical Society meeting today. The program was a gentleman who has done alot of research on the rural one room school houses of Whiteside County. He said there were 134 of them which he had listed. Foytown was not one of them and when asked he said he had never run across that name in his research. He has all of Arlene Oncken's info on old schools but has not been through it yet. Maybe he will find something but as of today there was no information.
Denise 228 posts May 05, 2008 4:21 AM	Great news from Janet Goodell at the P-town Historical Society: Click on photo to enlarge, read details and/or leave a comment. Janet writes: "Hi Denise,We have a wonderful fellow who is doing fantastic computer work for us and people are giving him things to scan into our programs that we couldn't get from them before.Here is one that is narrowing down Foytown for us, and we were right in thinking that it was the area that is now known as Leon.Here is one item that says that the old Leon School District #79 was known as Foytown School.Thought you may be interested. Also, to know that we have a fully equipped computer with about 3500 items of interest so far, and many more to come.!!!!Janet" Here is contact info for the Prophetstown Historical Society: PROPHETSTOWN HISTORICAL SOCIETY Physical location: 320 Washington Street, Prophetstown, IL 61277 Hours of operation: Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon Contact: Janet Goodell Phone: 815-537-2224 Snail-mail inquiries can be mailed to: Janet Goodell, 2373 Washington Road, Prophetstown, IL 61277 (Janet is no longer the president of the organization, but is a wonderful resource person!) 2008 Officers: Frank Heisner, President, 815-499-4681 Robert Peterson, Vice Pres., 815-537-2668 Beverly Peterson, Sec., 815-537-2668 Maisie Kramer,Treas. - 212 Elm St., Prophetstown, IL 61277, 815-537-5456 Denise Last Edited by on Apr 13, 2010 9:55 PM
Janet39 38 posts Nov 01, 2008 7:42 PM	Hi Denise, Correction on the officers of the Prophetstown Area Historical Society--Bob Peterson--vice-pres., Bev Peterson-secretary, Maisie Kramer-treasurer. Thanks, Janet
Denise 373 posts Nov 02, 2008 5:17 AM	Thanks Janet, I have made the corrections! Is there an email for Frank? Denise Last Edited by on Nov 02, 2008 5:18 AM

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TAMPICO AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY - MUSEUM - FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY/RESEARCH CENTER 119 Main St., P. O. Box 154, Tampico, IL 61283 www.tampicohistoricalsociety.com tampicoareahistory@gmail.com We are an all-volunteer organization so your donations are always appreciated! Sign up to receive our e-newsletter. Thank you! Visit us on FACEBOOK.