http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id605.html
EWING, IL – (Illinois High School Glory Days. Please click on the link above for the full story. Here is an excerpt below.)
The cornerstone of Willard Hall, which sits in front of where the Ewing-Northern grade school is today. (James Horaz, Illinois High School Glory Days photo.)
Ewing (population 310) is located in far south central Illinois in the northeast portion of Franklin County. Ewing is situated about 6 miles northeast of Benton. County Highway 1 is the main roadway to and from Ewing and connects it to Illinois Route 37 just three miles to the west. Interstate Highway 57 lies just to the west of Route 37. Rend Lake is about four miles west of Ewing as well.
A nice history of the town of Ewing was found at the web address of http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/1995/ihy951223.html. In summary, this article states that Ewing was established in the mid-1800s and was a basic rural Illinois community. The early 1860s brought some prominent local men together who decided the area needed a high school. In 1867 Ewing High School was established. This was a pretty forward-thinking view at the time as most rural communities simply established a school for grades 1 – 8 and did not establish a high school until years later.
Soon after the establishment of the high school the local people discovered their high school was not legally recognized. These folks took things one step further, they decided to establish a college. Ewing College was established in this very rural setting and attracted many more people and businesses to the area.
The population of Ewing rose to about 1,000 residents in the early 1900s, with the college enrollment a steady 300 students. World War I and economic hardships caught up with Ewing College. The school was closed in 1927 leaving the townspeople with heavy hearts.
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