Henderson County Historical Society

Graduation season is upon us. On display at the Henderson County Museum is a class photo of the Raritan High School graduating class of 1893.

Members of the graduating class consisted of Ida Davis, Edna Staats, Jessie Dilts, Maude Hamilton, Doren Perrine, Erle Field, and Edgar Wells

Also on display is the program from their commencement service held on June 10, 1893 at Barnes Hall, the opera house that predates the Raritan Opera House building built in 1902.

At the time, the County Superintendent was Mr. Butler. Board of Education members were R.H. Barnes, J.L. Dilts, W.S. Hixson, and F.H. Hamilton and the teachers were Miss Henderson and Miss Staats. 

FUN FACT: The standard 12-year education system became universal across Illinois public schools in 1897.

Historically, many rural one-room schoolhouses and small-town districts across the United States operated on an 11-year track, however, some students terminated their public education after completing just the eighth grade.