St. Anne Academy High School

*HOME PAGE
Closed High Schools Alumni Apparel
*RECENT UPDATES
*CLOSED HIGH SCHOOLS LISTED BY COUNTY
IN THE BEGINNING - Where Closed High Schools Consolidated To
*YOUR COMMENTS
*SUBMIT A COMMENT or SUGGESTION
*THE "TO-DO" LIST
*ABOUT THE AUTHORS
GREAT CONFERENCES
*CLOSED GRADE SCHOOLS
RELIGIOUS ORDERS
MASCOTS & NICKNAMES
*LINKS TO OTHER SITES
COUNTRY SCHOOLS / SPECIAL BLDGS
*Schools That Start With "A"
*Schools That Start With "B"
*Schools That Start With "C"
*Schools That Start With "D"
*Schools That Start With "E"
*Schools That Start With "F"
*Schools That Start With "G"
*Schools That Start With "H"
*Schools That Start With... "I"
*Schools That Start With "J"
*Schools That Start With "K"
*Schools That Start With "L"
*Schools That Start With "M"
*Schools That Start With "N"
*Schools That Start With "O"
*Schools That Start With "P"
*Schools That Start With "Q"
*Schools That Start With "R"
*Schools That Start With "S"
*Schools That Start With.. "T"
*Schools That Start With.. "U"
*Schools That Start With.. "V"
*Schools That Start With "W"
*Schools That Start With.. "X"
*Schools That Start With.. "Y"
*Schools That Start With.. "Z"
*Sadorus High School
*Sailor Springs H.S.
*St. Anne Academy
St. Anne Cath. Boys Acad.
*St. Charles Mt. St. Mary
*St. Charles Valley Luth.
*St. Francisville HS
St. George HS
*St. Jacob High School
St. James High School
*St. Joseph High School
St. Rose High School
Ste. Marie High School
*Salisbury High School
Sandusky Young HS
*San Jose High School
*Saunemin High School
*Savanna High School
*Saybrook High School
*Saybrook-Arrowsmith HS
Schram City School
*Sciota Northwestern HS
*Scottland High School
*Scottville High School
*Seaton High School
Seatonville High School
*Secor High School
*Sesser High School
*Seward High School
*Seymour High School
*Shabbona High School
*Shannon High School
*Shawneetown H.S.
*Sheffield High School
*Sheldon High School
Sheridan High School
Shields High School
*Shipman High School
*(Shirley) Ben Funk HS
Shumway High School
*Sibley High School
*Sidell High School
Sidney High School
Sigel High School
Silvis High School
*Simpson High School
*Skokie Niles East HS
Smithboro High School
*Smithfield High School
Sorento High School
*South Chicago HS
*Sparland High School
Springerton High School
*Sprngfld Cathed./Griffin HS
*Springfield Converse HS
*Sprinfield Feitshans HS
*Spfld Sacred Heart Acad
*Spgfld. St. James HS
*Spfld. Ursuline Academy
*Stanford High School
*Sterling St. Mary's/C.C.
*Sterling Nazarene
*Steward High School
*Stewardson High School
Stiritz High School
*Stockland High School
*Stonefort High School
*Stonington High School
*Strasburg High School
*Strasburg High School
*Strawn High School
StreatorNewMich.Acad.
*Stronghurst High School
*Stronghurst Southern HS
*Sugar Grove HS
*Sumner High School
*Sycamore St. Alban's
*Sycamore Waterman Hall
*Table Grove High School
*Tamaroa High School
*Tallula High School
*Tamms Community HS
*Tampico High School
Techny Bros. Cand. HS
*Tennessee High School
*Terre Haute High School
^T'toplis/W'mont St. Joseph
*Thawville High School
*Thebes High School
Thomasboro High School
*Thomson High School
*Tilden High School
Timewell High School
*Tiskilwa High School
*Toledo High School
*Tolono High School
*Toluca High School
*Toluca St. Ann H.S.
*Toluca St. Joachim H.S.
*Tonica High School
*Toulon Academy H.S.
*Toulon-Lafayette HS
*Toulon Township HS
*Towanda High School
*Tower Hill High School
Trenton High School
*Trivoli High School
*Troy Grove School
*Troy McCray-Dewey HS
*Ullin High School
*Union High School
*Union Hill HS
*Upper Alton High School
Ursa High School
*Valier High School
*Varna High School
*(Varna)Mid-County HS
*Venice High School
*Venice Lincoln H.S.
*Venice Newport HS
*Venice St. Mark's HS
*Vergennes High School
Vermilion High School
*Vermilion Grove Academy
*Vermont High School
Vernon High School
*Versailles High School
*Victoria High School
*Viola High School
*Virden High School
*Waggoner High School
*Walnut High School
Walnut Grove Twnshp HS
*Walpole High School
*Wapella High School
*Warrensburg High School
Wasco High School
*Washburn High School
*Wataga High School
Waterloo Sts. Peter & Paul
*Waterman High School
Watson High School
*Waukegan East HS
*Waukegan Holy Child HS
Waukegan West HS
*Waynesville High School
Wedron High School
*Weldon High School
*Wellington High School
*Wenona High School
*West Brooklyn H.S.
*West Point High School
*West Salem High School
*West Union H.S.
*West York High School
*Westchester IHM
*Westervelt High School
*Westfield High School
*Wheaton Central HS
*Wheaton-Warrenville HS
*White Hall High School
*Willisville High School
Willisville-Percy H.S.
*Willow Hill High School
*Wilmette Mallinckrodt HS
*Wilmette Maria Imm. Acad
*Wing High School
*Winnetka New Trier East
*Winola High School
*Winslow High School
*Witt High School
*Wolf Lake High School
*Woodhull High School
*Woodland High School
Woodson High School
Woodstock St. Mary HS
*Woodstock Seminary
*Worden High School
*Wyanet High School
*Wyoming High School
Xenia High School
Yale High School
*Yates City High School
*Youngstown High School
*Zeigler High School

St. Anne Academy High School Building 1921-1937
stanneacademy.jpg
Credit: Lake County Discovery Museum/Curt Teich Postcard Archives.

St. Anne Academy High School Building 1884-1920
stanneacademyhsdav.jpg
Courtesy of Sherree Benoit

The History of St. Anne Academy

 

St. Anne (population 1,212) is located in east central Illinois, located 10 miles west of the Illinois-Indiana border and 12 miles southeast of Kankakee. State Route 1 (aka the Dixie Highway) runs thru town, as do two railroads and there are two lakes (Cote Lake and Pickeral Lake) that are at the north end of the community.

 

It is believed that St. Anne was founded around 1850 during the time when the Rev. Charles Chiniquy moved there after leaving Boubonnais Grove (now Bourbonnais), following a fire that destroyed the church he was the pastor of in 1853. Chiniquy’s history is one filled with controversy due to being accused of setting that fire, and was defended in court twice by Abraham Lincoln with both trials ending in a hung jury. The priest was also excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church by the Bishop of Chicago at the time, Anthony O'Regan, and started a Presbyterian Church in St. Anne as he took many Catholic followers with him.

 

Around 1883, the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame came to St. Anne as a way to offset the problems that were caused by Chiniquy’s excommunication by opening up an co-ed school as an alternative to the public school that was already in place. St. Anne Academy opened on September 29th of that year as 40 students were enrolled. The sisters suffered physical privations and abuse from residents during that first school year as Chiniquy’s supporters opposed the new school.

Needless to say, the enrollment grew the following year to the point that boarding students were accepted. Along with that, a new four-story building was opened on July 15, 1884 to accomodate those students as the school became incorporated as St. Anne Academy on the same day.

 

Both grade and high school students were in attendance, taking subjects such as French, china painting, oil painting and water colors. A four-year high school was organized in 1906. The school expanded and was renovated during the summers of 1919 & 1920 when a total of 150 students were enrolled.

 

Tragedy struck in the form of fire on November 6th, 1920 when the school was totally destroyed. Even though the community came together and collected enough money to rebuild, the sisters were withdrawn by their order, and the school reopened in 1921 with the Sisters Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary from nearby Beaverville (south of St. Anne) in charge of the school, which consisted of a grade school and two-year high school.

St. Anne Academy was operated by the Sisters Servants thru 1935 when they left, and the school was closed for good in the spring of 1937. Today, all students attend high school at St. Anne High School (a public school).

 

 

FACTS ABOUT ST. ANNE ACADEMY

 

Year opened:                            1883

Year four-year school opened:    1906

Year it cut back to two years:     1921

Year closed:                             1937

 

 

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT ST. ANNE ACADEMY...

then please contact us. We are always looking for information about the school, memories of graduating or former students and so on. A picture is also greatly appreciated. Please contact us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net or thru the USPS at:

 

Illinois High School Glory Days

6439 North Neva

Chicago, IL  60631