The History of Balcom High School
Balcom (population 50?) is located in southwestern Illinois in the southeastern portion of Union County.
Balcom is located about 22 miles south of Carbondale. The village sits on County Highway 6 at the intersection of Balcom
Road. The Illinois Central Railroad line runs past Balcom about 1/4th mile to the east.
A brief history of the town of Balcom is available at http://www.shawneeheartland.com/towns.html . In summary, Balcom is named after "a high official of the Illinois Central Railroad." It quickly became
known as a fruit shipping center of the area. Balcom reached its peak as a community between 1900 and 1930. As transportation
efforts improved, the importance of Balcom to the fruit industry began to diminish. Balcom soon became the quiet,
small community it is today.
The history of of Balcom High School is needed. We believe that Balcom supported a school system for its
children from the late 1800s through the mid 1900s. It is probable that Balcom High School was a two-year high school
that existed from the early 1920s through the late 1940s. We know that Balcom High School existed at least through the 1934-35
school year due to basketball scores listed on the web address of http://sites.google.com/site/xtmi2000/il1935dist-1 .
We are not certain if Balcom Grade School continued on after the high school
closed. It is likely the kids of Balcom today attend school in nearby Anna-Jonesboro School District.
Balcom High School Quick Facts
Year opened:
1920s?
Year closed: 1940s?
Consolidated to: Anna-Jonesboro
High School (?)
Balcom HS nickname: unavailable
Balcom HS colors: unavailable
School Fight Song: unavailable
