The History of De Long High School
De Long (population approximately 75) is located in upper western Illinois in the lower
western portion of Knox County. County Highway 5 is the main roadway that leads you to and from De Long. Knox Road 700E
and 750E also lead you to De Long. According to Mapquest (www.mapquest.com) De Long is about 1 block from north to south and 3 blocks from west to east. De Long is about 15 miles south and a little
east of Galesburg. For a nice video of De Long check out this youtube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-VqHE9sti4 .
De Long is located in Orange Township and was established by a man named H.S. Mallory along
the Narrow Gauge Road. When first established in the late 1800s De Long was considered a "flourishing little village". ("History
of Knox County, Illinois: Its Cities, Towns, and People, Volume 1" - page 450)
We were made aware that De Long once supported a high school by Clifford Pence, Jr. Clifford advises that
De Long High School was a two-year high school that closed in 1936. Clifford advises the following regarding De Long High
School:
"I am a graduate of Abingdon High School. Our neighboring town of De Long
had a two-year high school until 1936. I know this from the fact that some old Abingdon High School yearbooks have pictures
of students who indicate that they went to De Long for their first two years of high school. Also, an Abingdon acquaintance
of mine who died a few months ago was originally from the De Long area told me several years ago that the school was a two-year
high school and that it closed in 1936.
The town of De Long would now be in the Knoxville High School District. Presumably
many of the students who went to De Long High School would have chosen to go to Knoxville for their last two years of high
school back in the days when there were non-high school territories."
We are not certain in what year De Long High School was started. Our best
guess is that it was begun in the late 19-teens or early 1920s. We are also not certain if the school participated in athletics
with other neighboring high schools.
De Long High School Quick Facts
Year opened:
early 1920s(?)
Year closed:
1936
Consolidated to:
Knoxville High School
De Long HS team nickname: (?)
De Long HS team colors: (?)
School Fight Song:
(?)
