The History of Alexander High School
Alexander (population approximately 200) is located in central Illinois about 20 miles west of Springfield.
Alexander sits on Illinois Route 123 about a mile south of Interstate Highway 72. The Norfolk & Western Railroad
travels through Alexander. The town was platted in 1857 and named after a gentleman named John Alexander.
It sits in the east-central area of Morgan County.
A high school in Alexander was likely in place by the late 1800s. Joe Dewees provided
the following information regarding Alexander High School:
"At least during the 1940's the Alexander High School was a 3 year high school.
Students wanting to graduate from a 4 year high school would transfer for their
senior year to either Franklin High School or Jacksonville High School."
Alexander High School was annexed with its nearby neighbor Franklin High School in the Fall of 1951. The
high school-aged students of Alexander began attending Franklin High School at that point, and continue to do so to this day.
Anne Hohimer, who graduated from Franklin High School, was a member of the Franklin
8th grade class which was the first to merge with the Alexander 8th Grade class during Alexander's last year open as a high
school.. Anne remembers the merger well:
"In 1951 the Alexander eighth grade school graduating class was merged with the Franklin
grade school graduating class due to the fact that the Alexander High School was being closed and the students would start
high school at Franklin in the fall. It is at that time I met many of the people who would be my classmates in high school.
There were 44 total graduates in the class, 25 were from Franklin, a few from Nortonville,
which was the other school in the consolidation.
It has been more than 50 years now and we became a class in every sense of the word.
Being a rural community most of the students rode school buses, so the Alexander (and Nortonville) people did not stand out
as being "away from here"."
Happily, the school building in Alexander is still in use. All of the students in the Franklin District attend grades 2 - 5 in Alexander with K - 1 and 6 - 12 being held in Franklin.
Alexander High School Quick Facts
Year opened:
late 1800s
Year closed: 1951
Consolidated to:
Franklin High School
Alexander HS team nickname:
unavailable
AHS team colors:
unavailable
AHS Fight Song:
unavailable
