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| Philo High School Building Constructed in 1898 |
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| Submitted by G. Trimble |
| Philo School Gymnasium Built 1898 |
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| Photo taken in 2015 |
The History of Philo High School
Philo (population 1,314) is located in east-central Illinois about 6 miles southeast of Champaign.
The town was platted in the south-central portion of Champaign County in 1864. Illinois Route 130 is the main roadway
leading to Philo and it intersects with County Highway 18 in town. The Black Slough Creek flows to the south of Philo.
The Norfolk & Western railroad travels through the north side of town. The town was named Philo after the first name of
the person who platted the town, E.B. Hale.
According to a "rootsweb" website page the early history of Philo is as follows:
"The village of Philo, of considerable importance, stands on a beautiful location,
situated on the Toledo, Wabash and Western railroad. It was laid out in 1864 by E. B. Hale, the son of Philo Hale, and includes
80 acres of land. Elam Ellithrop built the first house in the village, and Wright built the second, and he was also the first
station agent for the Toledo, Wabash and Western railroad. B. C. Morris, M. D., was the first physician; he was the first
to sell goods also; he built the first hotel. The town contains one school-house, two churches, two elevators, one mill, one
dry goods store, three grocery stores, two drug stores, two hardware stores, two hotels, three blacksmith shops, one tin shop,
two harness makers, lumber yard and livery stable."
Another rootsweb page that offers the history of the Philo High School Class of 1908 can be viewed at:
Philo High School served the community for over five decades. The late 1940s brought with it many changes
in the way schooling was supported in Illinois. The consolidation push of the smaller school districts came
to Philo and the surrounding communities at that time. After the 1949 school year the townspeople of Philo joined the
efforts of several communitites in the area to form the Unity School District. The high school for the new
district was located in Tolono.
| Philo High School |
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| http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilchampa/photoalbum/schools.html |
The fate of the original high school building in Philo was provided to us by David Happ:
"After Philo HS merged with Tolono and formed the Unity (Unit 7) school district, the building was used for elementary
grades. When Unity East was built, the Philo HS building, the Philo grade school, and the land were all sold to the
Village of Philo. This was around 2001. The HS building that you have pictured on your site was then torn down,
and the adjacent elementary school building was converted to Village offices."
| Philo Grade School Building Side View 2015 |
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| Now Village Hall |
| Philo Grade School Entrance - Now Village Hall |
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| Photo taken in 2015 |
Philo High School Quick Facts Year opened: late
1800s Year closed: 1949 Consolidated to: Unity
School District (Tolono) Philo HS team nickname:
unavailable PHS team colors: unavailable School Fight Song: unavailable
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Athletics
Philo High School had one season where it earned an IHSA District title in State
Tourney action (www.ihsa.org). We believe the school competed in track and baseball as well. As you can see in the "quick facts"
portion, we are missing a lot of information on the Philo HS particulars. School team nickname, team colors, school
fight song, as well as coach's names and team records of the better Philo teams, all are items being sought.
| Philo Gymnasium Entrance Doors |
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| Left Click on Photo for Larger View |
| Philo School Gym Side View 2015 |
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Boys Basketball
The boys basketball program at Philo High School probably had many great seasons, however only one is mentioned
on the IHSA website (www.ihsa.org). The boys of 1943-44 won a District title! Unfortunately the team record and coach's
name of this group is not currently available. Scores found on the website titled "Illinois Postseason Basketball
Scores" are listed below.
1921-22 Urbana District Tournament
Coach's name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Fisher 28-5
Fisher beat Villa Grove in title game
1922-23 through 1931-32 Postseason scores, records, and coaches' names needed.
| Philo HS Basketball Team of 1931-32 |
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| Submitted by G. Trimble |
1932-33 Urbana District Tournament
Coach's name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Urbana University HS 25-24
Urbana U-High lost in 2nd Rd
Mahomet beat Champaign in title game
Mahomet lost in Elite 8 Round
1933-34 Urbana District Tournament
Coach's name & record needed
1st Rd Beat Ludlow 26-11
2nd Rd lost to Champaign 42-24
Urbana beat Champaign in title game
Urbana lost in Elite 8 Round
1934-35 Urbana District Tournament
Coach's name & record needed
1st Rd Beat Foosland 48-25
2nd Rd lost to Ogden 37-18
Ogden lost to Fisher in Semi-final
Fisher lost to Urbana in title game
1935-36 Villa Grove District Tournament Coach's
name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Sidney 33-19
Sidney lost to Gays in title game
1936-37 Postseason scores, record, and coach's name needed.
1937-38 Postseason scores, record, and coach's name needed.
1938-39 Postseason scores, record, and coach's name needed.
1939-40 Postseason scores, record, and coach's name needed.
1940-41 Postseason scores, record, and coach's name needed.
1941-42 Postseason scores, record, and coach's name needed.
1942-43 Postseason scores, record, and coach's name needed.
1943-44 IHSA District
Champions Coach's name & record needed
District Scores Needed
Fisher Regional Tournament
1st Rd lost to Sadorus 38-28
Sadorus lost to Champaign in title game
Champaign
lost to Decatur in State Title game
1944-45 Postseason scores, record, and coach's name needed.
1945-46 Mansfield District Tournament
Coach's name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Bellflower 50-45
Bellflower beat Sidney in title game
1946-47 Longview District Runner-Up Coach's name
& record needed
1st Rd Beat Mahomet 41-35
Semi-final Beat Sidney 42-40
Title
game lost to Mansfield 48-35
1947-48 Mansfield District Tournament
Coach's name & record needed
1st Rd Beat Sadorus 49-38
Semi-final lost to Homer 33-29
Homer lost to Tolono in title game
1948-49 Longview District Tournament
Coach's name & record needed
*1st Rd lost to Homer 38-26
*Final game for Philo High School. Became part of the Unity School District in Tolono in the summer of 1949.
| Philo Gymnasium Ticket Booth |
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| Left Click on Photo for Larger View |
| Philo Gymnasium Entrance 2015 |
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| Left Click on Photo for Larger View |
Looking For More Information If you have any information you would like to share regarding Philo
High School and its many accomplishments, including any extra curriclular
activities, please e-mail us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net.. You can also write to us at: Illinois HS Glory Days 6439 N. Neva St. Chicago, Il. 60631
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