Vernon High School

Vernon School Building - Former High School

Submitted by Owen Pulver

The History of Vernon High School

Vernon (population 178) is located in south-central Illinois. Vernon sits in the far northwestern corner of Marion County about 12 miles south of Vandalia. U.S. Route 51 is the main roadway leading to and from Vernon. According to www.mapquest.com Vernon is about 6 blocks from east to west and 4 blocks from north to south. Vernon was established in 1872 by the Illinois Central Railroad. It is named after an employee of the railroad named William Vernon.

The history of the former high school are in need of research. If you have any information for Vernon in this area, please do not hesitate to write to us.

A school for children in grades 1 - 8 was probably established in Vernon in the late 1800s. We believe that the school system was expancded to include high school curriculum in the early 1900s. It is probable that Vernon High School was a 2 or 3-year high school.

According to the Patoka High School web page of http://www.schools.lth5.k12.il.us/patoka/history.htm , Vernon and Patoka school districts constructed a combined high school district in 1951. The first full school year for the new school, the first four-year high school for either town, was held in the 1951-52 school year.

In 1960 an addition was added to the Patoka High School building for the grade school students of both towns. The Vernon school building was closed for educational purposes at that time.

The fate of the Vernon High School building is needed.

Vernon High School Quick Facts

Year opened: early 1900s (1920s?)

Year closed: 1951

Consolidated to: Patoka High School District

Vernon HS team nickname: unavailable

Vernon HS team colors: unavailable

School Fight Song: unavailable

Athletics

We know for certain that Vernon High School competed in boys basketball. We believe that baseball and track may also have been offered. School team nickname, uniform colors, fight song, coach's names, and team records are all items we are seeking.

Boys Baskeball

Research conducted by Mark Jurenga revealed that Vernon High School certainly existed in 1933. A Greenville High School yearbook from that year revealed that Vernon HS boys competed in the IHSA District Tournament at Vandalia High School. The Vernon boys beat Herrick High School in the first round of the tourney 32 - 19. The boys were defeated in the second round of the tournament by Brownstown 27 - 10. Other scores involving Vernon High School were located on a website titled "Illinois Postseason Basketball Scores."

If you have any further information on the Vernon High School boys basketball program, please contact us via the means listed below.

1932-33 Vandalia District Tournament Coach's name & record needed

1st Rd Beat Herrick 32-19

2nd Rd lost to Brownstown 27-10

Brownstown lost to Greenville in semi-final

1933-34 Vandalia District Tournament Coach's name & record needed

1st Rd Beat Panama 25-24

2nd Rd lost to St. Elmo 39-18

St. Elmo lost to Vandalia in title game

1934-35 Vandalia District Tournament Coach's name & record needed

1st Rd Beat Keyesport 36-11

2nd Rd lost to Vandalia 69-17

Vandalia lost to Fillmore in title game

1935-36 Ramsey District Tournament Coach's name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Spfld St. James 21-19

Ramsey beat Panama in title game

1936-37 Salem Regional Tournament Coach's name & record needed

1st Rd lost to Salem 64-15

Kinmundy beat Flora in title game

1937-38 through 1950-51 Postseason scores, records, and coaches' names needed.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Dances, plays, clubs, initiations, and many other activities were probably a part of the Vernon High School experience. If you have information on these activities please write to us so we can share it with others on this page.

To Contact Us With More Information For This Page

You can reach us via e-mail at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net. We would love to share any information and a photo of the school building on this page. You can also mail items to us at:

IHSGD Website

6439 N. Neva St.

Chicago, Il. 60631