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| Wendell Phillips High School |
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| Possible home of South Division HS? (courtesy of old-yearbooks.com) |
| South Division High School |
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| Credit: http://www.cpsalumni.org/ |
The History of Chicago South Division High School
Chicago (population 2.8 million) is located in northeastern Illinois in eastern Cook
County. Lake Michigan, the Chicago and Illinois Rivers, and the Des Plaines River are the main waterways to and from
town. Interstates 55, 57, 90, and 94 will all lead you to the "Windy City." From what started as a small village
in the early 1800's, Chicago has grown to the nation's third largest city and one of the most famous places in the world.
South Division High School was opened in 1875 at 26th and Wabash on Chicago's South Side as
a facility designed to relieve overcrowding at Chicago Central High School. Along with North Division and West Division, South Division only accepted freshmen and sophomores from 1875-82 when it was decided to close Central and
let the three newer schools have a full, four-year compliment of students.
The school continued to gain more and more students as the city grew during the 1890's, especially for those
who were African-Americans that became residents of Chicago. In 1905, it was decided to close South Division and reopen
it as Wendell Phillips High School, which it remains today.
It is unsure as to whether of not the Phillips High building was actually built while the school was
known as South Division...however, the architectural look of the photo shown above may give some clues, so it is possible
that it could have housed South Division students.
FACTS ABOUT CHICAGO SOUTH DIVISION HIGH SCHOOL
Year opened (as 2-yr school):
1875
Year increased to 4-yr school:
1882
Year closed and reopened as Phillips: 1905
School nickname:
unknown
School song:
unknown
School colors:
unknown
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ATHLETICS AND OTHER EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
South Division was active in sports, and was a charter member of the Cook County League in 1890 with football and
indoor baseball (softball). South Division along with a number of Chicago schools were in competition with each other
during the turn of 20th Century, competiting with Oak Park and Evanston High Schools in addition to the other city
schools.
TRACK
This sport was the headliner at South Division with a number of state championships won by individuals, including Eli
Randall at the third-ever state meet in Champaign-Urbana. The school won two team titles in Cook County League action, as
the sport continued to grow and in 1902, South Division was state champ. Two other teams finished in the top five
of the state.
1895 3RD in STATE!!
Cook County League Indoor Champions
STATE FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1 Chicago Englewood 26 2 Rockford HS
20 3 Chicago South Division
16 4 Springfield HS
14 5 Urbana HS
12 Mattoon
12
INDIVIDUAL PLACERS
Eli Randall
100-yd dash---STATE CHAMPION!!! (time :10 4/5)
50-yd dash---STATE CHAMPION!!! (time :06 3/5)
Fred Bascom 1-mile run---2nd place
880-yd run---2nd place
1901 Hugo Friend Long
Jump---3rd place
1901 Clarence Buckwalter 220-yd hurdles---3rd place
1902 STATE CHAMPIONS!!! & Cook County League Champions
State Final Standings
1 Chicago South Division
31
2 Paris
14
3 Centralia
10
Chicago Englewood
10
Pontiac
10
RELAY AND INDIVIDUAL PLACERS
2/3-mile relay---STATE CHAMPIONS!!! (time 2:12 2/5)
(Members: Clarence Buckwalter, Paul Dickey, Paul Henderson, and Horovitz)
Clarence Buckwalter 220-yd hurdles---2nd place
440-yd dash---STATE CHAMP!! (time :52.0)
Paul Dickey
Pole Vault---STATE CHAMP!! (height 10' 1 1/2")
Paul Henderson 100-yd
dash---STATE CHAMP!!! (time :10 4/5)
220-yd dash---STATE CHAMP!!! (time :24.0)
50-yd dash---2nd place
1903 Tied for 5th in State
Team Final Standings
1 Chicago Hyde Park 24
2 Jacksonville HS 14
3 Pontiac
10
4 Anna
7
5 Chicago
South Division, Minonk, Henry, Chicago Manual, and Evanston Township---6 each
INDIVIDUAL PLACERS
Harry Anderson
1-mile run---STATE CHAMP!!! (time 4:41)
L.H.
Bremer
220-yd dash---3rd place
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FOOTBALL
South Division did compete on the gridiron, and made history doing so in the process. According to the chronology on
the IHSA site (www.ihsa.org) about the sport's history, Lake View beat South Division in 1885 in what is considered the first-known football game between two Illinois high schools.
Here's another note of interest involving South Division's football program. In
1902. Walter Eckersall of Chicago Hyde Park returned a kickoff 110 yards against South Division.
That is a record that will never be broken, because at that time, the field was 110 instead of the current 100 yards long.
(The length was shortened in 1912.)
GIRLS' BASKETBALL
The school offered the sport to the girls during the early 1900's, and we did find one thing of interest. The South Division ladies had one of the lowest scoring games in state prep history as
they defeated Medill on January 23rd, 1904, by the score of 3-1.
BASEBALL
South Division's boys were involved in the Cook County League as early as 1890, playing against the likes
of Harvard, West Division, and Manual Training. The school won the CCL title in 1902, and sent one player to the major leagues as John Kane played
from 1907-1910 with the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs as a utility player. In 261 games, he hit .220 with seven home runs
and 59 runs batted in, according to Baseball Library.com (http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=John_Kane_1882&page=stats).
SOFTBALL
Even the school got into playing the indoor version of baseball in the winter months around the turn of the
20th Century. In 1896, North Division, West Division, English (now Crane Tech), South Chicago (now Bowen), and Medill along with South Division were members of the Cook County
League, which had formed league play six years earlier.
FAMOUS ALUMNI OR FORMER STUDENTS OF SOUTH DIVISION
--Henry Blake
Fuller—notable literary figure of the late 19th century, writing poetry, theater, and novels.
--Hugo Friend (class of 1902)—He participated
in the 1906 Olympic Games at Athens, taking third in the long jump and fourth in the 110 meter hurdles. He became a judge
and presided at the 1921 trial of the Black Sox.
--Alice Gray (class of 1897)---Author Janet Edwards discusses who she was:
Hello, I
just ran across the website regarding South Division High School and saw the request for any additional info. I believe another
famous alum of the school is Alice Gray, better known as "Diana of the Dunes," a legendary figure who lived in the Indiana
Dunes from 1915-1925 and became a sensation in the Chicago and Indiana press over those years.
You can google her to find more info;
also, I've written a book about her: "Diana of the Dunes, The True Story of Alice Gray."
From my book:
"However, it appears she was among the
most successful students. During the 1895 graduation ceremonies, two years before Alice’s own, she received one of two
Victor F. Lawson medals awarded for academic excellence.[i]
"At the age of sixteen, Alice graduated
from South Division High School[ii] on June 24, 1897, in a ceremony held at Sinai Temple on Indiana Avenue and Twenty-first
Street. She was the youngest in a class of ninety students. Among her fellow graduates was her cousin, Sylvester Beers.
"During the graduation proceedings, just
one student addressed the audience—Alice M. Gray, who read an essay titled “The Old Teutonic Home.” The
keynote address was given by Dr. S.J. McPherson of the Second Presbyterian Church, who spoke on “The School, the Home
and the Country.”[iii]
[i] Chicago Daily Tribune, “South
Division High School,” June 28, 1895.
[ii] South Division was later renamed
Wendell Phillips High School and relocated.
[iii] Chicago Tribune, “End
High School Day,” June 25, 1897.
"Thank you for your consideration. I
hope you find this information useful ..."
| Alice Gray, South Division class of 1897 |
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| Courtesy of Janet Edwards from |
DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT SOUTH DIVISION
HIGH?
Then let us know, please. We'll be glad to take a look at records, names of famous alumni, words to the school
song, school colors and nickname, and more. Please contact us at either address listed below:
by e-mail: dr.veeman@gmail.com
by USPS: Illinois High School Glory Days, 6439 North Neva, Chicago, IL 60631
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