The History of Orland Township High School
Orland Park (population 55,461) is located in far northeastern Illinois in the southwest portion of Cook
County. The town is situated about 12 miles southwest of downtown Chicago with U.S. Route 45 traveling through the center
of town. U.S. Route 6 and Illinois Route 83 also pass through Orland Park. The Norfolk and Western Railroad makes
its way through Orland Park as well.
A nice history of the town of Orland Park can be found at the web address of http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/936.html . This article states, in essence, that the area in which Orland Park is now situated was originally settled in the
1830s. The actual land on which the town was platted was owned by a man named John Humphrey. The town was
originally called Sedgewick however those from the area successfully changed the name to Orland Park.
Orland Park was incorporated in 1892. In the year 1900, the census revealed that there were but 366
people residing in Orland Park. The town's growth increased slowly but steadily through the 1960s, reaching a population
of about 2,500. The population exploded in the 1970s through the 2000s, reaching its current status of over 55,000 today.
It was in 1917 that Orland Township High School was established. Orland Township High School enjoyed
growth and several location changes over the next 30-plus years. It was in 1952 that the voters of the area agreed to
create a new school district out of the existing high school districts of Palos and Orland Townships. A new building was built
and the students all moved in together in the fall of 1954. Thus ended the run of Orland Township High School District
#222. The new school was Carl Sandburg High School, with Orland Board of Education member Donald Bond coming up with the name.
The school was originally a two-year high school held in one building for all school purposes. It was upstairs
in the Village Hall on Beacon Street. The village population at that time was 200. A Miss Davis, a graduate from Chicago University
High received her Ph.B. from the University of Chicago and set out to organize an accredited Chicago high school in a rural
district.
In 1922, there were four periods of 43 minutes each. The school year ran 38 weeks. The school taught standard
subjects plus mechanical drawing and book keeping. At that time, the nearest high schools would have been in Chicago (either
Englewood or Lindblom).
Special thanks goes out to Maggie Hanlon at the Orland Park Public Library for her assistance
in our research.
Orland Township High School Quick Facts
Year opened: 1917
Year closed:
1954
Consolidated to:
Carl Sandburg High School
Orland HS team nickname: none
Orland HS team colors: none
Orland HS Fight Song: none
