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West Township
Education
McLean County, Illinois
(Transcribed by: Teri Moncelle Colglazier)

In years past country schools were located every two miles across the township. Some of the schools were Hamilton, Rosencrans, Kumler, Kimler, Grizzelle, Mt. Olive, East Crumbaugh, West Crumbaugh, Dockum, Salt Creek, White Star and Love. In the country schools, one teacher taught an average of 20 students in all eight grades. Many times there were only two or three students in a grade and in others both girls and boys were taller and sometimes older than the teacher. One of the social highlights of the school year was the school Christmas program which the entire community attended. There also were annual box suppers held in the various schools which were attended by all. There being no high school located in the township, students graduated from grade school use to either walk or ride early each morning to Sabina to catch the passenger train and ride to Laurette, a railroad crossing one and one-half miles south of Bellflower, then walk up the Illinois Central Railroad tracks to Bellflower to attend high school. Their classes were so arranged that they could leave school in time in the afternoon to walk back to Laurette Station to catch the passenger train and return to Sabina about 4:30 p.m. Such was the method that several students from the Sabina and Glenavon area received their high school education. [Heritage of the prairie : a history of LeRoy and of Empire and West townships, McLean County, Illinois (1976) LeRoy Historical Society; LeRoy Bi-Centennial Commission]

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