Cross Roads School

Cross Roads School. . Williamson County was formed from the south half of Franklin County on February 28, 1839. The county was divided into twelve congressional townships each consisting of 36 sections. The 16th section of each township was designated to sell in order to fund the creation of schools. From 1839 to 1856, children attended private subscription schools. In 1856, the Illinois District Free School Act was established and the first school district, Stotlar School, was created in Herrin’s Prairie in 1857. In the end, 120 rural school districts would be created to serve the counties rural school children. From 1948 through the 1960’s, the five Community Unit School Districts we have today were created and absorbed all of the rural school districts., On this site in 1862, the government established the acreage for a school and this became Williamson County School District #55. Cross Roads School was named for the crossing of two pioneer trails. Throughout the years, Cross Roads School had approximately 85 teachers, 62 board members and 902 students. The structure of a one room school was one teacher instructing eight different grade levels of students from first grade through eighth grade. Cross Roads had many outstanding teachers throughout its existence. The last teacher to serve the school was Aline B. Travelstead who went on to be named Illinois Teacher of the Year in 1957. The last year students attended Cross Roads was the 1951-52 school year and was absorbed by the community unit school district. In 1955, the site was sold at auction to members of the community to establish a community center. For many years regular observances of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were held. Additionally, there was an annual Homecoming gathering that lasted until 2016., In 1972, a Khoury League baseball league was formed on this site. Boys and girls played on the ballfields until 2017. The legacy of Cross Roads lives on in the families of all those who gathered here to learn, foster community spirit, and play ball.