Oak Park in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Ridgeland School
Established 1879
Photographed by Sean Flynn, October 31, 2023
1. Ridgeland School Marker
Erected 2019.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1879.
Location. 41° 53.432′ N, 87° 46.964′ W. Marker is in Oak Park, Illinois, in Cook County. It is at the intersection of Ontario Street and North Cuyler Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Ontario Street. The marker faces Ontario Street to the south near the southwest entrance to the school. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 200 N Cuyler Ave, Oak Park IL 60302, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: OPRF Museum (approx. Ό mile away); Maria Sklodowska-Curie (approx. Ό mile away); Oak Park Spanish-American War Memorial (approx. Ό mile away); Hello (approx. Ό mile away); The Telephone (approx. Ό mile away); Communications (approx. 0.3 miles away); Ernest Hemingway Remembrance Garden (approx. 0.3 miles away); Oak Park and River Forest High School World War I Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oak Park.
Regarding Ridgeland School. The 1896 building was destroyed by fire in May 1930, and replaced by a new brick structure soon afterwards. An annex built in 1922 to the north of the original building is the oldest remaining section of the school. The original school building entrance faced Ontario Street; today the main entrance to the school is around the corner on Cuyler Street.
Additional keywords. William Beye Elementary School, Oak Park, Illinois
Photographed by Sean Flynn, June 21, 2022
2. Ridgeland School Marker
Courtesy of the Oak Park Public Library
3. William Beye
Ridgeland School (also known as Ontario Street School) was renamed after William Beye. Beye was a German immigrant, a Civil War veteran of the 8th Illinois Cavalry, and a local school board member in Ridgeland, an unincorporated neighborhood that would later merge with two other villages to form Oak Park. Beye was instrumental in the approval of a new modern new school building in Ridgeland; he died of the flu soon after its approval. This photograph of William Beye is part of an archive of photographs commissioned by the Grand Army of the Republic Post 615 (known as the Phil Sheridan Post) in the 1880s and preserved at the Oak Park Public Library.
Photographed by Sean Flynn, July 21, 2023
4. William Beye Elementary School
Main entrance of Beye School, on Cuyler Avenue.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 2, 2022, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 386 times since then and 30 times this year. Last updated on July 22, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. Photos: 1. submitted on June 2, 2022, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 2. submitted on June 21, 2022, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 3, 4. submitted on July 22, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
