Warrenville in DuPage County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Seraph Warren Holmes

1813-1905

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, November 14, 2025

1. Seraph Warren Holmes Marker

Inscription. Warrenville's first and foremost educator

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Settlements & Settlers • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1813.

Location. 41° 49.386′ N, 88° 10.798′ W. Marker is in Warrenville, Illinois, in DuPage County. It is on Warren Avenue west of Tracy Place, on the right when traveling west. The marker is beneath a tree in front of the Warrenville Police Department. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3S245 Warren Avenue, Warrenville IL 60555, 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 territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Veteran's Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Warrenville Veterans Memorial

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(about 400 feet away); Warrenville World War I Memorial Rock (about 400 feet away); Welcome to the Founders Memorial (about 500 feet away); Site of Julius M. Warren’s Saw Mill and Warrenville’s Grist Mill (approx. 0.4 miles away); Gathering at the Gristmill (approx. 0.4 miles away); Recipe for a River (approx. 0.4 miles away); A Dam Struggle (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Warrenville.

More about this marker. This marker honors the site of Seraph Warren Holmes School, which was here from 1913 until 1991, when it was torn down and replaced by this police station.

Another marker to the left of this one honors Robert LaDeur, a Warrenville police officer who reached 30 years of service in 2007.

Regarding Seraph Warren Holmes. Seraph Warren Holmes's aunts and cousins were the Warrens who first settled this spot in DuPage County in the 1830s; her family also moved from upstate New York soon thereafter. She married in 1849 but was widowed within five months, after which she opened the area's first school, Warrenville Seminary, in a house that still stands nearby on Fourth Street. The school

Seraph Warren Holmes Marker at the Warrenville police station image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, November 14, 2025

2. Seraph Warren Holmes Marker at the Warrenville police station

closed after the Civil War, and Holmes moved to Rockford, where she opened a school for new teachers.

In 1913, eight years after her death, Warrenville named its new elementary school in downtown Warrenville after Holmes. The school remained on this site (including a rebuilding in the 1950s) until 1991, when it was razed and replaced by the current police station.

Also see . . . Celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week: Honoring Warrenville’s First Teacher Seraph Warren Holmes. (Submitted on November 14, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Holmes School image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, November 14, 2025

3. Holmes School

This artifact near the entrance into the police station appears to be a piece of the Holmes School that occupied this site when the school closed in 1990.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 14, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 48 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 14, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.