Highland High School - Iris Yearbook (Highland, IL)

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THE STORY OF l-IIGHLA D and monument business: Samuel Krebs, photographer and musician: Thomas Korrlnk, founder of a carriage factory: Selmar Pabst from Saxony, a stockholder in Kinne and Company, director of the First National Bank, and President of the Board of Education: Dr. Gallus Rutz, physician, teacher, editor, and postmaster. Highland has always been interested in music. The first orchestra was formed by Charles and Frederick Kinne, Edward Hammer, and Joseph, Melchior, David and John Suppiger in 1840. The first singing s0Ciety was formed in 1850 under the direction of Julius Hammer. In 1855 the grand singers' festival of the Western Saengerbund was held on Koepfii's hill, and in the next year the Highland singers won first place when the festival was held in St. l10lllS- The present Harmonie dates back to 1867. Several other early Organize-il0nS Should be n1enll0hed- A Literary or Library Association was organized December 9, 1859. LeCt11I'eS were given by eminent scholars. When the society dissolved in 1369. it Save H valuable collection of books to the Turnvereln, and later the books were given to the public school. The Helvetia Sharpshooters' Society was organized in 1860. Lindendale Park was donated by Joseph and Solomon Koepfii to the group. Many festivals have been held there- Highland is the cradle of organized sharpshooters in the United States. The Highland Gymnastic was built in 1869. It was well equipped A regular teacher was employed by the has waned. There were no churches in Highland schools. In 1845 the German Protestant the school the stone building on the site Society was organized in 1866. A Turner Hall for its time and the center of many gatherings. organization. In recent years, this organization for some time. Services were held in the first Congregation was organized and took over from of the present Evangelical Church. Another hllilfllng WHS e1'eCied in l373- It WHS remodeled in 1921 and 1935. The longest pastorate in the history of the church WRS that of Rev. C. E. Miche from 1916 to 1931. The present pastor is Rev. O. C. Bassler. The German Catholic Church was organized in 1843 and in 1846 a frame Church WHS C0n1DleIed- After the erection of a brick church in 1856, the old building was used as a school and iS now part of St. Paul's Hall. Father Marogna was the first priest who held regular services. A convent building housing a young ladies' seminary as well as an elementary school, was completed in 1866. The church group now has remodeled its church, built a new rectory in recent years, and maintains a twelve year school. St. Joseph's Catholic Hospital was built in 1879 and enlarged three times, the last in 1927. A German Methodist Church was organized in 1847. It lasted about sixty-five years. The Congregational Church grew out of a French church started by a Rev. Francis vuuiet, a political exile from Switzerland in 1848. The French Evan- gelical Church was built on Methodist Hill. In 1876 the group joined the Southern As- scciation of C0ng!'egational Churches. Another building was constructed in 1887 at the corner of Eighth and Washington. It was remodeled in 1917. A parsonage was built south of the church. About 1930 it was replaced with a modern home. Now a new church is being constructed under the pastorate gf Rev, Wm, Steele, The fiI'St heWSD21De1'S in Highland were German. Der Highland Bote was published by Stradtinann and Karlen beginning 18 58. C. H. Seybt edited Die Union in 1863. Dr. Gallus Rutz later took over this paper and it became the Highland Union. John Hoerner edited the paper many years. The first English paper was the Highland Herald, estab- lished by business men in 1881. The Highland Leader was published after 1900 by Mr. Kurz at the Union office. The News was started by Drum and Hoffman. In 1913 A. P. Spencer bought the Leader and later the News. Today he and Edgar Hoffman edit the combined News Leader. The Highland Journal began in 1893. It has been edited by Weiss, Weiss and Utlger, John Stokes, and Vernon Ittner since 1933. Highland was incorporated as a village in 1865 and Jacob Eggen was first president of the village board. In 1867 the town voted a sum of money to get the railroad from Vandalia through Highland. The road was completed in 1868 and eight years later the debt was paid. Highland became a city in 1884 with Fred Suppiger as first mayor. The city has been economical but progressive. It was one of the first towns in the county t0 have electric lights. Since 1901 the plant has been owned by the city. A city hall was built in 1884. The town has its waterworks, its sewage disposal plant, In 1928-29 all the streets were paved. Many industries established in Highlands first fifty years have now disappeared, but others have taken their places, One of the most outstanding is the Helvetia Milk Con- densing Company established in 1885, Under the presidency of Louis Latzer this company expanded into a big organization, In 1921 the offices were moved to St. Louis. The small brewery started by John Guggenbuehler passed eventually into the hands of Martin Schott under whom it made remarkable development. It was incorporated HS lhe High' land Brewing Company in 1884, Mr, Schott's sons carried on the business after his death. Prohibition closed the plant, but in 1933 under the name of the Schott Brewing Company it was reopened. The Highland Embroidery Works was founded in 1881 by John Rush but it was soon taken over by J. J. Spindler Sr. and others. Its products ranked very high and were known all over the nation. About 1930 the plant closed but it has opened recent- ly on a small scale. The Wicks Pipe Organ Company started in 1908. It is now well known Kcontinued on Page 811

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THE STORY GF HIGHLA D While native American settlers are known to have made homes in the southeastern corner of what is now Helvetia township in 1804, the community of Highland was founded when. a small group of eleven Swiss immigrants led by Dr. Caspar Koepfli and Mr. Joseph Suppiger settled here in 1831. These two men played an important part in the early development of Highland. The Koepfiis bought four hundred fifty acres of land in 1831 from an agent named Haugh. Their first home was the Gruetli farm, later owned by Frank Lorenz. Joseph Suppiger built a house on the lot where Mrs. Martin Huber's house now stands. Several gains: families came to this vicinity during 1833, among them Jacob Eggen and John a ner. In 1837 General James Semple, a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, who was interested in a proposed railroad from Alton to Mt. Carmel, proposed that .Ioseph Suppiger, Dr. Koepfli. and James Reynolds join with him to found the town which be- came Highland. The agreement stated that one hundred acres were to be platted in forty- flve blocks, each three hundred feet square, with the central block reserved for public purposes. After a public sale of lots was held in September, 1837, Joseph Suppiger be- gan to build a steam mill. A saw mill was conducted adjacent to the mill so the same power could be used for both. These two enterprises drew many people to this vicinity. Many settlers arrived after 1838. A wagon-maker named Kruker from St. Gallen, Switzerland, was one of the most welcome. Elijah E1liSOI1, WGSICY Dllggef, and David Thorp, all native Americans, started stores, and later a fourth was built on the corner ef Main and Laurel by Garrit Crownover. Thorp WHS Hi8l112U1d'S first postmaster. Sylvan lltlger installed a wood turner's lathe in the mill and began to make furniture and other needed articles. Jacob Eggen started a brickyard near town and, with a Mr. Labhard, a pottery as well. Eggen also founded a distillery and a bakery. The Durrer family who came in 1839 took over The Eagle Hotel begun by Anthony Buchmann on the site of the present Columbla. It was soon imperative to erect a school and the site chosen was Methodist Hill. The school was built in the spring of 1839 and was used as a general meeting place as well. An election was held there in August. But few of the Swiss immigrants had as yet been naturalized so many could not vote. The political disturbances in Europe were responsible for a large number of immi- grants coming to Highland in 1840 and 1841. Among them we find the names of many present-day Highland families. They were chiefly from Switzerland and settled in or near Highland. Most of them had little worldly wealth. The problem of housing these peo- ple was a difficult one but partly solved when the Suppiger brothers erected a large barn and let the immigrants stay there temporarily. In the same year the German Kuenne lKinnel family and their relatives came from Kentucky. In 1840 in August, fifty-four immigrants from Highland secured their naturalization Dapers in Edwardsville. The DOD- ulatlon of Highland seems to have been fifty ill 1839 but 009 hundred lwellly in 1341- The effects of the panic of 1837 were not felt in Highland until about this time. While money had practically disappeared, our immigrants managed to get along and the community prospered. During all these early years Dr, Keepfli continued to care for the medical needs of the community. He was the only doctor here until the arrival of his son from Switzer- land in 1839, and a Dr. Ryhiner who moved here from St. Louis in 1840. In 1840 Dr. Koepfli decided to return to Switzerland to publish his voluminous writings. Neither he nor his family was satisfied there and later they all returned to Highland. Koepfli's sons in 1843 built a fine residence north of town where Hugo Schmidt now lives. That same year Peter Tuffll and John Laubin ger opened the first meat shop and J. R. Blattner began building the New Switzerland House which was used fifty years. The site was later used by the late John Wildi for his home, now the Masonic Temple. In 1843 the National Post Road was extended from Vandalia through Highland to St. Louis. This road played no small part in Highlands growth. Some of the enterprises established in the next few decades deserve mention. John Guggenbuehler founded a brewery which later developed into the Highland Brewing Company. A Mr. Smiley start- ed a woolen mill, later converted into a yarn factory. There were several general stores, Liehler's furniture store, Buchter's lumber yard, Speckharts stove and hardware store, a planing mill, a machine shop, a tannery, a corn and grist mill, a hydraulic wine and cider press. In 1846 John Boeschenstein built a store opposite Crownover's. A bank was founded in 1854 by A. E. Bandelier, Dr. F. Ryhiner and Mr. Huegy but it failed in 1885. Other prominent men associated with this early period and not mentioned before ln- clude Professor Baer, who served as school principal: B. E. Hoffman, who was clerk of Madison County and did newspaper and literary work: Julius Hammer, a German music teacher and philosopher: A. E. Bandelier, a language scholar who began archaeological explorations for the Smithsonian Institute: Heinrich Bosshard, author of Sempacher- lied, the national hymn of the Swiss: Charles Seybt, an artist and pianist: Heinrich Willimann, who developed Highland's first band: Alois Bruger, owner of the first marble

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B0 RD Ihr. lilltlltlllllll, Mr. lim-11, Mr. Siexrist, Mrs. larry, Mr. Aninnmn, Mr. Tibbt-tts ll1 1 Wltvn school distritt I5 was organized i11 1837, tl1ree men served on tlic Board of lC:l11c:1tio11. .xntong those who served in early times we find the naincs ut' Solonion Koeplii, Adolph Bandelier, and Garrit. Crownover. I1: 1ST-1 the lllllllllvl' ol' lloard members increased to six and by 1887 there v.'c1't- SKJYUII. Several who served on the Board ill early years held the position t'or many years. Among these were .loseph Animann tfather of 1.1-o Allllililllll, l,l't'SitlPlli, ot' tl1e Board todayi who served from 1882 to 151112, and Selniar Pabst, who served sixteen years all told. Other Board llll'lllllt'l'S who have served many years are .IOIIII Hoerner tl!lt12-19211. lmuis Kulinen tltltlll-111271. Dr. Edgar Merwin t1913-19301, Edward Slot-1-kiln 1111151-111351. and C. F, Rawson tlivlil-151351. lloth i11 the past lllltl today HiglIlklllti'S Board of Education has bee11 made llll ot' lllk-'ll Dl'0lllillPlli in the COI11l1ll1Ilily and devoted to its welfare. It is ot' interest to note tl1at our present Board is comp-osed of one banker. one doctor, one dentist, ,and four others engaged in business, This is fairly representative of many Boards of the past and accounts for the t'act that our school has always been run efficiently. Few communities are so 1'ortunate as to have a Board which is professional in its dealings with both faculty and community. Une task ol' the Board ill early times seems to have been to sell the idea ot' a public school education to the community. Many people were content to have their children taught privately in the early days, and tl1e .xinerican idea of a common school education for all was slow i11 taking root, Later. the Board n111st have had trouble in justifying the establish- ment ot' a high school, for the secondary branch was established late and git-w to a t'o11r-year school very slowly. As late ,as 1900 the Germanic lllfillt'llt't' was still strong and there was much emphasis on German in- struction. Une problem i11 the last two decades has been to Americanize the instruction Ellld provide a broader and 111ore modern ctirriculum. The HtHll'ti may take pride in the fact that o11r school now has an excellent t'lll'I'iC'llllllll t'or a town of this size. The seniors ot' 1937 wish to voice their appreciation to the Board for the excellent educatioizal opportunities provided for them during their years i11 the Highland Public Schools.