West High School - EOS Yearbook (Aurora, IL)

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yan- ---+------ -. i In 1870 four girls and one boy were gradu- ated from the west side school. They were Ella Stolp, Emma Stolp, Mary Judd, Frank Bradley 5 4 ' A fx , ,N and Naveda Hines. Also ranked in the list of 5 ,-2?-Q gk 1 ,X 'X .X Aurora's Firsts were Burr Winton, the lirst 5 ghd ,,-J- , .1 Z '- .U . to conduct a subscription library, and B. F. I fy X Hall, the first mayor of the combined villages l I, -K g , to be known as Aurora. l' ' ' X' Even in transportation as well as industry 235- xwaq xx Aurora has progressed. Browsing through - -1: 'jf ' some old laws we End that the people had 'f . jf traffic troubles in those days as we do today. -. 'I 1 if . ,' No horses, mules, or cattle shall be offered Q T i? if , for sale at auction on the streets, violators ft-.iv Qi! N shall be guilty-of nuisance. No person shall , 'f?g-Q i W drive over any bridge faster than a walk or - ...am . .gig X 3 Ci: .-- . 1-X 1 , -.,,, - X 1 uf-fs sexi-tw time drive more than ten head of cattle at a time. It seems ages and ages ago, almost legend- ary, since the little old one lunged Brush machine, Uhorseless carriages, used to spit and jerk along the streetg objects of interest and curiosity, targets of abuse, ridicule and derision 3 but it isn't so long ago as time i measured. The automobile passed through those three famous stages Cas did the moviesj, per- Sewtion, ridicule, and adoption. In Aurora our pioneer motorists carried on bravely through the first two stages. The first auto ever on Aurora Streets was a steam-powered locomobile owned by Hi Henry, the famous minstrel man, driven during the parade before his show. It attracted more attention than a herd of elephants, about 1897. O C. Miller drove an electric car about Aurora for a few days, presumably on trial, but Charles Phillips was the first Aurora man to own a machine. In the pioneer days of auto interest, a newspaper carried a column headed Buzz Buggies and Bugs that Drive Them. The first newspaper, the Aurora Democrat, was published by the Ingraham Bros., in 1846. It lasted but three weeks and was followed in 1847 by the Beacon, the lirst suc- cessful newspaper. It was published by M. V. and B. F. Hall over P. A. Hall's drug store on the west side of River Street. Moving pictures made their debut in Aurora at the Lyric, the first theater having been opened in a store building on the south side of Main Street in 1908. Since teddy- lgear dolls were then all the rage, the iirst show was just some scenes of animated teddy ears. Auwra has made many improvements, but one factor remains the same through the passing years-the great, natural beauty of the Fox River Valley, noteworthy for the love- liness of its scenery, beauteous woodlands, rippling WMCYWBYS-

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a growing need in the community, a high school was organized. An institution like the West High School of Aurora is a growth, and not a spontaneous creation. Only a few of the West Aurora High School alumni remember the attractive old stone school house of six rooms surrnounted by a belfry, containing a bell, which called the child- ren to school for more than thirty years. This historic structure was located on the site of the present Oak Street School building, in 1870. Soon after the civil war there arose much dissatisfaction concerning the management of the schools 3 and many of the older boys and girls were sent by parents to Q , fi H Fha- -KN N Clark fnow jenningsj Seminary. f ' ,AK M - ,ai WGA ' XV 2 Corporal and unusual punishment had QW ' 5 been carried to extreme. Illustrating one KJ? f mode of punishment, it was no uncommon El w f l1?iW7 jx vie! - thing to see a pupil stretched out full l ' ,.,, - ..1ML1-4fCf '5?.- length on a shelf of a bookcase, doing , V 4 .- xy, . , , gfsiiwi W :f penance for some misdemeanor. 4 A change in superintendents was A ai- - K ' thought advisable and the board of ai- ',i,,, -i rectors, Alonzo George, William Law- g 5 V rence, and Dr. Allaire selected Frank H. i t A 'n yr -, 'fjfggt if I NX Hall, a young man from Maine, less than - X i a li ,-Sl pn years of age, for the position in 297 1 Vi. 5 A-ff' ' J ' -. . ,nl 'vlff ff ' School conditions were entirely differ- - ,f ' Y ent in the seventies and eighties from F ' F ' what they are today. The school was ' ' 'ff1fQi3'sT surrounded by a high picket fence and W flbfmmn board sidewalk. A deep well with an old oaken bucket supplied the water, the rooms were heated by stoves, the young people were warmly clad. But two teachers were then employed in the high school besides the superintendent and the principal. There were no special teachers in those days. Su- perintendent Hall led the singing with the assistance of his pitch pipe, as there were no musical instruments in any of the schools. Then came Mr. Hastings with his flute. Professor Freeman put music in charge of regular teachers. T-oo much cannot be said in praise of Frank H. Hall and his untiring efforts in or- ganizing the West Aurora High School. He was remarkable in being able to keep the older boys in school and was loved and respected by every pupil. Both W. B. Powell on the east side and Frank H. Hall were instrumental in building up Aurora's schools and both received recognition and honors in greater fields of learning elsewhere. Fun in the Old Days consisted of picnics at Mill Creek in the summer, skating on the river above the dam, sleigh rides to Batavia with sleigh bells and buffalo robes follow- ed by oyster suppers in the winter, all of which afforded the students great joy. Due to fire a new building was erected in 1906 on Galena, Blackhawk, and Walnut Streets.

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CDNTENTS I SCHOUI. ATHLETICS OIQGANIZATIUNS EVENTS