First Schoolhouse--Mokena

History:

Mokena’s first schoolhouse was a small frame building constructed in 1855 and was located on a village-owned section near the corner of Second and Union streets.  In 1872, a new, two-story wood-frame building with a stone basement was built on the northwest corner of Front Street and Schoolhouse Road. The school grounds extended from Front Street on the south to First Street on the north. The school, shown in the top postcard photograph, served the needs of the village until the new Carpenter Street School was completed in 1929. Located at the corner of Carpenter and Division Streets, the Carpenter Street School shown in the bottom postcard, operated until 1978 and now houses Mokena Village Hall.

Image Credit:

These photographs are part of the personal collection of Robert Horras of Princeton, Illinois.

We Need Your Help:

David Belden is a history teacher at Minooka Community High School and is currently publishing local postcard books with Arcadia Publishing in his Local History classes, including Grundy County, Joliet, Will County and Princeton.  He and his students are currently looking for I&M photos and postcards for a new publication. If you are interested in contributing a postcard image, please email him at: dbelden@mchs.net or localhistory@mchs.net call 815-467-2140 x260. To view more postcards and images, visit www.localhistoryproject.org or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/localhistory