Launch the media gallery 1 playerThe History of Spring Valley CCSD #99
Written by Charles Palia, Steve Siska & Jim Hermes
The History of Spring Valley Community Consolidated School District #99
The first step toward the education of the children in Spring Valley, Illinois began at Murray School. The building was located in the northeast corner of the now Mount Olivet Cemetery. It was a country school district one-room school house. All grades were taught by one teacher. It was closed in 1886, and the students of Murray School entered the newly built Lincoln School.
The original Lincoln School construction began in 1886 and was finished in the summer of 1888 with the cost of construction being $12,000. There were 8 classrooms and it was located at Mary & East Erie Streets. The school was demolished in 1935 and the present day Lincoln School was finished in 1936 with 8 classrooms. Located at 501 East Erie, Lincoln currently has 12 classrooms and a gym following a 1956 addition.
In 1895, a small two-room building moved to 910 West Dakota Street. It was remodeled and used as Douglas School. The two-room school house closed in 1938 and today the building is used as apartments.
Logan School was located at 126 West Sixth Street in Spring Valley. The school was opened in January of 1901. There were 7 classrooms serving eight grades and 200 students. The tower and second floor were removed, leaving a one-room structure. The lower grades were then taught at Logan until the building closed in 1939.
Located at 415 West Erie Street in Spring Valley, Grant School was opened in 1902, added on in 1907, burned to the ground in 1909 and then a new 10 room school was built at the cost of $30,000. There was a high school section in the building from 1910-1913, which was the first high school in the eastern part of Bureau County. Grant School was closed in 1966 when John F. Kennedy School was built. The Spring Valley High Rise is now located on the former site.
Additional Schools added to District #99 include: Miller and Marquette School in September of 1951, Seatonville School in June of 1964 and Hollowayville School in April of 1967.
John F. Kennedy School was built in 1966 with additions in 1968 and 1970. The building is located at 800 North Richards Street in Spring Valley. The School has 30 classrooms, a computer lab, a gym, music room and media center. An addition was again added to Kennedy north of the original building. The 2014 addition added 29 classrooms, an art room, a computer lab, a library, a choir room, a gym and a multi-purpose room.
