Pittsfield East School is located in Pittsfield, Illinois

Pittsfield, Illinois

Pittsfield is a city in Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,211 at the 2000 census.-History:The city was named after Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It is the county seat of Pike County...

, Pike County

Pike County, Illinois

Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 16,430, which is a decrease of 5.5% from 17,384 in 2000...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1971.

History

The East Ward School, built between 1861 and 1866, was designed by architect John M. Van Osdel

John M. Van Osdel

John Mills Van Osdel was an American architect who is considered the first Chicago architect. He is considered a peer of the most prominent architects in the history of Chicago...

, who also designed the Palmer House in Chicago, as well as the Governor's Mansion

Illinois Executive Mansion

The Illinois Executive Mansion is the official residence of the Governor of Illinois. It is located at 410 E. Jackson Street in Springfield, Illinois and is open to tours on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings, free of charge. The Georgian style Mansion was designed by Chicago architect John M....

 in Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...

. John Houston of Griggsville

Griggsville, Illinois

Griggsville is a city in Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,258 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Griggsville is located at ....

 built the school for the contract price of $35,000, which was financed by bonding. The building is stone (boated from Joliet on the Illinois river) and brick burned in Pittsfield. Both the grade school and high school were located in this building. Its large clock and bell were donated by Colonel Ross and mounted in the tower. The school closed in 1955 and was unoccupied until 1978 when it was renovated and became the home of the Pike County Historical Society and the Pike County Historic Museum.

Pike County Historical Society Museum

Today the building houses the Pike County Historical Society Museum, with artifacts and exhibits of local history.

The Society also owns and provides tours of the John Shastid House

John Shastid House

The John Shastid House is located in the Pike County, Illinois city of Pittsfield. The Shastid House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a status bestowed upon the home on June 26, 2003....

.

See also

Other locations listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Pittsfield include, Pittsfield Historic District

Pittsfield Historic District

Pittsfield Historic District is a designated historic district in Pike County, Illinois. The district is bounded by Washington Court, Sycamore, Griggsville and Morrison Streets in the county seat of Pittsfield. The district is one of three in the county, the others are the Barry Historic District...

 and the John Shastid House

John Shastid House

The John Shastid House is located in the Pike County, Illinois city of Pittsfield. The Shastid House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a status bestowed upon the home on June 26, 2003....

.

External links

• Pike County Historical Society
• Old photo of the school - Pike County Historical Society