HISTORY OF TOWANDA ELEMENTARY

     The first school in what would be Towanda was designed before the town itself was established. This started a long tradition of community involvement and support for education that continues today. From the founding of Towanda in 1854, until 1863, school was conducted in a one-room frame house, which was also used for meetings and the enlistment of soldiers for the Civil War.

     After a fire in 1863, classes were held on the second floor of Roadnight Hall on Main Street until 1867 when a four-room frame school was erected on the present site. A two-year high course was adopted in 1894. In 1906, the high school was extended to three years and was increased to four years in 1911.

     In 1913, the building used until the end of the 1989-90 school year was built with the addition of a gymnasium in 1932. Then, in 1948, along with the other schools in the township, Towanda became a part of the consolidation creating McLean County Unit District No. 5.

     The graduates of 1948 were the last seniors to complete their education at Towanda School. After that time, Towanda became a K - 8 elementary school. Classrooms on the east side and a cafeteria were added in 1953. The year 1960 witnessed the final 8th grade graduation.

     The 1989-91 addition includes six classrooms, a workroom and office. The gym, kitchen and east classrooms remain from the earlier building. The limestone cornerstone dates from the 1913 building and protects the time capsule containing current items as well as documents from the previous capsule unearthed during construction.  The building went through another major renovation during the summer of 2008. This renovation modernized the technology in the building and updated the interior of the structure. 

     The completion of this project marked another step in Unit 5's commitment to address the educational needs of the communities it serves.