Scenes from 1886 Historic Lincoln High School Clean Out
On Oct. 17, students from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Department of Construction joined members of SIUE Wyvetter H. Younge Campus, the East St. Louis Historical Society and City of East St. Louis residents to empty out the 1886 Historic Lincoln School, leaving it broom swept and construction-ready for the Historical Society’s future home. Members of the Greater St. Louis construction community sponsored the supplies and project manager John Cabage, PhD, associate professor and chair of SIUE’s Department of Construction, kept safety and efficiency on the schedule.
“Why get an education if you don't know your work matters to the community?” said Cabage, whose students spent the morning in and out of the historic building, filling dumpsters with loads of furniture and debris. “That is why our senior assignments and community projects matter so much to students in our department and, more broadly, at SIUE. It is an investment in our students, the community and our institution."
East St. Louis’s Lincoln High School (formerly Lincoln School) opened in 1886 as the first public school building for Black students. The East St. Louis Historical Society is leading renovation efforts in order to eventually occupy the space.
Cabage, students and residents were joined by Historical Society treasurer and SIUE Professor Emeritus of Political Science Andrew Theising, PhD, and the organization’s directors Redina Medley and Jerome F. King.
“We want to save a piece of Illinois history—not just East St. Louis or Black history—this is Illinois history,” said King of the historic site. “God saved this for a reason. It survived the East St. Louis massacre of 1917. It survived the deindustrialization of the city, when all of that was being torn down. So it’s up to us to pass on that legacy to our children and grandchildren in the future.”
Donation information and project updates are on the East St. Louis Historical Society website.
PHOTOS: 1886 Historic Lincoln High School Clean Out crew; SIUE Department of Construction students Turner Graham, Quinton Erickson and Katherine Allen; photos by Christabel Abanga
