Lincoln
Elementary
Lincoln Elementary School History
The first school that stood on the site of the current Lincoln Elementary was called “East Side School” and was built in 1886. It was a four room frame structure that was built for the village of South Evanston. In 1893 after South Evanston became part of the City of Evanston, the school board decided to erect a new building, which was completed in 1896. Children attending the school at the time were polled and decided on the name Lincoln, after Abraham Lincoln, Illinois State Legislator and President of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. (Main Street, on Lincoln School’s south border, was called Lincoln Avenue until South Evanston became part of the City of Evanston). The current school is the third building. It was built in 1968 when the 1896 stone structure was torn down, and renovated in 2012.
The Warren Cherry Memorial Tree on the grounds of Lincoln School honors Warren “Billy” Cherry, a beloved District 65 educator who was principal of Lincoln School from 1979 until his untimely death in 1991.
The D65 School History project is the result of a partnership with Evanston History Center. This research was completed by the Evanston History Center.
School History
Interested in the history of other District 65 schools?
Chute Middle School, originally named Oscar M. Chute Junior High, opened in 1966.
Dawes School is named after U.S. Vice President General Charles G. Dawes.
Dewey Elementary School was the first school in Evanston to have a kindergarten.
In 2004 Dr. Bessie Rhodes became the first Black woman to have a school named after her in Evanston.
The original King Lab was located in what is now Family Focus.
Ellen Foster, the first principal, viewed the school as a community hub.
Haven Middle School was initially built to serve students from two school districts.
Joseph E. Hill became Evanston's first Black superintendent of schools in 1975.
Namesake Homer Kingsley started the first Evanston public school kindergarten in 1882.
In the 1890s, children voted to name their new school "Lincoln" after the U.S. President.
The name incorporates nearby geographical features: Lincoln Street and a wooded area.
Frederick Nichols worked closely with the architect to create a school full of treasures.
Oakton is home to murals created by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s.
Orrington's site was previously home to a Potawatomi village and burial ground.
The predecessor to Park School was established in 1949 by a group of parents.
The school was named after Chicago-area philanthropists Daniel and Ada Rice.
Walker opened to address rising enrollment due to the baby boom generation.
The yellow brick building on the corner of Main and Ashland is the original school.
The school was named after world-renowned social reformer Frances Willard.