Preserving an Icon of American Education
 

History

North Grove School, 3 miles northwest of Sycamore, was built in 1878 by the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church as a parochial and Sunday school.  Pupils of diverse ethnic backgrounds learned their lessons in Swedish, even several years after the DeKalb County public school system purchased the school in 1880.  The Sycamore unit district acquired the school in 1949, and it continued as a school until 1952, when it was closed.  The North Grove community continued to lovingly maintain the building and used it as a neighborhood social center for many years.

Upon the closing of North Grove School in 1952, all furnishings were removed.  However many furnishings from old Sycamore schools were still in storage in the 1960s when the Natural Resource Center in Genoa began using the site for special education programs.  The school was refurbished and re-supplied using these furnishings, with additional period pieces being donated by private citizens.

In 1970 North Grove School at 26745 Brickville Road (Map) was listed in the Illinois Directory of Historical Buildings. Today the school is still owned by the Sycamore School District but is leased to and lovingly cared for by the North Grove School Association, whose goal is to preserve this educational icon for future generations.

North Grove School Association

When the future of North Grove School was threatened in 1985, a group of concerned neighbors and other citizens formed the North Grove School Association.  Because of their commitment, the Sycamore School District agreed to lease the school to the association.  The Association continues to care for the site and provide opportunities for public use.

NGSA is a member of the Country School Association of America and the DeKalb County Association of Historical Societies and Museums.

                                              North Grove School is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with Tax ID #36-3679500

Picture taken by Phyllis Kelley, County Historian.  Used with permission.

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