Show FIRST SCHOOL IN WEST OLD DOCUMENT GIVES CAHOKIA ILL UNIQUE HONOR log courthouse recently brought to chicago from st clair county re calls pioneer days built of black walnut chicago cahokia the quaint little deserted village way down in st clair county almost on the banks of the mississippi is now claimed as the cradle of the great tree school system of illinois by members of the chicago historical society who have brought to light an old document dated may 6 1794 in which the citi zens of cahokia request the judges of the honorable court of cahokia to allow them to hold their first pub lie school in the courthouse the old ise eaid to be the oldest in the west is now situated on wooded island in jackson park the old document which fixes the time of the founding of the illinois schools was discovered a few weeks ago after it had been hidden from human eyes for almost years it Is written in french translated it reads as follows to the honorable gentlemen the judges of the honorable court of cahokia the inhabitants of the parish of the holy family of cahokia have the honor to express to you at their as that they have the desire to establish a school in the said parish or town for the instruction of their children As they are obliged to do many necessary public works in the parish they cannot at once undertake the construction of a building necessary to hold the said school so these rep ask you gentlemen that you allow them to hold the said school in your audience room of the courthouse until they construct a building which will oblige all the in habitants whose children have their instruction in the school and in which case should there arise any defacement of the said audience room they will leave it in the best condition which you judge necessary and proper that is why the supplicate you to accord them this request as being necessary for the public good in this cause they submit themselves to bour good will and have the honor to be very respectfully your very humble and very obe adient servants louis sebrun louis grand cahokia 6 may 1794 this according to the historians was the first request tor a public school in illinois after the revola flonary war when under one of our first laws one section in each town ship was set aside tor school pur poses with the erection in jackson park of the old courthouse in which the first illinois schools were held cago now possesses the only original historic public building west ot bos ton or north ot new orleans the structure was the seat of local gov in cahokia in what Is the oldest county in the state it was under the royal regimes ot king louis XV of fiance and king george III of england and finally under the american stars and stripes during the administration of the first president george washington after the expedition and bloodless victories of george rogers dark in 1778 when he captured the northwest territory from the british the little building is constructed of square black walnut logs about ten inches square on the ends and one story high the logs are set up on end in the style of the construe alon of the french period the over hanging root makes the top of the porch which extends all around it at the end is a chimney and fireplace with the old hand wrought andirons the ancient town of cahokia was the settlement of the cahokia tribe of indians one of the illinois canted aeration and the village was possibly located as early as 1682 but the be ginning of the history of the all lage practically dates from the found ing of the church of the holy family about 1700 by father francois pinet S J who also founded the guardian angel s mission at chicago about 1696 father st cosme in the journal of his voyage in 1699 states that his party conducted from chicago by mr de was rejoined at peoria by this same father pinet who was ac customer cus tomed to spend bis summers at the chicago mission the cahokia courthouse was built about 1716 according to local history and was the next oldest building to ohp church it was early used as headquarters tor the notary and civil officers and local military officers un der the french british and amer leans when in cahokia it was also called the garrison occupying the most commanding corner of the pub lie common in the center of the all lage where it overlooked all the roads and approaches to the town pontiac the great indian chief was assassinated in cahokia about 1709 while engaged in one of his conspire acles the building occupied the mid die of a small plot of ground and for merly was surrounded by a stockade fence A small iron cannon occupied each corner these were swept away or buried in one of the great floods |