www.FranzosenbuschHeritageProject.org                     Home

Immanuel Lutheran School

The first school in the Proviso area was built by a handful of German Lutherans who came from Hanover, Germany, in 1850. Their small settlement was called "Franzosenbusch" (French Grove or French Hill, later Proviso) and was located about nine miles south of Dunklee's Grove (Churchville, now Bensenville).

These German pioneers attended services at Zion Church, Dunklee's Grove and sent their children to Zion's parochial school for about two years. The distance and the hardship of travel was severe, especially in winter.  In 1852 nine family heads banded together to form a new school district located in what was then known as the "Franzosenbusch" The participants were: Heinrich Mesenbrink, Heinrich Degener, Friedrich Meyer, Friedrich Degener, Friedrich Volberding, Heinrich Volberding, Wilhelm Mandel, Christian Puscheck and Heinrich Evers."1  

"Initially, Teacher Bartling {from Addison} provided three days of instruction in the home of Mr. Heinrich Degener. "In October of the same year (1852), the district got its own teacher in the person of Mr. Hahn. The school had an enrollment of about 15 children".1

Teacher H. Bartling of Dunklee's Grove taught classes in the German language (High German) three times a week for fifteen pupils in Henry Degener's home.  In 1852, the settlers purchased the forty acres of land at the southeast corner of Wolf and 22nd Street (Cermak). 

"The following spring the Proviso people built their own school".1  It had two rooms, one a classroom and the other, living quarters for the first resident teacher, Mr. Hahn.  For a time church services were conducted in the schoolhouse in the German language and the congregation was named Immanuel, meaning "God with us". One teacher taught seven grades and the children were strictly disciplined. The older children sat with the younger to help with the lessons and all took turns sweeping and cleaning the classroom.)  Peter Bohlander attended this school for two years.

(Schoolhouse drawn by architect Michael Lambert of Arris Architects.)

"Mr. Kirchner.. a pious, zealous and capable teacher...took office in the fall of the year 1854".1

Between 1852 and 1857 the following families joined with the original school founding fathers:

In 1858 another building was completed on the northwest corner of the 40 acres.1   This new building served as the SECOND schoolhouse and as well as an interim church.   Quickly the congregation grew from fifty to one-hundred and twenty-five families.  A new church was completed and dedicated in 1868.

(The second school building is on the left in the above picture. The church is in the background to the right.  The picture is from "Progress, Pride, Growth, 1905 - 1980, 75th Anniversary --Village of Hillside".  The photo was originally taken in the 1886 school year.  The photographer is unknown.)

In 1861 teacher Kirchner left Proviso. His successor until 1863 was C. Herpolsheimer.1

The THIRD school building was dedicated in 1910 and still stands on Cermak and Wolf Roads.  At one point it was used as a teacher's residence.  When Adolph W. Obermann became the Principal in 1928, the eighth grade was added and graduation took place. (Prior to this time, pupils finishing the, seventh grade entered the Hillside Public School am then graduated from the eighth grade.)  The third school building was divided into two classrooms in 1948 with Lawrence Pohlmann as the Principal and Miss Elizabeth Peters, the second teacher.  (Third school [1910] as it looks today.  Photo by Jim Arbuthnot.)

A modern school (the FOURTH), located at 2329 South Wolf Road, Hillside, was dedicated in 1951.  (See Westchester Tribune  Nov 28 1951).  The school expanded to five classrooms, a library, five full-time and one part-time faculty members and an enrollment of 105 pupils.

After ninety-nine years the German language had become increasingly more difficult for English speaking children.  The use of the German language was discontinued in May, 1957.

(Remember, photographs can be enlarged by left-clicking on them).

1Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly, Summer 1985, "Immanuel Congregation, Proviso, Illinois written by Heinrich Roehrs after a translation of the Golden Jubilee Booklet of the Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel Church in Proviso Illinois, 1858-1908.written by his father, H. Roehrs, Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran, pages 51 through 57.

Other sources of this information include:

Last Modified:  07/22/2003