North Grove School was a one-room schoolhouse near where the Beard family lived (see Henry and Judy Beard post for additional details). They were the first Black family to settle in Sycamore. Several of their children attended this school. However because this school was in the Swedish part of town, the classes were taught in Swedish. Thus, the Beard children learned Swedish at this school.
Today, this one-room school is run by the non-profit, North Grove School Association. Over the years, members of the Beard family have returned to the visit the school as part of the organization’s summer open house, where the public is invited to go back in time and experience what it was like to attend this school.
Photo including members of the Beard family along with Bill Swedberg who was on the North Grove School Association board for many years, c2010. Photo courtesy of North Grove School Association.
Top image: North Grove One-Room School photo, including two of the Beard girls, 1896.
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