There is little doubt that the name “Lombard” has been synonymous for centuries with generations in Galesburg.
The history behind that name is something Principal of Lombard Middle School Nick Sutton wants to preserve for future generations.
Sutton sat down with WGIL’s Terry Cavanaugh yesterday to discuss the legacy of Lombard.
Starting as Lombard College in the 1850’s, the school caved in 1930 but lives on today as the site of the middle school.
Sutton tells Galesburg Live on WGIL that connecting today’s students with the relics of the past presents a great opportunity.
“Kids especially at the middle school level, they want to be a part of something,” Sutton says. “How many other middle schools can capture and build upon ‘did you know Notre Dame played on your football field? Do you see that we’ve got a gym that’s 100 years old behind our school? Did you know that you’re on the same campus where Carl Sandburg attended?’ We’ve got to build from this.”
Sutton says the initiative started when he went into the archives to simply find pictures to display in the hallways.
A couple of Lombard facts you may not have known?–before Lombard, the school was founded by members of the Universalist Church as the Illinois Liberal Institute in 1851. The original building was on Tompkins and Seminary but burned down in April of 1855. A $20,000 donation by local farmer Benjamin Lombard helped trustees buy land where the present day site exists.
