The History of the Diamond School

When the coalfields were opened in Northern Illinois, the village of Diamond was one of the first towns resulting from the establishment of this new industry.

In 1874 a one-room school was built to care for the educational needs of the children. The changes in the school down through the years is in itself a history of Diamond, waxing and waning as the town grew or declined under the operation and output of the mines

The one-room school, by the addition of a company house, was doubled in size. In 1890 a new building of two rooms was erected. In 1895 two additional rooms were added. This was the maximum capacity it was to attain.

As the coal mines declined and people sought employment in new areas, the school enrollment began to shrink. Around the year 1910 two rooms of the building were removed, and the two remaining rooms were used for many years. In 1914 one of these rooms was closed, making the Diamond School a one-room school again with an enrollment distributed throughout the eight elementary grades. The lowest enrollment year was that of 1938-1939, there being but eight pupils from three families - Bertino, Favero and Gross.