A School of a Different Sort

If one has lived in Zeigler during the past sixty years, the names and locations of the schools are generally familiar. The oldest attendance center was the Zoller Building, commonly known as the “ Block Building,” located on Church Street across from the City Hall. The second school, built in the 1920s to accommodate the city’s population explosion, was the Zeigler Building, generally identified as the “Old School .” This facility was situated next to the City Hall, across the street from the “ Block Building”. The final elementary structure, the Leiter School, was placed at the intersection of North Pine and Station Streets. Lastly, the big kids attended school at Zeigler Community High School located on Hendricks Street.

Review of the above listed educational facilities indicates that one school has been inadvertently omitted. This little known place of learning, the Serbian School, was located three lots south of the Cockspur and Walnut Streets intersection, near the Custer Hotel. Members of the Zeigler Serbian community established the school to instruct their children in the language, culture, and history of their forefathers.

The school, operating only during the summer months of June, July, and August, housed grades one through high school in a single large room. The instructors were not Illinois certified teachers, but coal miners who had a measure of formal education, usually gained in the “old country.” As one will recall, the coal mines of Zeigler, and other Franklin County communities, did not produce coal during the summer months; thus, miners, such as Ned Gazeovich who lived at 407 Walnut Street, were available to teach the 20-30 students, plus a few learners who came from Sesser, for the all day ethnic education. Among the Zeigler families whose children attended the Serbian School were Radosevich, Andesilich, Mianovich, Vioakovich, and Ivanovich.

As a segment of the curriculum, a range of significant customs was re-enacted so that students would have the understanding to carry on the traditions of the Serbs. Among the most important of these was the commemoration of Christmas, European style. The Christmas Eve celebration began with the burning of the Yule Log, the Badnjak, a young oak log that represented Christ’s entry into the world and which reminded all of the families to carry in their hearts the Tree of Happiness. While the lecture was authentic, generally, the families in Zeigler were not able to follow the tradition due to the absence of a fireplace in the apartments of the Flats, the wooden apartment buildings located on the mine company property in which many of the coal miners lived.

While the coal miners were not equipped to burn the Yule Log, other elements of the tradition were emphasized. Straw was placed on the floors throughout the house, representing Christ’s manger. Walnuts were arranged in the sign of the cross in the four sides of the dining room, symbolizing wishes for blessings for a good life. Finally, a roasted lamb or pig was purchased from the National Bakery on Oak Street, which was to become Christmas fare, after all family members returned from church services. When dinner had been completed and the children had searched the straw on the floor for money, the men walked from apartment to apartment visiting other Serbian families. On the day after Christmas, the women of the neighborhood repeated this activity when they visited other families.

The era of World War II brought about many changes in Zeigler, all of which were not positive. One of the causalities of the war effort was the loss of the Serbian School. Even though it has been gone for many years, there are a few residents who still remember the academy. In fact, there are a few inhabitants who attended the school as youngsters and can share first hand experiences of the by gone days.

Much of the information presented in this article was gathered during an interview with Mr. Mike Andesilich, a former Serbian School student and basketball star on two ZCHS state teams. I am thankful for his willingness to share the information and preserve a bit of Zeigler’s history. Thanks Mike!

Submitted by Dr. Allan Patton