LOOKING BACK Goreville History

By Dixie Terry

     After Goreville’s two school districts merged, the old high school on the east side of town was sold to the American Fiberlite Boat Company, where pleasure boats were manufactured for a few years, before moving to a location in Williamson County. Later, the building burned down, cause unknown.

     With the beginning of construction for the new high school addition at its present location, in 1968, the two-story grade school was razed.  A new one-story structure containing junior high classrooms, replaced the old building.  

     Beginning in the school year of 1970-71, the kindergarten through high school were all contained in one building.  The gymnasium was shared by the grade and high schools.

     In 1977, the new high school gym was added, along with five additional classrooms and a band room, and the renovation of the cafeteria.

     In 1985, the school office was remodeled and teacher restrooms were added.   along with three classrooms on the north side of the building.

     In 1992-93,  a detached classroom was added on the south side of the school, and in 1994, a second detached classroom was added to the east side of the main building.  

     In 1997-98, the media center and science lab were added to the high school on the west side.  

     In 2000-01, several classrooms and an enlarged band room were added to the high school.

     The school district is Goreville’s largest employer, with over sixty employees (in 2001).

     Many Goreville natives, who lived here before 1944, remember the building known as “The Hall.”

     During those times, after the schools had burned down, high school classes were held there.

     It was actually built as a Masonic Lodge, and was also used as the meeting place of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which had quite a large congregation in Goreville at one time.

     The Masons used the upstairs and the church services were conducted on the ground floor.

     Later, the ground floor would br used for other church denominations, befeore it burned in 1944, in another fire, undetermined as to the cause.  

     The tall two-story square frame structure was constructed soon after the Civil War had ended, built to the north of the original Goreville settlement.  After “New Goreville” was begun, “The Hall” served as a divider between the old and new town.  “The Hall” was located near where the Carl Turner home was located in 2001.

     Simple in design, with eight-paned windows, according to early photos, was this spacious building.

     J.H. Morphis, a Presbyterian minister, preached there in 1875, when candles were used to light the church and told of it in later years when he was interviewed.  Sadly, all records were lost when the fire destroyed the building and other ministers’ and members’ names will never be known.

     Kerosene lamps were used, after the candle era, until electricity was brought to Goreville by the CIPS Company in the late 1930s.

     The Goreville Masonic Brotherhood of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Saline Lodge #339, was granted a charter on October 3, 1860. The charter was granted by the Grand Lodge of Springfield, Il. with Most Worshipful Grand Master Ira W. W. Buck, presenting the charter in a most impressive service.

     Before “The Hall” was built, meetings of the Masons were held upstairs in the Dr. Tine Whitnel home, which was on the east side of what is present-day Goreville.

     An enormous old white oak tree once stood in front of “The Hall.” which was cut down in 1987 and found to be one hundred and thirty years old, evidently planted three years after “The Hall” was erected.

     It was told that travelers left notes on this tree, in the early history of the town, as they traveled through in horse-pulled buggies and maybe covered wagons.

     Names of those early lodge members  from 1860 were: Whitnel, Albright, Huggins, Gardner, Hubbard, Raider, Fly, Sullivan, McCormack, Jenkins, Benson, Horsley, Adams, Pickles, Terry, Morgan, Veach, Grace, Ragain, Lambert, Dowdy, Calhoun, Newton, Trovillion, Maze, Smith, Wiggins, Gibson, Foster, Ray, Bargesser, Williams, and Kirby, many of these names being repeated through the decades, and all familiar to Goreville’s older citizens.

     Following the 1944 fire, the Masons built a new building on Broadway Street, using the second floor for their activities and the ground floor to be used by a funeral home, used by the Van Natta Funeral Home for many years and the Meredith Funeral Home later.

     Dessie Maze wrote a note to Bill Hubbard in 1966, saying, “Remember the old hall church where we attended Sunday School and church?  I can still see the homemade banners we carried on Childrens’ Day.  I surely remember the good old days you speak about.”

     (As Goreville commemorates its 125th anniversary in 2025, we will continue to share its colorful happenings in the Goreville News each week.  The book, “Remembering When,” compiled in 2001, after the village celebrated its 100th anniversary, is available at “The Countree Peddler Antiques” in Goreville, and “The Art Gallery Off the Square” in Vienna,)