Support the Historic Hamilton Primary School Endowment Fund

This Designated Fund was started in June of 2016 by Mr. Roy L. Maguire. The purpose of the fund is to provide annual funding for the restoration and maintenance of the historic Hamilton Primary School in Otterville, IL.

Mr. Roy Maguire, of Edelstein, IL, has a number of personal connections to the Hamilton Primary School (HPS). These personal connections have motivated him to establish an endowed fund to provide ongoing funding for the restoration and maintenance of the school. Mr. Maguire's hope is that this annual funding will help preserve the history of the HPS for generations to come. Following are some of the reasons for Roy's personal interest in preserving the story behind the historic Hamilton Primary School:

• Roy's great-grandfather, Sigel Francis Busch was listed as a trustee for the HPS in a book published in 1919, called The History of Jersey County.
• The Hamilton Primary School has records indicating Roy Maguire's grandfather, William Lloyd Maguire, was a School Board Member.
• Roy's father and three sisters attended HPS, and there are school records of their attendance and grades.
• Roy Maguire's mother, Mildred, moved to Otterville in 1936 where she met Ralph Maguire, and they married.
• Roy's father, his uncle Everett Van Tassell, and his great uncle Carl Busch wired many homes when electricity came to Otterville and Roy's mother told Roy that his dad and uncle Carl wired the Hamilton Primary School.
• Roy's maternal grandmother died when Mildred was 5 years old. Mildred moved around Missouri and Illinois 30+ times as her father worked wherever he could in the 30’s. She wrote that her life began when she got to Otterville and Hamilton School.
• Roy L.. Maguire was born in the house that was built by Silas Hamilton.
• Roy donated funds to replace the front doors of the school, as they were beyond repair and where not like original doors. The new doors were dedicated at the annual Hamilton Primary School Festival on Saturday June 11th in his mother's name. Roy's aunt Verna (Maguire)(Van Tassell) Wilson attended the dedication at the age of 91.