People in the west-central area of Illinois often ask why the high school in Payson is called Payson Seymour High School rather than Payson High School.
The answer is in the history of the school’s sports program.
It all goes back to a beautiful Saturday afternoon, May 22, 1915.
Payson was playing its biggest rival, Hull High School, in a home baseball game, the third match-up of the season, Hull having won the first two, on a field north of the main road through the village.
Charles Seymour, 16, a popular young junior at the high school, oldest child of Henry and Lucy Seymour, and heir to the Seymour fortune and farms and orchards in the Payson area (his grandfather, for whom he had been named, had settled in the Payson area in the 1830s) was at bat in the second inning.
It was 3:30 when he faced Albert Reynolds, the Hull pitcher who had already been scouted by the St. Louis Cardinals.
History does not record what the count was when the ball was thrown.
The pitch was a curve ball, which Charles had not been expecting, and he leaned into it, misjudging where it would be crossing the plate. Instead, the ball struck Charles over his heart. According to later accounts, he gasped a couple of times and crumpled toward the ground.
The Hull catcher caught him, but the damage had been done. Dr. E.J. Gabriel, the town doctor, was attending.
He rushed to the plate
and, after a quick examination,
pronounced Charles dead, saying in his report that the death had been immediate.
One of Charles’ three sisters, Mary, had rushed by buggy to the family’s farm home to get their mother, but by the time she arrived, the pronouncement
had been
made.
Charles’ body was taken to a room in the high school and placed on two benches. It was later moved to the family home, where an inquest was held that evening.
His death was ruled by a quickly formed jury as accidental, exonerating all involved from any blame, describing the death as “resulting from a blow over the heart producing paralysis.” (As an aside, Reynolds, the Hull pitcher, vowed never to throw another ball. Later, his fraternity buddies at the University of Illinois talked him into pitching in a league game. He hit a player, breaking his collar bone. Reynolds threw down his glove, and, it is said, never touched a baseball again.)
Charles’ funeral was held the following Tuesday, May 25, in the Congregational Church, where Charles had been an active member of the youth group.
A crowd of over 700 stood on the lawn, according to Edna Thompson, a schoolmate who was there and later married one of the pallbearers, in a conversation
with the writer
in 1980.
In our litigious age, one might expect a lawsuit over the case. Not so with the Seymours. Within a week, they had made known their plans to erect a memorial school to their son, a gift that would amount to $20,000 to $25,000.
The school was to be known as the Charles W. Seymour High School. The Seymours quickly told of their plans to the county Superintendent of Schools John H. Steiner, and hired a well-known architect from Hannibal, Mo., Malcolm
Martin, to design the
edifice.
The Hannibal Construction Co., under the direction of R. W. McMillen, began work on the
building on April 4, 1916. It was done in less than nine months.
The dedication was Dec. 30, 1916, and classes were held there the rest of the 1915-16 school year, so that Charles’ class could be the first to graduate from it.
The ceremonies were impressive, a major county event. The speaker was Francis Blair, state superintendent of public instruction.
Other dignitaries included Mr. Steiner and Quincy superintendent of schools, Charles M. Gill.
Also present was D.E. Musselman, director of Gem City Business College.
In Henry Seymour’s remarks before presenting the keys to the building to S.S. Nesbitt, president of the Payson school board, he noted that Charles, before that fateful game, had said, “Papa, if we win
today, we’ll set ’em up to the boys (usually a round of soda pop).”
Seymour noted that the new school was Charles’ “set-up.” Charles had often expressed a wish for a new school in Payson and said he would someday build one for the community, so the Seymours were doing as Charles wished.
At the proper time in the afternoon, Charles’ sisters pulled some strings and a beautiful silk American flag was drawn aside to produce the bronze tablet that still has a prominent place in the entrance hall. It says: “This building was erected by Henry M. and Lucy W. Seymour In memory of their only son CHARLES.
May his noble and generous
life, which prompted
this gift, Inspire all students who enter here to
improve this opportunity of study and of growth, that the world may be a better place because he once lived here. A blameless nature — glad and pure and true, He walked life’s morning path in happy light, But still he lives in every kindly deed we do, In all our love of truth and right, Forever young, forever glad, forever true.”
The building was magnificent. The outside walls were made of expertly cut Mississippi limestone obtained from the Seymour quarries in the Fall Creek Gorge.
The roof was red German tile. Granite steps led to the building. The vestibule was marble, and the trimmings were of Bedford stone. It housed numerous classrooms and an auditorium. The cost had been $50,000, twice the estimated amount.
Malcolm Martin, the architect, had done a magnificent job. When he asked Henry Seymour where he should put his name, the reply was, “Mr. Martin, I want you to do such a good job that everyone will ask the name of the architect.” Hence, you will look in vain for Martin’s name on the building.
The building became Charles Seymour Grade School when the newest high school was built, but the building and the name of the high school still stand as tributes to the young man who died 100 years ago this month.
Dwain Preston is a native of Pike County. He taught in the Quincy Public Schools, at Quincy College and at Culver-Stockton. He recently retired from Quincy Notre Dame High School and John Wood Community College.