Tiny Towns in Illinois: The Village of Metcalf, Illinois

Metcalf is a village in Young America Township, Edgar County, Illinois, United States. Metcalf, with a population of 239 in the 2020 census.

Metcalf was founded as a railroad town in its early history as the Baltimore & Ohio and the Norfolk & Western Railroads intersect.

Schooling was made available for the children of Metcalf in the late 1800s. The only remnant of the grade school building was the cornerstone. 

Construction of the Metcalf High School building began in 1921 and opened in 1922. The last graduating class of High School was the class of 1949 due to the consolidation with Hume, Illinois. In the fall of 1949, the school changed its name to Young America High School. 

The Class of 1968 was the last class to graduate from Young America High School. Yet another consolidation took place, and a new K-12 facility was built near Hume, joining the towns of Metcalf, Hume, Brocton, and Redmon. 

In 1969 the Metcalf building was purchased and used as a Shelter Care until 1979. Then, in April of 1980, the building was destroyed by fire. 

The sundial had been on the high school's lawn since 1922 and was purchased by the Class of 1932, who moved it to Metcalf Park. The cornerstones from the Metcalf Grade School and the old Metcalf High School were also placed in Metcalf Park.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.