The Lawrence County Illinois Historical Society proudly announces the TV premiere of its  documentary, "An Eagle on his Button." This film highlights the remarkable stories of African Americans from Lawrence County who served in the Civil War. Tune in to WVUT-22 PBS on SATURDAY February 28, 2026 at 6:00 pm Illinois time (7:00 pm Indiana time) to watch this important local history event.

Today we conclude our stories about the Tornado that devastated the Pinkstaff area seventy years ago on February 25, 1956. (Please refer to the map of Pinkstaff locations published Wednesday February 25 to follow the path of destruction.)

Some have attributed the loss of the Pinkstaff school building on that early morning to “divine intervention.” Had the tornado struck earlier, the school would have been occupied. The basement, designated as the evacuation area for students in case of a tornado, would have been the worst place the students could have gone as the storm collapsed the building into the basement. Fortunately, the facility was empty, and no fatalities occurred on September 25, 1956.

 The four-room, two-story wooden school building was built around 1900 to serve the students in the Pinkstaff area. By 1917, it served 81 students in an integrated setting. This school, known as the Pinkstaff School, started one of the first hot lunch programs in the county in 1944, but that fateful night in 1956 the school was destroyed.  

Arrangements were made to allow the students to finish the school term at Lawrenceville High School and Fairview School.  The school was not rebuilt on the old site.The community purchased 12 acres of land at Pinkstaff corner for $3,600 along US Rt 1, and then constructed a six-room school for $125,000.

Oma McCarty suggested the name “Brookside,” which was selected by the Board of Education for the new school. As the student population grew, two additional classrooms were built. In 2007 the Pleasant Ridge Church purchased the building.  Demolition began in 2009 with the church retaining the school gym to incorporate into its new building.  

The February 25, 1956, tornado destroyed the town of Pinkstaff and its school, disrupting education and community life. Miraculously, no one was killed. Homes were rebuilt. A new school was constructed. A strong community spirit continued to exist in Pinkstaff and those who lived through that awful night still remember.