Williamson County was formed from the south half of Franklin County on February 28, 1839, and was divided into twelve congressional townships of 36 sections each, with the 16th section of each township designated for sale to fund the creation of schools. From 1839 to 1856, children attended private subscription schools, and after the Illinois District Free School Act was established in 1856, the first school district, Stotlar School, was created in Herrin’s Prairie in 1857. Eventually, 120 rural school districts served the county’s rural children, before five Community Unit School Districts created from 1948 through the 1960’s absorbed all of them. On this site in 1862, the government established acreage for a school that became Williamson County School District #55. Cross Roads School was named for the crossing of two pioneer trails. Over the years, it had approximately 85 teachers, 62 board members, and 902 students. As a one-room school, it had one teacher instructing eight grade levels from first through eighth grade. Among its outstanding teachers was Aline B. Travelstead, the last teacher to serve the school, who later was named Illinois Teacher of the Year in 1957. Students last attended Cross Roads during the 1951-52 school year, after which it was absorbed by the community unit school district. In 1955, community members bought the site at auction and established a community center, where Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas observances were held for many years, along with an annual Homecoming gathering that lasted until 2016. In 1972, a Khoury League baseball league was formed on the site, and boys and girls played on its ballfields until 2017. The legacy of Cross Roads continued in the families who gathered there to learn, foster community spirit, and play ball.