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Sand Bank School

Name: Sand Bank School
Address: 11832 Bluff Road, Columbia, IL, 62236, US
Telephone: +16185937663

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Sand Bank School

Sand Bank School is a historic schoolhouse museum that can be used for community events.

More information can be obtained by emailing: [email protected]

05/24/2026

It was a small crew of workers today, but the Miller Fiege House is ready for guests next weekend. Our thanks to: Darlene Cooley, Joanne Counce, Gaylene Everts, Sam& Kathleen Habermehl, Myron & Diane Hanna, and Ryan Monton! Be sure to visit on Saturday, May 30 from 1:00 until 4:00 to see the work in progress on this historical home.

The 176 year old Miller- Fiege Home Spring Open House will be held Saturday, May 30 , from 1-4 PM. The home was built on the Kaskaskia-Cahokia Trail in 1850 at 140 South Main in Columbia. Visitors will be able to see the upstairs rooms. This may be the final Open House before repairs begin.

A recent grant from the Oerter Foundation to the Columbia Historical Society, financial support from the City of Columbia and Columbia Heritage and Preservation Commission, and other donations will enable needed foundation and brick work to begin soon, with interior restoration to follow.

05/14/2026

If you are visiting Sunset Overlook on Bluff Road, the original Kaskaskia-Cahokia Trail, in western Columbia take a look at the old road grader on the southeast corner of the parking lot. The Columbia Historical Society is installing a sign explaining how the grader was used to improve area dirt roads in the 1920s. The Adams Road Patrol #4 is an antique, pull-type road grader manufactured by J.D. Adams & Company, often for leveling dirt roads. In 1885 Joseph D. Adams manufactured his invention, the leaning pull-grader, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Originally horse-drawn, these graders feature manual, hand-operated controls to adjust the blade and leaning wheels to counteract side drafts. In 1935 J.D. Adams introduced a motorized grader with a blade that could slide sideways for trimming road banks and shoulders. During the company's existence, it also produced motorized graders, elevating graders, sheepsfoot rollers, and scrapers. The J.D. Adams Company became a division of Le Tourneau-Westinghouse in 1955.

05/04/2026

Two more satisfied users of Sand Bank School. The Columbia Historical Society thanks you.

04/29/2026

Call for Help Painting

The CIHS is painting the wrought iron fence in front of the Miller-Fiege house tomorrow, April 30 beginning at 8:30 AM. With help we can knock it out quickly. Bring an old paint brush if you have one and a small plastic container for the oil base rust resistant paint would be helpfully.

Recently, several have asked why volunteers need to provide the maintenance on a City owned property. When the home was purchased in 2008 an ordnance was passed saying the home would be maintained and made available for tours and historical events, like the upcoming Monroe County Museum Tour on May 30-31 and the Celebrating America 250 4th of July Parade.

When purchased, the old Columbia Historical Society agreed to open the house and provide minor cleaning and repairs. But they became to old to do much work. Our newly organized Columbia Illinois Historical Society has agreed to continue these efforts. Over the last 10 years storm damage, lack of maintence and some structural issues have developed and need professional repairs. The windows, over 176 years old, are falling apart. But some things can be done by volunteers like us.

The City is in discussions with us about how to do these major repairs and how to best use the Oerter Grant we received. The City has proudly used the Miller-Fiege Home on their America 250 Medallion, pictured here.

Volunteer efforts to do what we can as citizens lets our Columbia city leaders know we care about saving the few historic structures still standing.

04/25/2026

Sand Bank School is all decked out for a birthday party today! The Columbia Historical Society appreciates the user fees that are used for Sand Bank School and Miller-Fiege House upkeep.

04/21/2026

If you are free tomorrow, April 22, please join us at Sunset Overlook, on Bluff Road west of Columbia, at 11:30 AM, for the unveiling of the two newest Kaskaskia-Cahokia Trail informational signs. The signs tell the history of Piggot’s Fort, James and Frances Piggot, and the Schneider Brothers who purchased part of Piggot’s land and built brick homes and barns on their farm.

Sunset Overlook stands on a beautiful piece of property that was originally Captain James Piggot’s land. The converted farmhouse was built by Louis Schneider in the mid 1800s, and later the home of the Robert Schlemmer family.

03/25/2026

Another recent donation to the Columbia IL Historical Society is this Columbia Bottling Company green glass 7 ounce bottle. There is no date, but it is doubtful many current Columbians have ever seen one. Any information would be helpful!

One of the best things about the restoration of Sand Bank School and my (Dennis Patton) involvement with the Historical Society and the Columbia Heritage Preservation Commission has been the opportunity to see many area historic artifacts collected by residents, and receiving so many donations of items that will someday be available for viewing in a city museum. Researching these artifacts’ history is fun and challenging.

03/22/2026

Sam Habermehl, Curt Harres, and Traci Glaenzer, Columbia Illinois Historical Society members, pose after a job well done-cleaning, dusting, spraying, sweeping and mopping at Sand Bank School on a beautiful Saturday morning. Thank you to them and all of the CIHS volunteers that help care for Columbia’s historic structures and artifacts.

03/13/2026

Thank you to the Columbia High School Construction Trades Class for delivering the last of the two dozen 100 year old student desk that they refinished for Sand Bank School. The young men and their instructor, Art Frisch, spent a beautiful afternoon hauling the desk from the school shop, cleaning out and rearranging the storage shed, pulling out the chickweed in front of the school, and hauling away trash. Three of the class members did a wonderful job dismantling a broken antique writing desk and and beautifully restoring it.

02/17/2026

Columbia,Illinois was laid out in what was then Eagle Precinct in 1820. The French had long called this area Le Aegle because of the abundance of this majestic bird of prey from the Mississippi River to the bluffs. Campbell’s 1870 Map shows Eagle Precinct (now Columbia Precinct).

Jim Kearney Photos

Address

11832 Bluff Road
Columbia, IL
62236

Telephone

+16185937663

Website

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