Wallingford Hall - Todd School
Title
Wallingford Hall - Todd School
Description
The oldest building on the Todd campus, built in the early 1860s. It was located at the corner of Route 147 (Seminary Ave.) and Route 120 (McHenry Ave.). Wallingford Hall was expanded twice in its hundred years, in the 1890s and again in 1912. The building was named after Reverend Richard Kimball Todd's father, Wallingford Todd.
Wallingford Hall provided accommodations for forty students and six teachers. It also contained the school dining room, the infirmary, and classrooms.
The building appears in Orson Welle's first known film, Hearts of Age.
After Todd School Closed in 1954, the building was purchased by the Woodstock Residence nursing home and used as a nursing home. The building was torn down in 1964.
The structure to the left of Wallingford Hall in this photo is an indoor heated swimming pool. Todd School's indoor, sixty-foot swimming pool was built alongside Wallingford Hall in 1930. The heated building also served as a greenhouse and students used it to grow flowers and tomatoes in the winter months. The palm tree mural was painted by Hortense Hill, Roger Hill's wife.
The Todd School for Boys (1848–1954) was an independent school located in Woodstock, Illinois founded by Reverend Richard Kimball Todd, a Presbyterian pastor. Under the guidance of Headmaster Noble Hill in the 1920s and Hill’s son Roger in the 1930s, it became known as a progressive school that provided students with a creative educational environment that emphasized practical experience over traditional academics. The main Todd School Campus was located on the northeast corner of the Rt. 47 (Seminary Ave) and Rt. 120 (McHenry Ave.) junction.
Wallingford Hall provided accommodations for forty students and six teachers. It also contained the school dining room, the infirmary, and classrooms.
The building appears in Orson Welle's first known film, Hearts of Age.
After Todd School Closed in 1954, the building was purchased by the Woodstock Residence nursing home and used as a nursing home. The building was torn down in 1964.
The structure to the left of Wallingford Hall in this photo is an indoor heated swimming pool. Todd School's indoor, sixty-foot swimming pool was built alongside Wallingford Hall in 1930. The heated building also served as a greenhouse and students used it to grow flowers and tomatoes in the winter months. The palm tree mural was painted by Hortense Hill, Roger Hill's wife.
The Todd School for Boys (1848–1954) was an independent school located in Woodstock, Illinois founded by Reverend Richard Kimball Todd, a Presbyterian pastor. Under the guidance of Headmaster Noble Hill in the 1920s and Hill’s son Roger in the 1930s, it became known as a progressive school that provided students with a creative educational environment that emphasized practical experience over traditional academics. The main Todd School Campus was located on the northeast corner of the Rt. 47 (Seminary Ave) and Rt. 120 (McHenry Ave.) junction.
Collection
Citation
“Wallingford Hall - Todd School,” Woodstock Public Library Archives, accessed May 20, 2026, https://woodstockpubliclibraryarchives.omeka.net/items/show/492.
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