Normal school
Cook County Normal School was founded in 1867 largely through the initiative of John F. Eberhart, the Commissioner of Schools for Cook County. Eberhart noted that Cook County schools lagged far behind their counterparts in the City of Chicago, especially in terms of the quality and competence of instructors. He convinced the County Commissioners to hold a teacher training institute in April 1860; its success convinced the commissioners of the need for a permanent school to educate teachers. In March 1867, the Cook County Board of Supervisors created a Normal school at Blue Island on a two-year experimental basis; Daniel S. Wentworth was the first principal.