Michigan One Room Schoolhouses: NEWAYGO COUNTY

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

NEWAYGO COUNTY

Dickinson School (?-1961 or 1962)

LOCATION: Corner of Alger Avenue and 136^th Street, Section 31 in Ashland Township

Current Use: Privately owned and abandoned

Shaw (Bell) School (?-1961 or 1962)

LOCATION: Northeast corner of Warner Avenue and 11 Mile Road, Section 1 in Beaver Township

I also saw this school location referred to as the Hardscrabble School

Current Use: Storage?

Barton School (about 1880-1932)

LOCATION: Northeast corner of 20^th Street and Pine Avenue in Big Prairie Township

It was originally located at 12^th and Locust in Big Prairie Township.

Current Use: Historic Site

The Big Prairie Historic Society is in the process of developing a historic park on this 40-acre parcel of land. Currently it includes the Barton School, a Grange Hall and a replica of the Big Prairie Church. Restoration work is on-going.

Schenck School (?-1961 or 1962)

LOCATION: Corner of 96th Street and Warner Avenue, Section 1 in Bridgeton Township
Current Use: Vacant

Oak Grove (District No. 3) School (1920-1968)

LOCATION: 6382 E 80^th Street, Section 20 in Croton Township

Northwest corner of Elm Avenue and East 80^th Street

Michigan Historic Site: June 30, 1988

Current Use: Private Residence

Crandall School (?-1961 or 1962)

LOCATION: Southwest corner of 136^th Street and Beech Avenue, Section 35 in Ensley Township

Current Use: Private Residence

Flowing Well (#8) School

LOCATION: Southeast corner of 104^th Street and Locust Avenue, Section 8 in Ensley Township

Current Use: Private Residence

Frey School (?-1961 or 1962)

LOCATION: 5598 136^th Street, Section 31 in Ensley Township

Southwest corner of 136^th Stret and Locust Avenue

Current Use: Privately Owned

Hillman (#1) School (?-1961 or 1962)

LOCATION: Southeast corner of 104^th Street and Cypress Avenue, Section 10 in Ensley Township

Current Use: Private Residence

Kinney (District No. 1) School (1890)

Kinney School Plaque

LOCATION: Southwest corner of 104^th Steet and Beech Avenue, Section 11 in Ensley Township

Current Use: Private Residence

Fry School

LOCATION: Oak Avenue and 28^th Street, Section 24 in Everett Township

Current Use: Vacant

Bitely District No. 5 School

LOCATION: 9284 N Bingham, Bitely, Section 27 in Lilley Township

Michigan Historic Site: July 15, 1999

Current Use: Bitely Boys Riders Club

Birch Grove School (1895)

LOCATION: 3962 N Felch Road, White Cloud, Section 11 in Lincoln Township

(near the intersection of Five Mile Road and Felch Road)

Michigan Historic Site: October 2, 1980

Current Use: North Country Trail Association

Woodland Park School (??-1961 or 1962)

LOCATION: 2316 11 Mile Road, Section 10 in Merrill Township

(on the south side of the road near the intersection of Bingham & 11 Mile Roads)

Current Use: Historic Site

Van Korlaar (spelling?) School (?-1962)

LOCATION: On Warner Avenue south of 64^th Street near Fremont, Section 13 in Sheridan Township

Current Use: Private Home

River Valley School

LOCATION: 1795 N Evergreen, White Cloud (Evergreen is M-37), Section 20 in Wilcox Township

(just north of 2 Mile Road on west side)

Current Use: Wilcox Township Hall

According to a guest comment, the Grant School (#19) at the corner of 132nd & Spruce) was torn down.

8 comments:

UnknownMarch 1, 2016 at 6:06 PM
The old Van Korlaar school is a private home now.
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UnknownMarch 1, 2016 at 6:06 PM
https://www.facebook.com/Newaygo-County-Legacy-Project-1240222759355132/
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UnknownDecember 29, 2016 at 3:13 PM
Grant school number 19 used to be on the corner of 132nd and spruce until it was condemned and insurance told my grand parents to tear it down
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Sandra Jean CaliffFebruary 13, 2017 at 6:44 PM
Does anyone have photos of the Bridgeton Township School before it wasting down?
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Dana Kenneth JohnsonDecember 29, 2019 at 7:21 AM
I noticed that Mecosta and Osceola Counties are not represented here at all. I have photos of several schools in each county. How do I post them here?
ReplyDelete
Replies

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Michigan One-Room Schoolhouses

I enjoy traveling and history and I document everything through another hobby – photography. Among my favorite subjects to photograph are one-room schoolhouses.

Okay, I am going to date myself but I attended a one-room school (Price School in Victor Township, Clinton County). The building was sold a long time ago and a field of corn now grows where the schoolhouse once stood. If anyone has a photo of Price School I would love to receive a copy!!

Those schoolhouses that have survived may now serve as museums through preservation efforts by local historical societies. Some have been converted into private residences, businesses, or are used by local government units. Unfortunately, most have been torn down or have been left in a state of decay. These disappearing structures represent a piece of history and looking for them is like going on a scavenger hunt.

Most schools were named after the land owner who provided the land for the school, a nearby town, or a local natural feature. Price School was named after its location (northeast corner of Price and Chandler Roads).

Everyday I walked about a mile to Price School – uphill, in the snowy winter, carrying my books … okay, during good weather I rode my bike. Since children walked to school back then, these one-room schools were built every few miles – depending on available funds and population of school-age children. Often the one-room schools were located in the township’s sixteenth section because that was the center of the township.

Like most one-room country schools, Price School had one front entry door but a few schools had separate doors – one for the boys and one for the girls.

Generally schoolhouses were painted white (cheaper) but there are some schools painted red. In Michigan, wood was plentiful and it was the most often used material for building the school. However, brick (and a few stone) schoolhouses were built too.

So, when we travel through each county in Michigan, I always keep watching and hoping to photograph these buildings before they disappear from the rural landscape that is part of our American history.

This blog site will be a work in progress. Each time I discover and photograph a historic schoolhouse, I will add that photo and whatever information I have on the school by editing the blog post that corresponds to the Michigan County the schoolhouse is located.

Please respect private property and view those former schoolhouses from the public right-of-way.

Some information (e.g. school names or dates) contained in this blog was obtained from Historical Societies, the Michigan One-Room Schoolhouse Association, or County Equalization Departments.