Michigan One Room Schoolhouses: OCEANA COUNTY

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

OCEANA COUNTY

Maple Grove School (1906-1950’s)

LOCATION: On 120th Avenue (east side of road) just south of Thistle Road

Current Use: Private Residence

Randall School (1875-1964)

LOCATION: Hart Historic District – corner of Union and Lincoln Streets, Hart

Originally located in Section 11 of Hart Township, it was donated to the Hart Historical District and moved to Hart in 1993.

Current Use: Museum

Marshville (#4) School (?-1956)

LOCATION: 5610 Marshville Dam Rd, Shelby in Section 26, Benona Township

(near 56^th Avenue)

Current Use: Private Residence

Gardiner (#3) School

LOCATION: 7169 W Baker Rd, Shelby in Section 21, Benona Township

(southeast corner of Baker Road and 40^th Avenue)

We met a gentleman who provided a little background. The school was located next to the Benona Township Hall. The Township Hall was built in 1899. He wasn’t sure if the school was built before or after 1899 but it was located about 60 feet from the Township hall. Unfortunately, the school burned down around 2011. However, the original school bell still exists on the property.

Brady (aka Bradyville) School (1897)

LOCATION: Southeast corner of West Stony Lake Road and 52^nd Avenue in Section 2, Claybanks Township

Current Use: Private Residence

Smith's Corners (#2) School

LOCATION: On the north side of Monroe Road just west of Oceana Drive in Section 20, Weare Township

Current Use: Privately Owned

While driving through Oceana County, we noted the status on the following one-room schools:

- Cleveland School (Jackson Rd & 128th St in Crystal Township) - GONE

3 comments:

UnknownNovember 19, 2017 at 7:25 AM
Smith's Corners school is not burned down...it is still there, although in rough shape. I went there in kindergarten...in 1962
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Shelly K CherryJuly 22, 2023 at 2:41 PM
I saw and photographed a oneroom school today at 5593 E Buchanan Road in Shelby, MI. I can't find information about it. It was not labeled nor dated.
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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.