Michigan One Room Schoolhouses: Burt Township Hall

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

CHEBOYGAN COUNTY

Freedom School – Mackinaw District No. 2 (1886-1933)

Freedom School - Exterior and Interior

Notice the hickory sticks on the teacher's desk??

LOCATION: Heritage Village, 1425 West Central Avenue, Mackinaw City

The school was moved from its original location southeast of Mackinaw City in the town of Freedom which only exists on Michigan State road maps.

For more photos and information refer to my Blog Post on the Mackinac City Heritage Village by clicking on the following link:

Denice's Mackinac City Heritage Village Blog Post

Topinabee School

LOCATION: 5212 Lea Street, Topinabee in Mullet Township

This school is located in what locals call "Old School Park"

Current Use: Topinabee Fire Department

If you have any information about this building, please leave a message in the Comment Section following this post. Thank you!

Crump School House

LOCATION: 7029 Birchwood Rd, Cheboygan

(Corner of Birchwood & Crump Roads in Burt Township)

Current Use: Burt Township Hall

If you have any information about this building, please leave a message in the Comment Section following this post. Thank you!

Unknown (Brudy?) School (?-1897)

LOCATION: 8001 Brudy Road in Ellis #4 Township - east side of I-75 between the towns of Indian River and Wolverine – the building is on the east side of the road

Current Use: Private Owned

If you have any information about this building, please leave a message in the Comment Section following this post. Thank you!

Montgomery (District No. 1) School (1908)

School & Plaque

LOCATION: Southwest corner of Montgomery Road and Soules Road in Section 7, Walker Township

(across the road from the Walker Township Hall – 7021 Montgomery Road, Afton)

Current Use: Afton Community Center (formerly the Old Township Hall)

Tallman School

LOCATION: Northwest corner of Dotski Road and Richardson Road in Section 17, Inverness Township

Current Use: Private Residence

Standard School (1915)

LOCATION 7490 Brandau Road in Munro Township

Current Use: Private Residence

Waverly #2 School

LOCATION: 11442 North Allis Highway in Waverly Township

(between M-211 and Maxon Road)

Current Use: Private Residence

While driving around Cheboygan County, we noted the status of the following schoolhouses:

- School in Beaugrand Twp (1999 Old Mackinaw Rd) – GONE

- Wilson School – MOVED to Kinross Heritage Park in Chippewa County

- McCloud School in Grant Township (7757 Twin Lakes Rd) – GONE

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.