Michigan One Room Schoolhouses: Eveline Township Hall

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

CHARLEVOIX COUNTY

Hilton School (1878)

LOCATION: Bier Art Gallery, 3500 US-31, Charlevoix

Current Use: Art Gallery

The Hilton School was part of the logging community of Norwood (just south of Charlevoix).

Mountain School

LOCATION: 08525 Ferry Road, East Jordan

Corner of Ferry and Mountain Roads

Current Use: Eveline Township Hall

Raven Hill School

Raven Hill School - Exterior and Interior

LOCATION: 4737 Fuller Road, East Jordan in Wilson Township

Part of the Raven Hill Discovery Center

Current Use: Museum

Tanizer School

LOCATION: 02746 Wildwood Harbor Road, Boyne City in Evangeline Township

Current Use: Township Hall

Horton Bay (District No. 2) School

LOCATION: 04991 Boynce City-Charlevoix Road, Horton Bay in Bay Township

Current Use: Restoration Committee has been established for the purpose of funding and restoration

Originally, the school was located a mile or so east of Horton Bay. It was moved to its present location in Horton Bay next to the United Methodist Church.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 4, 2001.

Star (District No. 6) School

LOCATION: Southwest corner of Loomis Road and Wurn Road in Section 24, Eveline Township

Current Use: Unknown

If you have any information about this school, please leave a comment at the end of this post.

Norwood (District No. 1) School (1890-1957)

LOCATION: From US-31 turn west on Gennett Road to the village of Norwood. The school is on Fourth Street (Between lake Street and Gennett Road)

Current Use: In 2004, the Norwood Historical Society purchased the building and renovated it for a museum and meeting hall.

It is a Michigan Historic Site

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Side 2

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.