Michigan One Room Schoolhouses: Historic Bowens Mills

Monday, August 17, 2015

BARRY COUNTY

Brown School (1873)

LOCATION: 7135 W Delton Road, Delton in Prairieville Township

Current Use: Museum - part of Bernard Historical Museum

Refer to my Blog Post on Bernard Historical Village for more photos and information by clicking on the following link:

Denice's Bernard Historical Village Blog

Coats Grove School (1874)

Side and Front View of School

LOCATION: Corner of Coats Grove Road and Durkee Road, Coats Grove in Carlton Township

Current Use: Privately Owned

Hinds (District No. 4) School (1872-1963)

(notice the outhouses - right hand side)

A peek through the window ...

LOCATION: 5498 Cedar Creek Road, Hastings in Hope Township

Current Use: Museum and State of Michigan Historic Site

Lee (District No. 7) School (1869-1923)

A peek through the window ...

LOCATION: Historic Charlton Park, 2545 Charlton Park Road, Hastings

Current Use: Museum – part of Historic Charlton Park

Refer to my Blog Post on Historic Charlton Park for more photos and information by clicking on the following link:

Denice's Historic Charlton Park Blog

Moe School (1850’s)

Moe School - Exterior and Interior

LOCATION: Historic Bowens Mills (entrance at 55 Briggs Road), Middleton, Michigan in Yankee Springs Township (269) 795-7530

Originally located at the corner of Parmalee Road and Moe Road in Middleville, the school was moved to the historic village and restored.

Current Use: Museum – part of Historic Bowens Mills Village

Refer to my Blog Post on Historic Bowen Mills for more photos and information by clicking on the following link:

Denice's Historic Bowens Mills Blog

Ragla School (1904)

LOCATION: Corner of Gary Carpenter Road and Ragla Road in Carlton Township

Current Use: Privately Owned

Barryville (aka Mudge) School (1865-1957)

LOCATION: 6092 M-79 in Section 8, Castleton Township adjacent to Barryville Cemetery

Current Use: Peace United Methodist Church

Quimby School (1869-1965)

LOCATION: Northwest corner of Thornapple Drive and M-79 in Section 26, Hastings Township

Current Use: Private Residence

Fisher School (1858-1961)

LOCATION: Northwest corner East State Road and Fisher Road in Section 11, Hastings Township

I spoke with a lady who lives across the road from the school. She has lived in the area for 20+ years. She indicated the school was for sale but due to the need for extensive repairs and the asking price, it never sold.

Current Use: Former private residence – now vacant

Dowd or Doud School (1876-1956)

LOCATION: 8008 Cloverdale Rd in Section 26, Hope Township

(southwest corner of Cedar Creek Road and Cloverdale Road)

Current Use: Private Residence

Filmore (District No. 7) School (1886-1955)

School Plaque

LOCATION: 7500 Wood School Road, Freeport in Irving Township

(southeast corner of Wood School Road and Eckert Road)

Current Use: Unknown

Little Red Brick School (1868-1963)

LOCATION: 2024 Hammond Road in Section 36, Irving Township

(northwest corner of Hammond Road and Woodruff Road)

Current Use: Private Residence

Wood School (1850-1963)

LOCATION: 4493 Wood School Road, Hastings in Section 22, Irving Township

(southwest corner of Wood School Road and West Wing Road)

Current Use: Unknown

Bristol School (1842-1965)

LOCATION: Southwest corner of M-37 at Pifer Road in Section 4, Johnstown Township

Current Use: Private Residence

McKelvey School (1858-1945)

LOCATION: Southeast corner of Assyria Road and Bivens Road in Section 9, Maple Grove Township

Current Use: Private Residence

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.