Michigan One Room Schoolhouses: Ionia State Recreation Area

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

IONIA COUNTY

Berlin Township District No. 4 School (1898)

LOCATION: On Riverside Road in Ionia State Recreation Area in Berlin Township

The school is known as the “Posse House”

Current Use: Deeded to Ionia County for use by Sheriff’s Posse

Hartwell School District No. 7 (1872)

LOCATION: Northwest corner of Hartwell Road and David Highway in Section 5, Berlin Township

(street number is 4020)

Current Use: Business

Sessions (aka County Farm) School (1847)

Stone Schoolhouse

LOCATION: On Riverside Road in Ionia State Recreation Area (visible from Posse House but on opposite side of the road) in Section 34, Berlin Township

It was designated a Michigan Historic Site (MHS) on May 17, 1973 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on February 11, 1985.

Current Use: This unique cobblestone school is a historic site located within the Recreation Area property. It was restored in 1918.

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.