Category Archives: Schools

The Pink Schoolhouse

Posted on by Posted in Schools .

This little pink schoolhouse stands in Bicentennial Park in the city of Mason. The school was built in 1854, and moved to its current location in 1976. The exact reason why the school is pink is unknown. One of the predominant theories is that red paint was donated, but there was not enough to paint the entire building. It was mixed with white paint turning it into a pink hue but creating enough to paint the entire school.

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The University Fort

Posted on by Posted in Schools, upper peninsula .

I was roaming around Sault St. Marie and a came upon Lake Superior State University. I saw the buildings and then I immediately thought that they looked like old military buildings similar to the ones at Fort Wayne. ( you can see my post HERE)  The university was originally built as Fort Brady in the 1880s and was used through WWII. In the late 1940s the fort was sold to Michigan Tech and used as part of the University. In 1970 it was separated from Michigan Tech and became Lake Superior State College.

I was there over the summer and with covid restrictions, I did not poke around campus too much. I will have to go back sometime and find out if they give history tours to visitors.

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The White Rock Schoolhouse

Posted on by Posted in Schools, Thumb .

In a field located in the town of White Rock is a two-room brick schoolhouse. It is the third schoolhouse in the town located in the Thumb along the Lake Huron shoreline. The first one was built after the great fire of 1871. It burned down in the great fire of 1881. The second schoolhouse burned down in 1908 and this brick one is what replaced it. The school’s teachers taught children until 1968 when it was closed. A few years later the Huron County Historical Society purchased it and converted it into their museum.

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The Old Benton Schoolhouse

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Somewhere south of Cheboygan I came across this old boarded-up building. I thought it looked like a schoolhouse so I stopped and took a pic. When I zoomed into the pic I can read BENTON 1918 on a stone in the front above the entrance.

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The Forgotten Ray Schoolhouse

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This old forgotten schoolhouse, or at least what is left of it, stands hidden behind the trees not far from the shadow town of Ray. It is somewhere between Romeo and New Haven. The town goes way back to 1827 and was named by Noah Webster. It was originally named Rhea for the Latin name of a river in Europe but it was later changed the Ray. The post office closed in 1906 and not much around but a few newer houses and this crumbling old schoolhouse.

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East China School

Posted on by Posted in Schools .

East China is situated along the St Clair River and is in the eastern part of China Township. I guess that is where the name of the town came from. While passing through town I saw this cute little brick schoolhouse with a historical marker mounted to the brick wall. It reads:

East China Township was set off from China Township in 1859. In 1868 Harriet J. Comstock, an heir of pioneer Andrew J. Westbrook, sold a parcel of land to School District No. 2. A frame school, built in the site prior to 1853, was replaced by this brick school around 1873. It was one of three mid-nineteenth-century schools in the township, and is the only one remaining. Classes were held here until 1954. The township restored the building in 1988-1991 for use as a museum

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Paradise School

Posted on by Posted in Schools, upper peninsula .

I came across this old building which I thought was a farmhouse in the Keweenaw Peninsula not far from Chassell. I just assumed it was an old farmhouse but then I came across something that referred to an old school called Paradise School. When I think of Paradise I think of the small town near the T-Falls.  I then realized this old building was on Paradise Road so I figured that made sense.

I always thought the shape of it seemed a little odd for a schoolhouse, since most one-room schools are simple buildings with a simple roofline. It’s hidden behind the trees but it is a “T” shaped building and roofline. I came across this photo this old photo on the internet that said it was the Paradise School near Chassell so I guess that it is the old Paradise School.

P.S. I wonder what became of the children in the photo. I look at old photos and I always wonder about the people in them.

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Thorington School

Posted on by Posted in Schools .

This old schoolhouse stands quietly along the road near Romeo. From what I could figure out it is the Thorington School. It looks as if it has been sitting vacant for a while.

This is a bittersweet day for me. My daughter is graduating from high school, but there will be no ceremony as planned. My heart goes out to all the students who have worked for 12 years to graduate from school. Graduation is not the end but the beginning. It may not be the start they wanted, but it is up to them to move forward especially in these difficult times. I am depending on this generation to take care of me when I am old. Congratulations to the class of 2020

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The Old Scottville School

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, Schools .

This old school stands silently in the town of Scottville a few miles east of Ludington. The main building was built in 1888 and additions were added later in the early 1900s. It was used as the high school and middle school until 1976, when the Mason County Central Middle School was built. In the 1990s it was used for retails stores for a short period. It now sits empty but recently sold to a new owner who is trying to renovate the old building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985

I live in Saginaw and I have seen photos of several old schools, similar to this one in Scottsville, that no longer exist. They have been replaced years ago with newer advanced buildings to mee the needs of students and more energy efficient.  It is a good thing that new schools are constructed to provide students with the best education but most of the old large school buildings are gone or neglected and waiting for demolition. I hope the owner is able to restore this old school building for some purpose like retail stores. It would be interesting to visit to get a feel for what the old schools were like.

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School of Hard Knocks

Posted on by Posted in Schools .

I saw this old building somewhere near Evart. I can only assume it was a school at one time. I imagine the students have learned a lot about life in the hard time they witnessed. Students are not in school right now, including my daughter who is a senior in high school, but it does not mean they are not learning anything. Some of the most important lessons we learn in life are the experiences we go through. Unfortunately, some of life’s lessons are really difficult and I would much rather learn from a book then have to live through them if given a choice.

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