Schools Archives - Page 8 of 11

Thorington School

Posted on May 29, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg 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

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Old Scottville School

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg 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 meet 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.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

School of Hard Knocks

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg 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.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Silent School In Boyne City

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

I love hanging out in downtown Boyne City. It has some wonderful bars and restaurants and nice gift shops to explore. A few blocks north of Downtown I saw this old building which I am safe to assume was a school. It is strange how there are no windows in the front other than the one in the center. I figure that must be where the chalkboards were hung. It reminds me of the Lincoln School in McMillan HERE. I am not sure what is happening with the old building now but it looks as if it has been a long time since school kids learned to read and write within its walls.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Curious Case of the Octagon Building

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Schools .

A few yeards off the road is an old octagon shaped block building slowly being consumed by the forest in Sauble Township, in Lake County. I saw one website that had it listed as a schoolhouse, but I am not sure it was at one time. I looked at an old plat map and it did not show a school at its location. A piece of plywood covers the brickwork above the door where a school name usually would be. From the research that I did, I found out that it was not uncommon to build an octagon school. They were especially popular in the late 1800s in the New England area, and many are found in Pennsylvania. I am not exactly sure what this old building was originally used for, but it is interesting to see it seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Pure Saginaw, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Old Brick Schoolhouse

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Schools .

I saw this old brick building on the backroads somewhere near Remus. It looks like it was an old schoolhouse at one time but I am not sure.

Without any history, I don’t have much of a story to tell so I am just gonna say thank you for taking the time to read my daily posts. I am looking forward to the warmer weather and the time change is nice. I think we should just leave it this way.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Brick Schoolhouse

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Schools .

I saw this old brick school somewhere southwest of Alpena. It looks as if school has been out forever for a while since the trees are slowly growing around it. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any history about it I can only hope that the students that learned within its walls went on to do great things.

Lost In Michigan Books are ON SALE at Amazon. You can see more by clicking HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Big Red School

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

I have driven past this old building on M-25 east of Bay City several times. It looks like an old school but I have never been able to find any information about it. It looks to be a lot larger than just one room but it looks as if it has closed many years ago. I think it is used as a farmers market now. Anyways, I thought it was an interesting old brick building and looked beautiful in the white snow and blue skies.

If you live near Bay City, Lost In Michigan books are available at Coyer Candle Co. in downtown and Midland. You can visit their website for more HERE.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Star City: a Fallen Star and Ghost Town

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, Schools .

I love the name Star City, It sounds like a promising place full of celebrities with glitz and glamor. In reality, it is or was in the middle of nowhere west of Houghton Lake in the center of the Mitten. An old schoolhouse and cemetery are all that remains of the town. I found a couple of different references to it but I am not sure how accurate they are.

One story I found claimed that Star City was originally named Starvation Lake after a local trapper who was found dead in his cabin from starvation. In an attempt to sell property for farming and hunting around the small city, developers renamed the area Star Lake. Unfortunately, the name change did not help and the developers went bankrupt. Eventually, people began referring to the small town as Star City.

The other reference I found says that the settlement dates from approximately 1872. A post office named “Roy” Opened February 27, 1880, with Chauncey Brace as the first postmaster. The name changed to “Putnam” on June 6, 1883, with Elizabeth Putnam as postmaster. The name changed again to “Star City” on February 13, 1885 and was discontinued on December 15, 1923.

Whichever is true ( maybe a little bit of both ) the town is mostly forgotten now. This old schoolhouse knows the story but unfortunately, walls don’t talk.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Reynolds Schoolhouse

Posted on January 21, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

I saw this old wooden building somewhere near Dundee. I figured it looked like an old schoolhouse with a light fixture above the door. Unfortunately, a sign was no longer attached to the wall for the light bulb to illuminate. I did a little research and I think it was the Reynolds Fractional School. If you are wondering like I was, a fractional school is one that teaches students from more than one township. Even though this old schoolhouse no longer has students learning inside its walls. It is still around to teach this old dude a few new things.

P.S. Even though it has a no trespassing sign on the front of it. I still do not trespass sign or not. I enjoy looking at them from the road. If you see an old house or building I hope you will respect the owners, even if the owner may be the taxpayers of that community.

Find Interesting locations throughout the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book Available on Amazon by clicking HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

« Previous Page