On a foggy winter day, I saw this old schoolhouse near the shores of White Lake north of Muskegon. The unique-looking belfry is what caught my attention. Most of the one-room schools I have seen in Michigan have a simple square belfry. The historical marker in front of it gave a little history of this old building and reads:
This clapboard school with its octagonal belfry was erected here in 1883, following the organization of Fruitland District No.6 in 1882. The new school was built by Thomas Keilor on land donated by John McNeil. Students attended class here from 1883 through May 1948, when Fruitland Township School District consolidated with Whitehall. In 1961 the school was donated to the White Lake Community Club. The club deeded the property to Fruitland Township in 1990.
