Dublin Core
Title
Julianne Meyer's history of the Old Mission Peninsula One Room Schoolhouses
Subject
Rural Schools
One-Room Schools
Description
A draft copy of an article (or perhaps speaker's note) by Julianne Meyer about the Old Mission Peninsula One-Room Schoolhouses.
Creator
Julianne Meyer
Publisher
Peninsula Community Library
Date
Unknown
Contributor
Mary T Morgan
Rights
This document is protected by copyright law. Contact the Peninsula Community Library for permission to reproduce, display, or transmit this document.
Format
PDF
Language
English
Identifier
LHC 002
Coverage
Traverse City, Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan
PDF Text
Text
RAO c,fa Off 0?_xprfe
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@urlvv--I 8ultowp4,5tRrfu^`€chpe!
^-A
Mysutjed+'todrfagris
me of the
?.boys
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e were no
stgiv
£ul8ea#bhhfj#¥%
ctures suc
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i,
#:t#ed#utyift%e'gw
I shall beSn with the first school the one which in the spring of I 840, the log
school at Elk Rapids which had been caused to be built and used by Rev. Dougherty was
dismantled and transported across the bay. It was rebuilt along the shore of the Old
aHch~y ]0,1840, th?f:r¥ class was he]q.wit.h twenty q.¥? pupi.]s `.` ` `
•
,,:.-'`!
.. r-T'.`.itce4inalLe±j=h]]Eche-i:Q]]Ji]-pinsula. rieueld
RERETEEE
feEEE±±he.log church now covered i±±±±±±±±agEE=as tom down. It was a headache
rd3ed±5r±adrE±±aed±±fe±±aki:i±£fas
The second school was held on the schooner `Madefroe,' which was anchored
offthore in Bowers Harfuor during the 1851-1852 fall and winter. The teacher was S,E.
wit who was seventeen years old at the time. ms students were WJ,liam, Michael and
John Fitzgerald whose descendent, Edmund, would rfuer have a famous ship named for
him. Little is known about the fourth student, Wirmam Bryce, but we do know that the
fifth student, Edward Chambers, was the cook. In that capacity he was rdieved from
paying the $20.00 per month in gold pieces to Wait for instruction. There is a bronge
plaque placed along the shore near the approximate place where the schooner was buoyed
oREsho[e. Clnd c7.iqec4hri see I+ &9 I + 19pi©,gr.Soir Sfrof ty 4he, @culnc>L>S&
The third school built in 1853 was the Old Mission school whieh is in the village of
Old REssion. Oridnally it was a one room school but, as the area became more
developed, a second room was added. Lois Lardie Steffes recalled that about the turn of
the century, there were so many enrolled that they had to hold another class. But there
was no space so Philip Devol offered the use of the upstairs of his home util the addition
could be built. Thus was cow a primary room for the first four grades and a big room for
fifth throngb ninh grades with one teacher in each one. It had a hnge basemeut with two
largebrickfumaceswherethepupilsoftenbronghtpotatoesoralittlejarofsomethingto
heat and put them in the brick crevices to bake. Mary Marshall Pratt, Motry I.evin's
grandmother had chicken dinners for ten cents for the schcol children wh would walk
across the road to her house. Later, Mofty's mother, Hcten matt Altehberg, attended the
first thru ninth grade and said she liked school so rmch she married a professor, Geonge
Altenberg who was very much respousfole establishing the conege in Traverse City.
Teachers also boarded at Helen Altenberg's home. The school was the first to provide
Fl of 4
hot lunches for school children. Different mothers volunteered to do cooking. There was
afittlelibraryinfrontofschoolwhichtheytumedintoakitchenwithakerosenestove.
They arranged for food stuffs from a federal program.
DelanoLardiewasastudentatOldMssionSchoolandtellsthestorythattheschoolhad
builtanewtoilet.Hegotouthisjackknifeashethoughtthetofletwouldbeagoodplace
to cut his initials: D.I).L. The janitor had no trouble finding out who had done this and it
cost hin 15cents. Axel Ostlund attended the school through the tenth grade. Those who
didn't finish high school at Traverse City, went to Elk Rapids High School. He was asked
aboutdisciplineinthesehoolandsaldyouhadtobehaveprettygoodthatifyougotin
trouble at school, you had more tr`ouble at home. In order to maintain discipline the
teacher would take the trouble maker outside after school and paddle them. Sometimes
theteacherwouldgrabakidbythehairandshckethemupgood.
In1864theBowersHatorSchcolwasbuiltatthecomerofKroupaRoadand
Neahiawanta Road and origivally was a log structure and was used as a school for
children nving in the Bowers Halbor area. Hany Johnson was a student when the school
was made Of logs. ms teacher had corrected him for something he had done. That right
he had got into the school and wrote this on the blackboard.
Lord of love look down from above
Look down upon us poor scholars
We have a fool - a teacher at school
And pay her twerty five dollars.
In1917thepresentBowersHalborSchoolweseetodayreplacedthelogschool.Itis
now a home One of the years that Axel Ostlund taugiv at this school there were only
four students. In 1926 he made $75 a month. In the 1930's Maxine Kniss was the last
student left living in the area and had to go to the Maplcton school and had to walk
somctimesacrosstheice.OnNewYear'sDaytheBowersELborWomen'sClubalways
hadabigpotluckatthesohool.ThatwasaftertheyquitusingtheSchoolasaschool(per
Naomi Kroupa) The Peninsula Federation ofwomen's Clubs in the 1930's and 1940's
met at this former school once a year.
In 1865 the Mapleton School was built at the comer of Devil's Dive and Seven
HillsRoad.AccordingtoMaliriceDeGrawinthebeginningitwasjustaoneroomschool
and his Uncle Johason's wife was a teacher who had a list of the 65 children who were in
that one room school. hdr. DeGraw said it became a two room school after 1907. Each
yearanruralschoolspresentedaChristmasprogramfortheparentsonthelastFriday
evening before Christmas. In those days ever}rfhing centered around the school which was
its own primary school district. Oaney Lardie said that in 1940 he was elected head of
tehMapletonSchoolBoardandtheyhadanawfultimegcttingteachers.Theyhiredsome
woman and shortly thereafter she was fred as couldn't keep discipthe as the kids raised
hell with her. Walter Johnson said the school had a big tub that they put on a kerosene
stoveandheatedwateronit.Theyhadbigjarsofsoupthattheyheatedupinthehot
water. Once in a while one of the old Mason jars cracked and then there was a mess.
p. I-a+ tt
Fires were common in those days as chimney was too close to the roofs. At the Mapleton
School a fie started on the roof and several of the students climbed up and got the fue out
before it got starated too badly. (As a note here the fast Peninsula Fire Department was
started in 1944) To show the salaries teachers were paid, in 1924 Margarct Kroupa
Dohm was paid $85.00 a month then later $88.00 and then $90.00. It was the highest
paid on the Peninsula.
According to records there was a school naned Archie located on Gray Road. A
P. Gray donated the land and the school was built about 1883. Jim Wilson's father went
there as did his uncle. The children Of eady settlers, the Grays, Montagues, MCMullins,
Wilsous, Keftys, Buchans and Kilmurys attended here. This Log schcomouse either burned
or was tom down in 1893.
The 1881 plat mat shows the Ogdenchurg School as being in the old cemetery on the
comer of Ladd and Center Road that is close to the road. It was moved across the road
to the Fred Dohm farm where it was used as a chicken coop. Fred remembers a couple of
old school decks in there with ice wells. I can remenber hearing old Fred Dohm saying
that there were bodies buried in Ledd Road. Later the ogdensburg school as we lmow
it was built in 1898 and located on Center Road just south of the Ogdensburg cenctery.
Ida Bee attended this school thru the 8th grade and said that the school had two rooms, a
little room and the big room. Her house wasn't far from the school and said that in winter
the snows were so deep in front of her house they couldn't see out the windows and so
deep on Center Road that horses pulling the cutter stumbled and would go down. Schools
were in session nearly every day in winter. Since not everyone had telephones a lot of
people wouldn't know that schools would be closed and would imalk through the snow
only to find the school was closed.
h 1901 the Mckinley school was built in 1901 at the comer of Mckinley and Center
Roads. It was named for President MCKinley. According to hdrs. Wmiam Tuttle,
daughter of an early MCKinley school teacher, she recalls her mother telling her that her
father had said, "I love try chfldfren but I brought them up here from Findley Ohio to
starve." My mother told him nth an the fruit and vngctables we had in the cellar we
wouldn[`t starve. If the threat of starvation faced these cady teachers, it indicates the
poor salaries they must have received.
The Maple Grove School was built in 1893 on the comer of center Road and Carroll
Road. According to township records of 1920, the teacher was paid $100.00 a month, but
she had to pay $5.00 a momh of this money to the janitor and S12. 50 per month for her
room and board. Male teachers were paid 50% more than their feniale counterpats
It was at one tine used as a church. I+enora Pitcher taught all eight grades. Her huchand
would drive her out from Traverse Cfty and then take the "gh school kids into town.
Since the schools at that time held classes up to the eighth grade, arrangemeuts had to be
made for students wishing to graduate. Some, paid to have their child board weekly at
someone's home in town. Oliver Tompkins had a bus and drove the high school kids to
torn. Speaking of oliver, his dad had a pig in a pen and a friend agreed to buy it. His
?. 3c}{`' 4i
dad had told hin the price for it, The next moming the pig was dead and Oliver's dad said
he could come and get it. tin;' ## I, fty4 If p#ap
The Storey Beach School was located at the comer Of Montague and Center
Road. It was built with two entrances: one for the givls and one for the boys. By 1908
the eurollment had increased and another room was added onto the west side. This room
housed the lower grades. According to Jim Wilson who attended this school he received a
pretty gcod education. When it cane time for him to be called up to the recitation bench
he would go. All this while he was leaning from the fourth grade what they were asked
while you were in the first. So by the time he got to the fourth grade it was a cinch for he
knew all the answers. You didn't get into high school till you lmew your three `R's'.
At that time all of the schools usually had a recitation bench which was placed
along the front and was used when three or four grades were in one room of the school.
The Old Mssion Elementary School was opened in 1955 and an addition was
completed in 1957 to accomodate grades kindergarten through the eighth grades. The
schools were consolidated in 1968 after which grades kindergarten through the sixth
grades are the only grades now tanght there.
Lastly - 100 ysars ago only 6% of Americans had a hick school education
In October 11, 1893, three copies of School Laws was sent to D. H. MCMullen,
Superintendent of School District ffl
There were six School Districts: Old Mssion, Bowers Harbor, Mapleton,
Ogdensburg, Maple Grove, Stongy Beach
Written by Julianne E. Meyer
?- q o{, i
%fro#%#ff#4
@urlvv--I 8ultowp4,5tRrfu^`€chpe!
^-A
Mysutjed+'todrfagris
me of the
?.boys
Pin size',i
e were no
stgiv
£ul8ea#bhhfj#¥%
ctures suc
lso.nt,beOldREg6io,gr`'
i,
#:t#ed#utyift%e'gw
I shall beSn with the first school the one which in the spring of I 840, the log
school at Elk Rapids which had been caused to be built and used by Rev. Dougherty was
dismantled and transported across the bay. It was rebuilt along the shore of the Old
aHch~y ]0,1840, th?f:r¥ class was he]q.wit.h twenty q.¥? pupi.]s `.` ` `
•
,,:.-'`!
.. r-T'.`.itce4inalLe±j=h]]Eche-i:Q]]Ji]-pinsula. rieueld
RERETEEE
feEEE±±he.log church now covered i±±±±±±±±agEE=as tom down. It was a headache
rd3ed±5r±adrE±±aed±±fe±±aki:i±£fas
The second school was held on the schooner `Madefroe,' which was anchored
offthore in Bowers Harfuor during the 1851-1852 fall and winter. The teacher was S,E.
wit who was seventeen years old at the time. ms students were WJ,liam, Michael and
John Fitzgerald whose descendent, Edmund, would rfuer have a famous ship named for
him. Little is known about the fourth student, Wirmam Bryce, but we do know that the
fifth student, Edward Chambers, was the cook. In that capacity he was rdieved from
paying the $20.00 per month in gold pieces to Wait for instruction. There is a bronge
plaque placed along the shore near the approximate place where the schooner was buoyed
oREsho[e. Clnd c7.iqec4hri see I+ &9 I + 19pi©,gr.Soir Sfrof ty 4he, @culnc>L>S&
The third school built in 1853 was the Old Mission school whieh is in the village of
Old REssion. Oridnally it was a one room school but, as the area became more
developed, a second room was added. Lois Lardie Steffes recalled that about the turn of
the century, there were so many enrolled that they had to hold another class. But there
was no space so Philip Devol offered the use of the upstairs of his home util the addition
could be built. Thus was cow a primary room for the first four grades and a big room for
fifth throngb ninh grades with one teacher in each one. It had a hnge basemeut with two
largebrickfumaceswherethepupilsoftenbronghtpotatoesoralittlejarofsomethingto
heat and put them in the brick crevices to bake. Mary Marshall Pratt, Motry I.evin's
grandmother had chicken dinners for ten cents for the schcol children wh would walk
across the road to her house. Later, Mofty's mother, Hcten matt Altehberg, attended the
first thru ninth grade and said she liked school so rmch she married a professor, Geonge
Altenberg who was very much respousfole establishing the conege in Traverse City.
Teachers also boarded at Helen Altenberg's home. The school was the first to provide
Fl of 4
hot lunches for school children. Different mothers volunteered to do cooking. There was
afittlelibraryinfrontofschoolwhichtheytumedintoakitchenwithakerosenestove.
They arranged for food stuffs from a federal program.
DelanoLardiewasastudentatOldMssionSchoolandtellsthestorythattheschoolhad
builtanewtoilet.Hegotouthisjackknifeashethoughtthetofletwouldbeagoodplace
to cut his initials: D.I).L. The janitor had no trouble finding out who had done this and it
cost hin 15cents. Axel Ostlund attended the school through the tenth grade. Those who
didn't finish high school at Traverse City, went to Elk Rapids High School. He was asked
aboutdisciplineinthesehoolandsaldyouhadtobehaveprettygoodthatifyougotin
trouble at school, you had more tr`ouble at home. In order to maintain discipline the
teacher would take the trouble maker outside after school and paddle them. Sometimes
theteacherwouldgrabakidbythehairandshckethemupgood.
In1864theBowersHatorSchcolwasbuiltatthecomerofKroupaRoadand
Neahiawanta Road and origivally was a log structure and was used as a school for
children nving in the Bowers Halbor area. Hany Johnson was a student when the school
was made Of logs. ms teacher had corrected him for something he had done. That right
he had got into the school and wrote this on the blackboard.
Lord of love look down from above
Look down upon us poor scholars
We have a fool - a teacher at school
And pay her twerty five dollars.
In1917thepresentBowersHalborSchoolweseetodayreplacedthelogschool.Itis
now a home One of the years that Axel Ostlund taugiv at this school there were only
four students. In 1926 he made $75 a month. In the 1930's Maxine Kniss was the last
student left living in the area and had to go to the Maplcton school and had to walk
somctimesacrosstheice.OnNewYear'sDaytheBowersELborWomen'sClubalways
hadabigpotluckatthesohool.ThatwasaftertheyquitusingtheSchoolasaschool(per
Naomi Kroupa) The Peninsula Federation ofwomen's Clubs in the 1930's and 1940's
met at this former school once a year.
In 1865 the Mapleton School was built at the comer of Devil's Dive and Seven
HillsRoad.AccordingtoMaliriceDeGrawinthebeginningitwasjustaoneroomschool
and his Uncle Johason's wife was a teacher who had a list of the 65 children who were in
that one room school. hdr. DeGraw said it became a two room school after 1907. Each
yearanruralschoolspresentedaChristmasprogramfortheparentsonthelastFriday
evening before Christmas. In those days ever}rfhing centered around the school which was
its own primary school district. Oaney Lardie said that in 1940 he was elected head of
tehMapletonSchoolBoardandtheyhadanawfultimegcttingteachers.Theyhiredsome
woman and shortly thereafter she was fred as couldn't keep discipthe as the kids raised
hell with her. Walter Johnson said the school had a big tub that they put on a kerosene
stoveandheatedwateronit.Theyhadbigjarsofsoupthattheyheatedupinthehot
water. Once in a while one of the old Mason jars cracked and then there was a mess.
p. I-a+ tt
Fires were common in those days as chimney was too close to the roofs. At the Mapleton
School a fie started on the roof and several of the students climbed up and got the fue out
before it got starated too badly. (As a note here the fast Peninsula Fire Department was
started in 1944) To show the salaries teachers were paid, in 1924 Margarct Kroupa
Dohm was paid $85.00 a month then later $88.00 and then $90.00. It was the highest
paid on the Peninsula.
According to records there was a school naned Archie located on Gray Road. A
P. Gray donated the land and the school was built about 1883. Jim Wilson's father went
there as did his uncle. The children Of eady settlers, the Grays, Montagues, MCMullins,
Wilsous, Keftys, Buchans and Kilmurys attended here. This Log schcomouse either burned
or was tom down in 1893.
The 1881 plat mat shows the Ogdenchurg School as being in the old cemetery on the
comer of Ladd and Center Road that is close to the road. It was moved across the road
to the Fred Dohm farm where it was used as a chicken coop. Fred remembers a couple of
old school decks in there with ice wells. I can remenber hearing old Fred Dohm saying
that there were bodies buried in Ledd Road. Later the ogdensburg school as we lmow
it was built in 1898 and located on Center Road just south of the Ogdensburg cenctery.
Ida Bee attended this school thru the 8th grade and said that the school had two rooms, a
little room and the big room. Her house wasn't far from the school and said that in winter
the snows were so deep in front of her house they couldn't see out the windows and so
deep on Center Road that horses pulling the cutter stumbled and would go down. Schools
were in session nearly every day in winter. Since not everyone had telephones a lot of
people wouldn't know that schools would be closed and would imalk through the snow
only to find the school was closed.
h 1901 the Mckinley school was built in 1901 at the comer of Mckinley and Center
Roads. It was named for President MCKinley. According to hdrs. Wmiam Tuttle,
daughter of an early MCKinley school teacher, she recalls her mother telling her that her
father had said, "I love try chfldfren but I brought them up here from Findley Ohio to
starve." My mother told him nth an the fruit and vngctables we had in the cellar we
wouldn[`t starve. If the threat of starvation faced these cady teachers, it indicates the
poor salaries they must have received.
The Maple Grove School was built in 1893 on the comer of center Road and Carroll
Road. According to township records of 1920, the teacher was paid $100.00 a month, but
she had to pay $5.00 a momh of this money to the janitor and S12. 50 per month for her
room and board. Male teachers were paid 50% more than their feniale counterpats
It was at one tine used as a church. I+enora Pitcher taught all eight grades. Her huchand
would drive her out from Traverse Cfty and then take the "gh school kids into town.
Since the schools at that time held classes up to the eighth grade, arrangemeuts had to be
made for students wishing to graduate. Some, paid to have their child board weekly at
someone's home in town. Oliver Tompkins had a bus and drove the high school kids to
torn. Speaking of oliver, his dad had a pig in a pen and a friend agreed to buy it. His
?. 3c}{`' 4i
dad had told hin the price for it, The next moming the pig was dead and Oliver's dad said
he could come and get it. tin;' ## I, fty4 If p#ap
The Storey Beach School was located at the comer Of Montague and Center
Road. It was built with two entrances: one for the givls and one for the boys. By 1908
the eurollment had increased and another room was added onto the west side. This room
housed the lower grades. According to Jim Wilson who attended this school he received a
pretty gcod education. When it cane time for him to be called up to the recitation bench
he would go. All this while he was leaning from the fourth grade what they were asked
while you were in the first. So by the time he got to the fourth grade it was a cinch for he
knew all the answers. You didn't get into high school till you lmew your three `R's'.
At that time all of the schools usually had a recitation bench which was placed
along the front and was used when three or four grades were in one room of the school.
The Old Mssion Elementary School was opened in 1955 and an addition was
completed in 1957 to accomodate grades kindergarten through the eighth grades. The
schools were consolidated in 1968 after which grades kindergarten through the sixth
grades are the only grades now tanght there.
Lastly - 100 ysars ago only 6% of Americans had a hick school education
In October 11, 1893, three copies of School Laws was sent to D. H. MCMullen,
Superintendent of School District ffl
There were six School Districts: Old Mssion, Bowers Harbor, Mapleton,
Ogdensburg, Maple Grove, Stongy Beach
Written by Julianne E. Meyer
?- q o{, i