| Rural
Schools of Kalamazoo County
|
Alamo
Township
|
| Gerald School |
see Tamarack School |
| Kitzmiller School |
see Oak Grove School |
| Ransom School |
see Evergreen School |
| Skunk Hollow School |
see Twin Lakes School |
| Wilson School |
see Twin Lakes School |
| Finch School |
(#1 Fractional District, with Cooper Twp) -
section 1, northwest corner of B Avenue and 12th Street. The
first school in the township was built of logs in 1837 on land
donated by William Finch. It was replaced by a brick school,
which was demolished by a tornado in the 1880's. The building
that shows on the 1910 and 1918 maps is the third Finch
School. (1910 atlas; 1918 topo; Snow, p.42) |
| Evergreen School |
(District #2?) - section 10, southwest corner
of B Avenue and Ravine Road. Replaced an earlier school
farther east on B. The second building was built about 1863 on
land donated by John Ransom, and was later known as Ransom
School. (Hultmark; 1910 atlas; 1918 topo; 1861 Atlas; Snow,
p.45) |
| Hackley School |
(District #3) - section 17,
southeast corner of C Avenue and 2nd Street. It was built on
land donated by Julius Hackley, and was thought to be more
than a hundred years old in 1958. It was originally closer to
the road, but moved in 1903. (Hultmark; 1910 atlas; 1918 topo;
Snow, p.45) |
| Williams School |
(District #4) - section 20,
northeast of the junction of DE Avenue and 2nd Street. The
second building on this site was used until 1942, after which
it remained vacant until it was converted to a church in 1958.
(Hultmark; 1910 atlas; shows on 1918 topo without a name;
Snow, p.46). There is a picture of Williams School on the
Williams website: http:
//home.earthlink.net/~tommaas/Williams.htm |
| Alamo Center
School |
(District #1) - section 21, a
little west of 6th Street on south side of D Avenue. Built in
1873, but preceded by two other buildings on nearby sites.
Annexed to the Otsego school district in 1957. Last used for
classes in 1960. (Hultmark; "Alamo Center School closes
doors..."; Snow, pp.23,31 & 43) |
| Oak Grove School |
(District #6) - section 23, west of Ravine Road
near where it intersects with Owen Drive. District organized
about 1876. Built that year on land donated by John Kitzmiller,
and known for many years as Kitzmiller School. Burned in the
spring of 1935, but rebuilt by fall. In the 1890 Atlas, it
appears slightly farther south on Ravine, so there may
actually have been three buildings. This district consolidated
with Tamarack and Twin Lakes Districts in 1955. (1890 Atlas;
1910 Atlas; 1918 topo; Snow, p.45) |
| Twin Lakes
School |
(#5 Fractional District, with
Cooper Twp) - section 25, west side of 12th Street, a little
north of the intersection with F Avenue. On the 1918
topographic map, this is called Wilson School. It was later
officially known as Twin Lakes School and unofficially as
Skunk Hollow School. In 1946 it was closed, and the students
transferred to Alamo Center School. It reopened for a few
years in 1951, then closed again in 1956 when the new Alamo
Valley School opened. In 1955 this district consolidated with
Oak Grove and Tamarack districts. It was maintained as a
private home for some time after that. (1918 topo; Snow, p.
46) |
| Tamarack School |
(District #5) - section 28, southwest corner of
Owen Drive and 6th Street. Called Gerald School on the 1918
topographic map. Closed in 1956 and converted to a private
residence. (Hultmark; 1910 atlas; 1918 topo)
Follow the links to see class photographs:
194?, 1951,
1954, 195? |
|
The following
sources were used to compile this page:
- "Alamo Center School closes doors on 87-year
history," Kalamazoo Gazette, 5 June 1960.
- Hultmark, Sarah. List of one-room schools still standing
in Kalamazoo County in 1982. Manuscript, Local History
Collection, Kalamazoo Public Library.
- Map of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Geil &
Harley, 1861.
- Sauer, William C. Illustrated Atlas of Kalamazoo
County [Michigan] with Early and Present History of
Kalamazoo County, Wm. C. Sauer, 1890.
- Snow, Florence. Alamo Township, Most Northwest Corner
of Kalamazoo County, Michigan: Past and Present.
Published by the Author, 1958.
- Standard Atlas of Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1910.
- USGS Topographic Map for Kalamazoo County, 1918.
Compiled by Catherine Larson, Local
History Specialist, Kalamazoo Public Library, 1999. |
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