Evergreen School / Ransom School

Alamo Township

Location: (District #2) – section 10, southwest corner of B Avenue and Ravine Road.

Details

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. It was last listed in the Kalamazoo County school directories in 1956-57, at which point it was annexed to the Otsego School District. Classes continued to be held there through the spring of 1960. Later, students were bused into Otsego. The district had paid tuition for some of its students to Otsego High School, at least in the school years 1925-26, 1926-27, 1931-32, 1933-34, 1934-35, 1945-46, and 1946-47. The building was later used as a church. Being beyond repair, it was burned about 27 August 2012 as a training exercise by the Alamo Fire Department. The owner intended to rebuild it.

Teachers

1922-27: Harriet Chappell
1927-31: Hazel Sweet
1931-35: Wilma G. DeYoung
1935-37: Bonnie Dailey
1937-38: Lois Hamlin
1938-40: Howard F. Bargwell
1940-42: Bonnie Wesbey
1942-43: Lucille LaQuea (fall), Bonnie Wesbey (spring)
1943-50: Mary Egan
1950-51: Unknown
1951-55: Winnifred Lucas
1955-59: Dorothy Benedict
1959-60: Mrs. Leach

Compiled by Catherine Larson, Local History Specialist, Kalamazoo Public Library, 1999. Mapped October 2008. Last updated 14 October 2021. With thanks to John Pfau for providing us with additional information.