Mason District Number 5 Schoolhouse: Difference between revisions

	Mason District Number 5 Schoolhouse
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	Michigan State Historic Site
	Front of the school
	Location within the state of Michigan Mason District Number 5 Schoolhouse (the United States)
Location	17049 U.S. Highway 12, Edwardsburg, Michigan
Coordinates	41°46′34″N 85°53′52″W / 41.77611°N 85.89778°W
Area	1.2 acres (0.49 ha)
Built	1874
Architectural style	T shape
NRHP reference No.	85002153
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	September 12, 1985
Designated MSHS	June 10, 1980

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Mason District Number 5 Schoolhouse is a former two room rural schoolhouse in Mason Township, Cass County, Michigan built in 1874; the school could hold up to 110 students.^[2] The school operated until 1959, when the area became part of the Constantine School District. Constantine School District continued operating the schoolhouse for kindergarten through 6th grade until 1963. The building was transformed into the Mason Township Hall in 1964. In 1973 the building also became home to the Mason-Union Branch of the Cass District Library.^[2]^[3]

The school house is listed on both the National Register of Historic Sites and the Michigan registry of Historic Sites.

The current uses are still a split use government building, where the historic school house is used by the Cass District Library for the Mason-Union Branch and the new addition in the back, being used by the township.

History

The school house was built between 1874 and 1875 at the cost of about $3,000. It has been known as the Sailor School and the Kessington School house.^[4] In 1964 Mason Township board bought the building for use as the township hall. In 1973 the Cass County Library founded and established a branch library in the township hall to serve the members of the South-East corner of the county. In 1987, the building was restored.^[5]^[6]

The bell that was on top of the school house was built by the Gould Mrf. Co of Seneca Falls, New York. The bell weights about 290 pounds and was shipped from New York to Mason.^[5]

The bell that sits outside the schoolhouse now has not always been with the school. After the bell was installed it stayed with the building until a reconstruction project took place on the building during the 1970s. The bell was dropped from the belfry and york was cracked or broke. The bell could not be reinstalled so it was left sitting on the ground until a local farmer bought the bell from the township, and then sold it to a family member who lived in Wichita, Kansas. Several attempts were made to buy the bell back to restore it with the building. However the owner refused to sell the bell until 1996 when he contacted the township and stated that he was willing to sell the bell. Two local people went to buy the bell and had the yoke fixed before donating it to the township. After almost 25 years after the bell was sold it was returned to the schoolhouse.^[7]

Information from Michigan registry

The narrative description on file with the Michigan registry reads:

The Mason District Number 5 Schoolhouse is a one-story, T-plan, yellow brick structure resting on a fieldstone foundation. Raised dark red brick trim forms Italianate-inspired hood molds over the arched windows and door frame and trims the cornice, forming triangle-shaped downward projections which mimic the appearance of brackets. In the raking eaves, the red brick trim is inset with yellow brick crosses. A double row of red brick also forms a belt course marking the separation between the first floor and foundation on the exterior. A gable-roofed, single-story addition, constructed c. 1988, extends off of the rear of the building.^[2]

The text that is listed about the schoolhouse on the Michigan Register of sites for the Statement of Significance reads:

In size and architectural distinction, the District Number 5 Schoolhouse is far in advance of the typical late nineteenth-century rural Michigan school building. Constructed in 1875, the structure served Mason Township as a school for up to 110 students until 1959. In 1964, the schoolhouse was reopened as the township hall. Since 1972, the former District Number 5 Schoolhouse has accommodated the Mason-Union Branch of the Cass County Library as well as the township hall.^[2]

The marker text that has been placed on the site reads as follows:

DISTRICT SCHOOLHOUSE This late-Victorian schoolhouse was built in 1874-1875. Constructed at a cost of $3,000, it is made of locally manufactured yellow and red brick. The 1882 Cass County History described it as "the best rural schoolhouse in the State." Its two classrooms could accommodate 110 pupils. The school was used until the local district was absorbed into the Constantine School District in 1959. In 1964 the building became the township hall; and in 1972, the Mason Union Branch of the Cass County Library.^[2]

Film

The building and the bell are highlighted in a documentary called "From Moccasins to Main Street" which was produced by Equity Studios Inc. The documentary is a tour of the Native American Sauk Trail what is now US 12.^[8]

References

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Historic Sites Online: Mason District No. 5 Schoolhouse Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved December 24, 2009
^ Mason Union Branch Retrieved December 24, 2009 Archived July 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
^ Mason Township Hall Photos Retrieved December 24, 2009
^ ^a ^b Mason Township Historical Data Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved December 24, 2009
^ Article title^[usurped] Retrieved December 24, 2009
^ Sumeriz, Lyle (June 26, 1998), "Dedication to ring in bell's return to its beginnings", Hometown (Kalamazoo Gazette), p. 1
^ From Moccasins to Main Street; A Journey Down the Old Chicago Road (DVD). Sturgis: Equity Studios, Inc. 2006.

External links

Mason/Union Branch of the Cass District Library

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[MCGI-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Historic Sites Online: Mason District No. 5 Schoolhouse Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved December 24, 2009

[3] Mason Union Branch Retrieved December 24, 2009 Archived July 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

[4] Mason Township Hall Photos Retrieved December 24, 2009

[QTM-5] Mason Township Historical Data Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved December 24, 2009

[6] Article title^[usurped] Retrieved December 24, 2009

[7] Sumeriz, Lyle (June 26, 1998), "Dedication to ring in bell's return to its beginnings", Hometown (Kalamazoo Gazette), p. 1

[8] From Moccasins to Main Street; A Journey Down the Old Chicago Road (DVD). Sturgis: Equity Studios, Inc. 2006.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Infobox nrhp
+{{Infobox NRHP
-  | name = Mason District Number 5 Schoolhouse
+| name                           = Mason District Number 5 Schoolhouse
-  | nrhp_type = nhs
+| nrhp_type                      =
-  | image = Mason School House No5.jpg
+| image                          = Mason School House No5.jpg
-  | caption = A view of Mason School House No5 from highway U.S. 12
+| caption                        = Front of the school
-  | location = [[Edwardsburg, Michigan|Edwardsburg]], [[Cass County, Michigan]], [[United States|USA]]
+| location                       = 17049 [[U.S. Route 12 in Michigan|U.S. Highway&nbsp;12]], [[Edwardsburg, Michigan|Edwardsburg]], [[Michigan]]
+| coordinates                    = {{coord|41|46|34|N|85|53|52|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
-  | nearest_city =
+| locmapin                       = Michigan#USA
-  | lat_degrees = 41
+| map_caption                    = Location within the state of Michigan
-  | lat_minutes = 46
+| built                          = 1874
-  | lat_seconds = 34
+| architecture                   = T shape
-  | lat_direction = N
+| added                          = September 12, 1985
-  | long_degrees = 85
+| area                           = {{convert|1.2|acre}}
-  | long_minutes = 53
+| refnum                         = 85002153<ref name=nris>{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>
-  | long_seconds = 52
+| designated_other1              = Michigan State Historic Site
-  | long_direction = W
+| designated_other1_date         = June 10, 1980<ref name=MCGI/>
-  | area =
+| designated_other1_number       =
-  | built = 1874
+| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
-  | architect =
-  | architecture = late-Victorian schoolhouse
-  | added = [[September 12]], [[1985]]
-  | visitation_num =
-  | visitation_year =
-  | refnum = 284319
-  | mpsub =
-  | governing_body =
 }}
+'''Mason District Number 5 Schoolhouse''' is a former [[two-room schoolhouse|two room rural schoolhouse]] in [[Mason Township, Cass County, Michigan]] built in 1874; the school could hold up to 110 students.<ref name="MCGI"/>  The school operated until 1959, when the area became part of the [[Constantine School District]].  Constantine School District continued operating the schoolhouse for kindergarten through 6th grade until 1963. The building was transformed into the Mason Township Hall in 1964. In 1973 the building also became home to the Mason-Union Branch of the [[Cass District Library]].<ref name="MCGI">[http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/3661.htm Historic Sites Online: Mason District No. 5 Schoolhouse] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606153025/http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/3661.htm |date=2011-06-06 }} Retrieved December 24, 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.cass.lib.mi.us/cmu.html Mason Union Branch] Retrieved December 24, 2009  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711162137/http://www.cass.lib.mi.us/cmu.html |date=July 11, 2009 }}</ref>
+The school house is listed on both the National Register of Historic Sites and the [[Michigan]] registry of Historic Sites.
-'''Mason District Number 5 Schoolhouse''' is a a former two room rural [[schoolhouse]] in [[Mason Township, Cass County, Michigan]] built in 1874; the school could hold up to 110 students.<ref name="MCGI"/>  The school operated until 1959, when the area became part of the [[Constantine School District]].  The building was transformed in to the Mason Township Hall in 1964. In 1973 the building also became home to the Mason-Union Branch of the [[Cass District Library]].<ref>[http://www.cass.lib.mi.us/cmu.html Mason Union Branch] Retrieved December 24, 2009</ref><ref name="MCGI">[http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/3661.htm Historic Sites Online: Mason District No. 5 Schoolhouse] Retrieved December 24, 2009</ref>
+The current uses are still a split use government building, where the historic school house is used by the Cass District Library for the Mason-Union Branch and the new addition in the back, being used by the township.
-The school house is listed on both the National Register of Historic Sites and the [[Michigan]] registry of Historic Sites.
-The current uses are still a split use government building, where the historic school house is used by the Cass District Library for the Mason-Union Branch and the new addition in the back, being used by the township.
 ==History==
 [[Image:Mason School Historical Marker.JPG|thumb|upright|alt=The Michigan Historical Marker that is placed on the grounds of the Mason School House.|The Michigan Historical Marker that is placed on the grounds of the Mason School House]]
+The school house was built between 1874 and 1875 at the cost of about $3,000.  It has been known as the Sailor School and the Kessington School house.<ref>[http://qtm.net/mason/MasonPhotos/ Mason Township Hall Photos] Retrieved December 24, 2009</ref>  In 1964 Mason Township board bought the building for use as the township hall. In 1973 the Cass County Library founded and established a branch library in the township hall to serve the members of the South-East corner of the county. In 1987, the building was restored.<ref name="QTM">[http://qtm.net/mason/histdata.htm Mason Township Historical Data] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724024649/http://qtm.net/mason/histdata.htm |date=2011-07-24 }} Retrieved December 24, 2009</ref><ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20140717055930/http://www.michmarkers.com/Frameset.htm Article title]}} Retrieved December 24, 2009</ref>
+The bell that was on top of the school house was built by the Gould Mrf. Co of [[Seneca Falls (village), New York|Seneca Falls, New York]].  The bell weights about 290 pounds and was shipped from New York to Mason.<ref name="QTM"/>
-The school house was built between 1874-1875 at the cost of about $3,000.  It has been known as the Sailor School and the Kessington School house.<ref>[http://qtm.net/mason/MasonPhotos/ Mason Township Hall Photos] Retrieved December 24, 2009 </ref>  In 1964 Mason Township board bought the building for a uses as the township hall. In 1973 the Cass County Library founded and established a branch library in the township hall to services the members of the South-East corner of the county. In 1987, the building was restored.<ref name="QTM">[http://qtm.net/mason/histdata.htm Mason Township Historical Data] Retrieved December 24, 2009</ref> <ref>http://www.michmarkers.com/frameset.htm Retrieved December 24, 2009</ref><br>
+The bell that sits outside the schoolhouse now has not always been with the school.  After the bell was installed it stayed with the building until a reconstruction project took place on the building during the 1970s.   The bell was dropped from the belfry and york was cracked or broke.   The bell could not be reinstalled so it was left sitting on the ground until a local farmer bought the bell from the township, and then sold it to a family member who lived in [[Wichita, Kansas]].  Several attempts were made to buy the bell back to restore it with the building.  However the owner refused to sell the bell until 1996 when he contacted the township and stated that he was willing to sell the bell.  Two local people went to buy the bell and had the yoke fixed before donating it to the township.  After almost 25 years after the bell was sold it was returned to the schoolhouse.<ref>
-The bell that was on top of the school house was built by the Gould Mrf. Co of [[Seneca Falls]], [[New York]].  The bell weights about 290 pounds and was shipped from New York to Mason.<ref name="QTM"/>+<br>
+{{Citation |newspaper = Hometown (Kalamazoo Gazette) |title=Dedication to ring in bell's return to its beginnings |last=Sumeriz| first= Lyle |date=June 26, 1998 |page=1}}</ref>
+==Information from Michigan registry==
-The bell that sets outside the schoolhouse now has not always been with the school.  After the bell was installed it stayed with the building until a reconstruction project took place on the building during the 1970's/    The bell was dropped from the belfry and york was cracked or broke.   The bell could not be reinstalled so it was left setting on the ground.  Until a local farmer bought the bell from the township, and then sold it to a family member who lived in [[Wichita, Kansas]].   Several attempts where made to buy the bell back to restore it with the building.  However the owner refused to sell the bell until 1996 when he contracted the township and stated that he was willing to sell the bell.   Two local people went to buy the bell and had the yoke fixed before donating it to the township.    After almost 25 years after the bell was sold it was returned to the school house. <ref>
+The narrative description on file with the Michigan registry reads:
-{{Citation |newspaper = Hometown (Kalamazoo Gazette) |title=Dedication to ring in bell's return to its beginnings |last=Sumeriz| first| Lyle |date=June 26, 1998 |year = 1998 |page_number=1
+<blockquote><div style= "font-size:87%;">The Mason District Number 5 Schoolhouse is a one-story, T-plan, yellow brick structure resting on a fieldstone foundation. Raised dark red brick trim forms Italianate-inspired hood molds over the arched windows and door frame and trims the cornice, forming triangle-shaped downward projections which mimic the appearance of brackets. In the raking eaves, the red brick trim is inset with yellow brick crosses. A double row of red brick also forms a belt course marking the separation between the first floor and foundation on the exterior. A gable-roofed, single-story addition, constructed c. 1988, extends off of the rear of the building.<ref name="MCGI"/></div></blockquote>
-}}</ref>
-==Information from Michigan Registry==
-The narative description on file with the Michigan registry reads:
-{| border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" align="center" width="90%" style="background-color: #EEEEEE;"
-|-----
-| <blockquote><div style= "font-size:87%;">The Mason District Number 5 Schoolhouse is a one-story, T-plan, yellow brick structure resting on a fieldstone foundation. Raised dark red brick trim forms Italianate-inspired hood molds over the arched windows and door frame and trims the cornice, forming triangle-shaped downward projections which mimic the appearance of brackets. In the raking eaves, the red brick trim is inset with yellow brick crosses. A double row of red brick also forms a belt course marking the separation between the first floor and foundation on the exterior. A gable-roofed, single-story addition, constructed c. 1988, extends off of the rear of the building.<ref name="MCGI"/></div></blockquote>
-|}
 The text that is listed about the schoolhouse on the Michigan Register of sites for the Statement of Significance reads:
+<blockquote><div style= "font-size:87%;">In size and architectural distinction, the District Number 5 Schoolhouse is far in advance of the typical late nineteenth-century rural Michigan school building. Constructed in 1875, the structure served Mason Township as a school for up to 110 students until 1959. In 1964, the schoolhouse was reopened as the township hall. Since 1972, the former District Number 5 Schoolhouse has accommodated the Mason-Union Branch of the Cass County Library as well as the township hall.<ref name="MCGI"/></div></blockquote>
-{| border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" align="center" width="90%" style="background-color: #EEEEEE;"
-|-----
-| <blockquote><div style= "font-size:87%;">In size and architectural distinction, the District Number 5 Schoolhouse is far in advance of the typical late nineteenth-century rural Michigan school building. Constructed in 1875, the structure served Mason Township as a school for up to 110 students until 1959. In 1964, the schoolhouse was reopened as the township hall. Since 1972, the former District Number 5 Schoolhouse has accommodated the Mason-Union Branch of the Cass County Library as well as the township hall.<ref name="MCGI"/></div></blockquote>
-|}
 The marker text that has been placed on the site reads as follows:
+<blockquote><div style= "font-size:87%;">DISTRICT SCHOOLHOUSE This late-Victorian schoolhouse was built in 1874-1875. Constructed at a cost of $3,000, it is made of locally manufactured yellow and red brick. The 1882 Cass County History described it as "the best rural schoolhouse in the State." Its two classrooms could accommodate 110 pupils. The school was used until the local district was absorbed into the Constantine School District in 1959. In 1964 the building became the township hall; and in 1972, the Mason Union Branch of the Cass County Library.<ref name="MCGI"/></div></blockquote>
-{| border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" align="center" width="90%" style="background-color: #EEEEEE;"
-|-----
+==Film==
-| <blockquote><div style= "font-size:87%;">DISTRICT SCHOOLHOUSE This late-Victorian schoolhouse was built in 1874-1875. Constructed at a cost of $3,000, it is made of locally manufactured yellow and red brick. The 1882 Cass County History described it as "the best rural schoolhouse in the State." Its two classrooms could accommodate 110 pupils. The school was used until the local district was absorbed into the Constantine School District in 1959. In 1964 the building became the township hall; and in 1972, the Mason Union Branch of the Cass County Library.<ref name="MCGI"/></div></blockquote>
+The building and the bell are highlighted in a documentary called "From Moccasins to Main Street" which was produced by Equity Studios Inc.  The documentary is a tour of the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] [[Sauk Trail]] what is now US 12.<ref>{{Cite video  | people = | title = From Moccasins to Main Street; A Journey Down the Old Chicago Road  | medium = DVD  | publisher = Equity Studios, Inc | location = Sturgis | date = 2006}}</ref>
-|}
 == References ==
-<!--- See [[Wikipedia:Footnotes]] on how to create references using <ref></ref> tags which will then appear here automatically -->
 {{Reflist}}
-{{Registered Historic Places}}
 ==External links==
+* [http://www.cass.lib.mi.us/cmu.html Mason/Union Branch of the Cass District Library]
+{{Michigan}}
-* [http://www.cass.lib.mi.us/cmu.html Mason/Union Branch of the Cass District Library]
+{{Registered Historic Places}}
+{{authority control}}
-== External links ==
+[[Category:School buildings completed in 1874]]
-<!--- Categories --->
-[[Category:Articles created via the Article Wizard]]
+[[Category:School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan]]
-[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Michigan]]
+[[Category:Buildings and structures in Cass County, Michigan]]
-[[Category:Cass County, Michigan]]
+[[Category:Michigan State Historic Sites]]
 [[Category:Public libraries in Michigan]]
+[[Category:Education in Cass County, Michigan]]
+[[Category:Schoolhouses in Michigan]]
+[[Category:Two-room schoolhouses]]
+[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Cass County, Michigan]]

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