One room, many lessons
Text by Sarah A. Chuby, ’03 • Photographs by Peggy Brisbane
With inkwells, McGuffey’s Readers and a wood-burning stove resting in the corner, the one-room schoolhouse on CMU’s campus is reminiscent of an era when the three R’s were the mainstays of education.
It is 1901 and you are a student at Bohannon School. At the front of the room, you see portraits of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, the alphabet above the blackboard, and a United States flag.
Seated at your desk, you focus on your teacher, who instructs children at several different grade levels. She moves between three blackboards – one in the front and one on each side of the room – to teach each grade’s lessons.
Girls help the younger children with their lessons. Boys are in charge of stocking the wood-burning stove every couple of hours to keep the building warm.
Welcome to life in a one-room schoolhouse.
The Bohannon School is a way to remember the beginning of Michigan’s public education system and allows school tours to understand what classroom life was like at the turn of the 20th century.
CMU Museum of Cultural and Natural History Director William Pretzer says the schoolhouse must be historically accurate to give guests the best experience. In a recent restoration, the walls were painted a period paint color – ivory – and the inventory checked to ensure everything is from the early 1900s.
Pretzer says the historic building has mass appeal because most people can relate to a classroom experience. “When you walk in, you notice things that remind you of what it was like when you were in school, and you notice things that are antiquated,” he says. “School is a universal experience.”
It has been more than 105 years since the Bohannon School opened, but elements of the school still are seen in classrooms today – such as portraits of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, the alphabet above the blackboard, and a United States flag. •
Students played with clay marbles, a ball and glove, and tops during their play time in a field near the schoolhouse.
Even though students had an activity time with lunch, play time was separate – usually around 10 a.m. to give the teacher time to prepare for afternoon lessons.
In the front of Bohannon School, there is an American flag and a picture of George Washington. Many schoolhouses also had a picture of Abraham Lincoln.
Museum director William Pretzer explains the importance: “Washington was a founding father and Lincoln was either said to be ‘a great emancipator’ or the ‘man who saved the union,’ depending on where in the country the schoolhouse was located.”
In the morning, the teacher would arrive at least 90 minutes early to fire up the wood-burning stove. During the day, the boys in class were in charge of feeding logs into the stove every couple of hours.
“But don’t think that meant the room was evenly heated. It would be warm for the students who were lucky enough to sit in the middle of the room,” says William Pretzer, Museum of Cultural and Natural History director. “If you sat too far away, you froze. But if you were next to the stove, you roasted.”
And where did all of the wood come from? A local resident usually supplied the timber in lieu of paying school taxes.
Schoolhouse study guide
Name: Bohannon School, dedicated on CMU’s campus as the Gerald L. Poor Museum in honor of a longtime professor in CMU’s teacher education department
Original location: The corner of West Brooks and Coleman roads in Midland County, Mich.
Operated: From 1901 to 1950. Closed because of a substantial drop in enrollment and increasing cost of operation. Acquired by CMU in the 1970s.
Current location: The southwest corner
of Preston Street and West Campus Drive, Mount Pleasant
Available for tours: Teachers should visit www.museum.cmich.edu/newoneroom.htm
or call 989-774-3829 to schedule a tour at least two weeks in advance.
Sarah Chuby, the daughter of a teacher, counts the smell of chalkboard dust as one of her favorite childhood memories. chuby1sa@cmich.edu
