The Old North Grove Schoolhouse in the Michigan Thumb

Out in the desolate countryside of Fremont Township - between Caro & Mayfield, east of Saginaw in the thumb - lies the long-abandoned North Grove one-room schoolhouse.

The school was built in 1910 and was in attendance until 1966, when it closed for good, thanks to the kids being shipped five miles south to Mayville to attend school. But 106 years is still a good run.

The schoolhouse is at the intersection of M-24 (Mertz Road) and W. North Grove Road.

For the last few years, attempts have been made to restore & preserve the school - other attempts to tear it down have also arisen. It needs a LOT of repair but some locals have high hopes that it can be saved and used in the future for reunions, weddings, etc.

The intersection began as an unincorporated community called "Northgrove" and had a post office that operated from February 21, 1899 to March 15, 1901. Nine years after the post office closed, the school was constructed at the intersection and open for business. (Or was part of the post office used for the schoolhouse? Don't know.)

Nowadays, the former village of "Northgrove" does not exist, but it was once a little town on Mertz Rd (M-24) and there are a few houses there just north of the old school.

Check out the photos...I hope you can take a Michigan roadtrip soon and visit the old school, just in case someone decides it has to be demolished. I hope this and other old Michigan schools and structures can be preserved and saved for historic reasons.

Always do your best to seek permission to enter any abandoned or privately-owned building...protect yourself from prosecution.

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