A Handful of Jackson-Area One-Room Schoolhouses Still Standing

How many times have you been driving down some Michigan road and you spot a structure or home that looks like an old one-room schoolhouse? More than likely, it WAS a long time ago. Michigan is known for its thousands of one-roomers over the past three centuries and thank goodness for curious people like me – and historians - there are plenty of them still standing.

The ones that I have come across vary in category: The cool ones are the schools that sit alone out in the countryside, smothered in trees, bushes, and tall grass, dilapidated, falling apart, and mostly forgotten by time…and the wrecking ball.

A step up are the ones that are located on the country crossroads, empty, but still receiving some form of upkeep by county officials or some private person.

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Others that still stand in pretty good shape are the ones that have been revamped, remodeled, or renovated to become a residence, township hall, or museum.

Going even further, some of the forgotten decaying schools have been taken over by squatters, as there have been many signs of habitation: mattresses, junk food wrappers, empty water jugs, and discarded clothes.

The photo gallery below is updated with a few extra one-roomers that still stand in the Jackson area: Brooklyn, Concord, Grass Lake, Hanover, Irish Hills, Jackson, Spring Arbor, and the Stockbridge/Munith area.

Michigan currently has over 7,200 one-room schoolhouses still standing, with many of them right under our noses! The updated gallery below features 26 of ‘em for you to peruse…