Corinth School – Fractional District No. 6

Corinth was known in 1867 as Cody’s Mills, named after Mr. Cody who had his mills there. And it was on April 12, 1867, that a petition was sent out as follows:
We the undersigned, residents in fractional school District No. e, in the township of Byron, do hereby petition the Board of School Inspectors for said Township to institute such proceedings as the law requires, for the division of Fractional District No. 3, and to organize that portion of it lying east of the quarter section line of sections, 36 and 25 into a new School District.

A. Avery, A. W. Aubey, Alders Cody, Darwin D. Cody, Lindus Cody, E. W. DeCamp, N. K. Evarts, D. Free, S. Free, Edward Gibbon, F. P. Gillons, Samuel Hamacher, Kennedy Hanna, J. M. Lane, Willis Noble, John Packard, L. Packard, R. H. Parson, Abram Rosenberg, J. P. Rosenberg, David ----?, Levi Stauffer, John VanLew, Oscar G. VanLew, Peter VanLew, Silas H. VanLew, J. Woodhams

Thus District 6 Fractional was formed by school inspectors of the townships of Byron and Gaines, May 18, 1867. John J. Cutter, Amos B. Smith, Isaac C. Brower, Silas L. Hamilton and George Cook. N. K. Evarts was appointed to call the first meeting which was held the first Monday in June, 1867, at 7 P.J., at the store of J. Woodham. Every legal voter in the new district (which included the east hald of Sections 25 and 36 in the township of Byron and Sections 30 and 31 of the township of Gaines excepting the east half of the SE ½ of the quarter of section 30 in township of Gaines) was notified in person or a note left at their homes.

Meeting held June 3, 1867, at Cody’s Mills, at Woodham’s Store. Peter VanLew was elected chairman and these men were elected for office: N. K. Evarts, Moderator; E. W. DeCamp, Director, and James M. Lane, Assessor.

Special meeting was called June 25, 1867, to take action concerning the chosen site between the properties of Abram and Jacob Rosenberg, on the east side of the Plank Road (today known as Division Ave.). Moved and carried, to build a school house, 22 x 36 x 12 ft. high. Committee of Per VanLew, J. M. Lane and E. W. DeCamp chosen and authorized to collect subscriptions, then to let the job of building and proceed as far as money would permit. Motion made and carried to raise a tax of $300.00 to build said school house if there were enough children.

Then a meeting was called again, September 3, 1867, and it was decided to add 4 feet to the width of the building and make it 26 x 36 x 12 feet high and to give it two coats of paint in the fall. Color to be light brown, trimmed with darker brown, the cornice, cornerboards and window casings two shades darker. Voted to have 3 months winter school and 5 or 6 months summer school. Also voted, that each family furnish a cord of wood for each scholar sent to school.

On September 7, 1868, a school meeting was held, voted to raise a two dollar tax per scholar. Also, voted to build a fence around the school house. Then too, it was decided to have 4 months winter school and 4 months summer school. Also voted to buy 19 ½ cords of wood 2 ½ feet long, to be Beech and Maple, not more than ½ cord of Basswood at 98 cents per cord. At this meeting it was also decided to have nine months of school, and the question of lady or man teacher was left up to the board. Sometimes boys were so hard to handle a man teacher would be hired in place of a lady teacher. Julia Portor was the first teacher to teach at Cocy’s Mills, which is known today as Corinth. She taught twelve weeks commencing December 9, 1827, and was paid $5.00 a week, and teaching five full days. In the early days the most the school term was, was 3 months at a ttime, sometimes less. If harvesting had to be done, the older boys would stay home and work. Then weather conditions made it so that the spring and summer terms were better months for younger children. The following teachers also taught:

Mr. E. W. DeCamp was Director from the first meeting in 1867, then known as Cody’s Mills, until 1871, when the name was changed to Corinth, Michigan. Mr. P. B. Wright was director from 1873 to 1887, a term of 14 years. J. VanLew was director from 1888 to 1892, then Frank Kin was director from 1893 to 1930. In 1882, it was voted at the annual meeting to put in a well. Up to that time the children carried the water from the nearest neighbor, a good block away, J. Rosenberg’s home. Also, the teacher took care of the janitor work. Then the yard never was taken care of, so in 1891, at the annual meeting, it was decided to plow level and seed the school yard, to be let to the lowest bidder who was Frank Marshall, amount was $4.75. At each annual meeting, the amount of money needed was figured out, such as teacher’s wages, fuel, necessary repairs, then the tax payers money would be subscribed for. In 1899, it was decided at the annual meeting if any Non-Resident came to Corinth to go to school that they paid in advance, the amount of $.50 a month tuition. In 1894, according to the state law, the following books were authorized to be used: Vis: Harpers Readers, Sanders Spelling, Harpers Arithmetic, Harpers Geography, Reeds and Kelloggs Grammar, Barnes History, Spencerian Copy Books, Townsends Civil Government, Hutchinson, Physiology. In 1905, the school was put on 9 months school term.

In the spring of 1926, the old school house was moved to Bert Terpstra’s farm, one mile south of the school location at 10639 S. Division Avenue. In the summer of 1926, the new school was built, it was designed by Mr. and Mrs. Harry Burgess. It has one class room and a library room. The library room could also be used for a classroom if needed. Also, a full basement which was made into a recreation room, with a platform, to be used for entertainment. The P.T.A. meetings were held also in this room. There also was a separate room for heating facilities.

In the fall of 1926, the pupils went to the new school and Mrs. A. (Whitcomb) Burgess taught in 1925 in the old school and in 1926 in the new school. Frances McCarty taught in 1927 to 1930.

In 1944 and 1945, the children were sent to Caledonia on account of shortage of teachers and the Corinth School was closed for that period. Then it was annexed to the Byron Township Schools, now known as "Byron Community Schools". At present the Free Will Baptist Church is using the building. However, it maybe a possibility that it will be re-opened again in the fall of 1957 for school purposes.




 

CORINTH SCHOOL - BUILT IN 1867
Picture taken in 1900

 

CORINTH SCHOOL, 1916
Miss Lottie E. Barnaby, teacher

 

A List of Teachers, 1868-1903, 1916, 1923-1945

TEACHER

YEAR

ADAMS, MRS. L. B.

1 OCT 1872

ADAMS, MRS. L. B.

17 OCT 1870

AVRIL, ADELLA

4 DEC 1871

BABBIT, HELEN C.

14 FEB 1876

BABBIT, HELEN C.

7 OCT 1878

BARNABY, LOTTIE E.

1916

BATES, E. N.

15 NOV 1875

BATES, LUCY A.

18 SEP 1876

BATES, LUCY A.

24 JAN 1881

BLACKFORD, L. D.

29 SEP 1890

BOWMAN, MISS LUELLA

17 SEP 1894

BREWER, FLORENCE L.

1924

BROWN, HARVEY L.

12 OCT 1885

BURNS, MARY

1937

CARPENTER, EUGENE

13 APR 1874

CARPENTER, EUGENE

14 SEP 1874

CARPENTER, EUGENE

17 OCT 1873

CLOSE, JAMES W.

1 OCT 1877

CLOSED

1944

CLOSED

1945

DOYLE, HAZEL

1923-4 MOS.

EVART, ELLEN M.

18 APR 1869

FINEGAN, JOHN P.

22 SEP 1879

FITZ, G. A.

16 SEP 1895

FITZ, G. A.

9 DEC 1895

FOX, BERTHA

1931

FOX, BERTHA

1932

HALL, BERT

22 SEP 1887

HANNA, LIZZIE

BET. 1884-85

HILDENBRAND, VIOLA

1939

HILDENBRAND, VIOLA

1940

HILDENBRAND, VIOLA

1941

HILDRETH, EARL

18 SEP 1899

HOLBEY, FRANCE

1923-5 MOS.

JONES, G. O.

14 SEP 1896

KENNEY, JAMES H.

8 OCT 1888

LUNEKE, JOHN J.

2 OCT 1893

LUNEKE, JOHN J.

27 SEP 1897

LUNEKE, NORMAN

12 SEP 1898

LUNEKE, NORMAN

19 SEP 1898

MATHEWSON, FRANK F.

30 SEP 1889

MATHEWSON, FRANK F.

6 JAN 1890

MC CARTY, FRANCES

1927

MC CARTY, FRANCES

1928

MC CARTY, FRANCES

1929

MC CARTY, FRANCES

1930

PELTON, S. A.

22 OCT 1882

PELTON, S. A.

3 OCT 1881

REED, SARAH A.

4 OCT 1880

RIGGS, CORA

1 OCT 1883

RIGGS, CORA

7 JUN 1884

TENEYKE, MISS LYDIA

7 SEP 1903

TERPSTRA, VIOLA

1943

TROY, MRS. NELLIE

1935

TROY, MRS. NELLIE

1936

UNKNOWN

1933

UNKNOWN

1934

UNNAMED

1892

WARD, RUTH M.

1942

WARNER, MARY

14 APR 1868

WELLS, GORDON

1938

WENGER, J. P.

3 SEP 1900

WHITCOMB, ALICE

1925

WHITCOMB, ALICE

1926

WRIGHT, M. E.

1 NOV 1868

WRIGHT, M. E.

5 APR 1869

ZIMMER, A. R.

2 NOV 1891

 


Created: 11 November 2013