De Witt School is located in Spring Lake Township, Michigan.
"Right down to the traditional rooftop bell, the De Witt Schoolhouse exemplified the one-room schoolhouse that were common in the United States around 1900. For more than 60 years, students came to the school from their countryside homes, some walking more than two miles to get there.
The building was erected in 1891 on land donated by the De Witt and Bosch families. Thanks to recent renovations, the interior accurately resembles that of the original school, featuring a globe that hangs from the ceiling, portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, a wood stove, gas lights, blackboards and desks, even a piano. The original building used kerosene lamps for illumination and had a octagon clock. Six windows lined the walls and slate backboards and students desks finished the interior. The roof was done in wood shingles, and the belfry had a lightning rod.
The bell signaled the beginning of class each day at 9 a.m. The students, all between the first and eight grades, would hoist the flag, sing a patriotic song, and open their lessons with a reading from the Bible. A single teacher could handle up to 40 pupils at one time by conducting one 10 minute period per subject for each of the eight grades. School was out at 330 p.m.
The students came from an area of approximately four square miles. They walked as much as two and half miles to school and carried their lunch. Enrollment for a year averaged 25 to 30 students for the eight grades. Upon completion of the eighth grade, students transferred to Grand Haven High School for grades nine through twelve.
A few changes came in the 1940’s, when new windows were put in, and electricity replaced the gas lighting. Indoor toilets were also installed, replacing the separate outdoor facilities for boys and girls. Aside from these additions, the school appeared almost the same as it had 50 years before. In 1976 the school was listed on Michigan’s State Register of Historic Sites, and three years later the building was reopened as a living history museum. It was given the street address of 17710 West Taft Road.
The original four square mile school district was bounded on the south by Van Wagoner Road, the county line on the north, the railroad tracks on the east, and Lake Michigan on the west. In 1959 the district merged with Ferrysburg schools, and the De Witt Schoolhouse closed its doors to students."
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Dewitt School
17710 West Taft Street
Spring Lake Township, MI 49456