HURON TWP: Old school building finds a new home - New Boston, MI - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

News article text:
HURON TWP. – While most buildings spend their lives in one place, Willow School is settling into its third home.

Last month, the school made a four-mile journey from its previous location at Willow United Methodist Church, 36925 Willow Road, to its new home in the Huron Township Senior Citizens Park on Mineral Springs Road.

Moving a building is no simple task.

Jacking the building up and placing it on a truck took two days.

The actual move took about four hours and required the coordination of multiple agencies.

AT&T, Detroit Edison and Charter Communica-tions stayed ahead, tempo-rarily removing overhead power and communication lines in the school’s path. Wayne County also was on hand to lift traffic lights and help coordinate the efforts.

During the move, the only damage to the build-ing was a few shingles lost to a tree limb.

Margaret O’Kelly, a member of the Huron Township Historical Society, which helped plan the move, said representatives of D & B Movers said the building was in excellent structural condition compared with other historical buildings they’ve moved.

Although the school already has arrived at its new site, a lot of work is yet to be done.

The inside of the building has to be restored. The historical commission plans to restore the school’s bell tower, which had been removed, with a donated brass bell.

O’Kelly hopes the building will be open to the public by May 1.

First United Methodist Church in Willow donated the school to the Huron Township Historical Society. The church purchased the school, which was originally built at the corner of Willow and Waltz Road, and moved it to church property.

The church used it for various meetings and events until donating it to the historical society. The exact age of the building isn’t known, but Sandra Somers, a member of the Huron Township Historical Commission, believes it was built in the mid-1800s.

“You have to know your past to even start to realize your future,” O’Kelly said. “That’s what this school represents.”

According to O’Kelly, the cost of the move was shared by the township and the historical society. The society spent about $15,000, and the township picked up the rest of the tab, which was about $9,000.

Both O’Kelly and Somers said they were disappointed that the historical society, which receives money from private donations and selling fundraising calendars, didn’t receive more help from the township.

Members of the community have donated period furniture to the project.

O’Kelly said residents who saw the building being moved volunteered to help on the spot.

Huron Township resident Edward Miller, 88, attended Willow School as a child and spent time watching the building being moved.

Miller attended the school in the 1930s until he was 14 years old. Back then, the school held kindergarten through eighth- grade students and the school day ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Miller recalls that one teacher supervised as many as 63 students of all different ages.

“The school had a reputation when I was younger,” Miller said.

Some of his classmates were known to take advantage of new, young teachers. Miller said he stayed out of trouble for the most part.

“A few times I got sent out into the entryway by myself to think about what I was doing,” he said.

Miller is thrilled that the school is being preserved.

“I’m glad to see it saved,” he said. “I have a lot of memories there.”

Type of publication: Internet Only When was the article reported?: 12/30/2008 Publication: News Herald Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: yes How widespread was the article reported?: local News Category: Arts/Culture

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