From “A History of Leelanau Township” by the Leelanau Township Historical Writers Group The first school in the area was started by the Rev. George N. Smith. After it was completed it became a focal point, a “headquarters” of sorts for the pioneer settlement. Rev. Smith taught school on the weekdays and conducted his Sunday services and Sabbath school there. Singing school was held in the schoolhouse on 2 evening during the week. The building was also used for Town Meeting, Court proceeding, Indian Council meetings, and the first election was held in the school house, Nov. 7, 1854, when out of 94 polled only cast votes for Temperance and Freedom.
Rev. Smith and Mr. McLaughlin clearing the ground for the school house in November 1849 and the first classes were held Dec. 23, 1850. The log school house was located on the south side of Main Street halfway between Waukazoo and the railroad (approximately 75 yards from shore.)
Rev. Smith, often assisted by Mr. McLaughlin, would work on the school house whenever possible but the tremendous amount of labor required to build a log building and the diffi culty of procuring material made the construction a slow process. Rev. Smith’s diary entries reflect these difficulties.
He writes on Jan. 25, 1850, “Drew a part of the school house timbers” and again on Feb. 8, 15 and 21. “Drew school house timbers.” On April 11, 1850 Rev. Smith records, “Mr. McLaughlin and I have been hewing school house timbers yesterday.”
At this point all work on the school house ceased because the joists and siding were at the millage at “the head of the bay” (Traverse City) and there was no vessel to fetch them.
Rev. Smith was forced to wait from June 22 to July 31 before he could even go after the lumber to finish the school house. Then, after a nearly six-week wait, the trip to the mill, 30 miles away, took nearly four days. Rev. Smith writes:
• July 31, 1850: Started for sawmill (30 miles) to get lumber for school house with several Indians, Mr. McLaughlin, and son James, W. Case, Nagonabe and Pashenanebe went. We reached at midnight.
• Aug. 1, 1850: Found only lumber for school house with 3m X ft. a little siding still wanting, loaded vessel with slabs.
• Aug. 2, 1850: Started for home, beat all day against head wind, anchored short time at island (probably Marion, now Power Island).
• Aug. 3, 1850: All last night we did not sail two miles. PM reached home.
Mr. McLaughlin made another three-day voyage to the mill, returning with the lumber to finish the school on Aug. 23.
Work continued on the school house interrupted occasionally as harvest season commenced. The rafters were raised and one side of the roof was shingled by Sept. 21. The roof was finished and the door and windows cut in October. On Nov. 2 the floor was laid and the door hung. Rev. Smith was nearly ready by Nov. 9, he writes: “I have put my desk in the school house. Also two writing desks 11’ long. Seats round the wall, three center seats, cough for come winter. Have also chinked the house and hired W.S. Case to plaster it. Gave him 500 feet of the inch boards left for plastering it.”
The school house stove was repaired and the pipe put up at the end of November and finally Rev. Smith’s diary entry on Dec. 23, 1850 reads “Began school had five Indian scholars and five white.”
Rev. Smith’s school was a mission school for the education of Indians, yet it was the only school available to some of the white children who also attended the school in the first few years.
From Rev. Smith’s diary it is apparent that the school was operated rather erratically in the early years. School was often closed because of Mrs. Smith’s poor health, when the Reverend needed to stay home with her or such times as sugaring when the Indian students were needed to help in the woods. The attendance records on June 24, 1851, show only four students, but by December 1852, there were 25 scholars in the mission should.
The Sabbath School, taught on Sunday, was designed to education the Indians in the Christian religion. When Rev. Smith could not teach, one of the other settlers would teach the Biblical lessons to Indians and young children. The singing schools, while probably more of a social gathering and because they were held in the evening, also enjoyed good attendance.
Rev. Smith’s mission operated until the public school was established. The building was moved across Main Street in 1868, eventually to be let as a residence.
An 1890 article reminisces: “Most of the log buildings are gone. The only remaining landmark of the old, old town is the old school house on the beach, in which family is now living. The old school house still wears the first shingle roof ever put on in Northport.”
