Halfway Schoolhouse in Eastpointe celebrates its sesquicentennial

EASTPOINTE — Hey, Halfway Schoolhouse, you’re looking pretty good for your age.

The Halfway Schoolhouse, originally built in 1872, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The schoolhouse has been in existence for 150 years.

On the afternoon of Sept. 10, a number of residents and elected officials gathered inside the historic one-room schoolhouse to celebrate its sesquicentennial.

The program began with an invocation from the Rev. Alex Garber, of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church. Then former Mayor Suzanne Pixley provided an overview of the school’s history.

Because there was an increase in population in the area in 1872, a new schoolhouse was needed. According to a short history report on the schoolhouse, the architectural design selected by the school board and builders of the time was Italianate (late Victorian) with carved moldings and turned corbels. Shutters were added on each side of the building’s 12 four-over-four round-top windows.

“You got the east sun in the morning and the west sun in the afternoon,” Pixley said.

“The choice of roofing was cedar shakes. Near the round gable of the roof was a cupola which housed a 1872 bell manufactured in Cincinnati,” the report states. “The front door was a large double door.”

In 1921, the schoolhouse was auctioned off as the Erin School was built to accommodate a growing population. But the historic schoolhouse, which moved to a different location, stayed in the community. It is now located at 15500 Nine Mile Road, just west of Gratiot Avenue.

During the presentation, Eastpointe resident Ken Giorlando, dressed in period clothing as a farmer, talked about what a school day was like in 1872. On his own time, the history enthusiast has read the journals and diaries of people in the area from 150 years ago. He shared his knowledge with attendees.

“This was a big farming community. School began in this schoolhouse at 9 o’clock and it went until 4 o’clock. It would begin each day with a prayer, a song or two, and then they would go into recitation,” Giorlando said. “They would get the older kids to help the younger kids. Teachers would teach all grades, but they would be separated by age and sex.”

He added that many residents at the time did not own clocks.

“So if they heard the school bell ring for recess, they knew it might have been 10 o’clock,” he said. “They would follow the ring so they knew what time it was.”

According to Giorlando, teachers made anywhere from $3 to $5 per week during winter and $2 per week during the summer months. Sometimes, they also stayed with different families in the summers to teach children.

Eastpointe resident Melody Cary, also dressed in period clothing, read from journal passages written by teachers from the era. Many of them wrote about how lonely they felt because, for many of them, it was their first time away from home.

At the close of the program, Eastpointe District Court Judge Kathleen Galen, also the Eastpointe Rotary Club president, presented Pixley with a certificate of appreciation for all that she has done for the city over the years, including her volunteer work at the schoolhouse. Four of Pixley’s five children were on hand to see their mom receive the accolades. They surprised her by coming to town.

“We knew Judge Galen wanted to honor her with appreciation,” Pixley’s daughter, Katy Syed, who lives in Florida, said. “It’s so nice to see the schoolhouse full of people. She loves the community so much.”

Pixley’s other children at the event were Chris Pixley, Molly Gillespie and Lauri Pixley, who also all reside out of state. Pixley’s daughter Sherri Light, who also lives out of state, was unable to attend.

Currently, the schoolhouse is used by the public for educational purposes, social events, dance classes, weddings, baby showers, historical reenactments and other activities.

In recent years, several local entities have donated money and time to help with the preservation of the schoolhouse, including the Eastpointe Lions Club, the Eastpointe Community Chest/Networking Forum, DeRonne Hardware, Eastpointe Rotary and Dance Nonce.