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If you are interested
in bringing your class to
the One-room Schoolhouse,
call, 884-7010.
From:
Jimmy, Defer Elementary School
Thank you for showing and telling me things I
never even knew, but most of all telling me
about the log cabin.
From:
Evelyn, Defer Elementary School
I was really interested in “The Talking House”
and the tour. When we were pretending to be
in school there, it was fun. I’ve never seen a
dunce cap before.
From:
James, Grosse Pointe Academy
We had to act like people in 1880
and put our lunch in (cloth) napkins
with no plastic.
3
Class in Session at the One-room Schoolhouse
Since opening in October, the Society’s new One-room Schoolhouse, on the second floor of the Provencal-Weir House,
has had near perfect attendance from children around the Pointes. Students can spend a full day, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.,
in the classroom, donning period attire and learning lessons from 100 years ago. Second graders perform a play called
“The Talking House,” the story of all the people who have lived in the house from 1823 through the 1990s. A couple
of classes were so thrilled with their experience, they wrote thank-you notes to the Society or letters to their pen pals
about the visit. We’ve printed a few of them below. To learn more, visit www.gphistorical.org.
From:
Alexa, Grosse Pointe Academy
We played the games they played (in the
1800s). We had to write poems and recite
them. If we didn’t behave, we could get the
hickory stick. The teachers were allowed to
smack kids with it (back then).
From:
Libby, Defer Elementary School
I liked venturing to the top floor and I really
liked the school and liked to see the books and
the stuff they played with. I like doing the
tongue-twisters.
From:
Morgan, Grosse Pointe Academy
The other day we went to a one-room school-
house. First we had to walk one and a half
miles. We wrote on slates and stood when we
talked. We sat on stools and had strict teachers.
It was fun.