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Grosse Pointe
Historical Society
established 1945
WINTER 2005
Vol. 22, No.3
One-room Schoolhouse Opens
The school bell rang for the first time at the Society’s new
One-room Schoolhouse on the second floor of the
Provencal-Weir House on October 19. The first class, a
group of 24 third graders from the Grosse Pointe
Academy, experienced what it would have been like to go
to school in Grosse Pointe in the early 1900s. Their
teacher, Jeanette Stepanek, followed a curriculum spe-
cially written for the Society. Feature articles on the class
appeared in the
Grosse Pointe News
and the
Detroit Free
Press
. Earlier this fall, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was
held with members of the Grosse Pointe Questers, who
have been tremendous supporters of this effort. The
group donated more than $2,500 for furnishings and
books and continue to give volunteer hours. The Louisa
St. Clair chapter of the Daughters of the American
Revolution donated $5,000 for elementary age curriculum
development.
Encampment
Hundreds of visitors were transported back in time two
hundred years to an early settlement on the banks of
Lake St. Clair during the Grosse Pointe Encampment,
held September 24 and 25 at Neff Park in the City of
Grosse Pointe. Re-enactors dressed in period attire set up
authentic camp sites and portrayed numerous people that
would’ve lived in the area in the 18th and early 19th cen-
turies: Native Americans, British military personnel, and
settlers from France and Great Britain. The event was co-
sponsored by the City of Grosse Pointe. Demonstrations
included muzzle loading, domestic duties, and military
drills.
Third Annual
Legends of the Fall
A crisp autumn night was the perfect
setting for the third annual Legends of
the Fall, held October 7 at the
Provencal-Weir House. Attendees of
all ages shared a delightful evening of
fall fun including bobbing for apples, a
corn roast, donuts-on-a-string, and
pumpkin decorating. Tales of the
supernatural from Grosse Pointe’s
early days were brought to life by
master storyteller Genot Picor, with a
little help from some Grosse Pointe
Historical Society members.