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An important aspect of the work of the Grosse Pointe Historical
Society is to introduce children to the Provencal-Weir House. Using
the Michigan Curriculum Framework and the Social Studies and
English Language Arts Standards, Izzy Donnelly, director of
education, has created an educational experience appropriate for
elementary students.
With the One-Room School room at the PWHouse as a backdrop,
students learn the history of the house and experience “the life of a
student” at the beginning of the 20th century.
In her fourth year as School Mistress, Donnelly welcomed 36
elementary classes and five Scout groups from the Grosse Pointe area
to the world of slates, McGuffey Readers, recitation, competitive
spelling bees,
local history
and more.
The schools
included:
Monteith,
Poupard, Ferry,
Richard, Kerby,
Trombly,
Mason,
University-
Liggett, Star of
the Sea, St. Paul, Grosse Pointe Academy and Hamtramck Academy.
“I liked when we wrote on slates. I learned that they used a cool
book called McGuffy Reader,” said a third grader from Monteith.
The foresight of the Board of Trustees to create this model school
room made possible this one-of-a-kind opportunity for students.
“Their vision was so clear,” says Donnelly. “The room is just charm-
ing to look at but more importantly, it is an academically functioning
classroom.”
Teachers and parents are impressed with what the Society offers to
the community.
“The adults and kids were all raving about the historical experience
we enjoyed today,” said a second-grade teacher from Ferry.
At the end of the trip, each student received a colorful bandana or
log pencil as a thank-
you gesture for
visiting the One-
Room School.
“I want the children
to have a token to take
home reminding them
of their day here,”
Donnelly said. “The
GPHS needs them.
These children are
our future.”
From Behind the Blackboard
Elementary students pose outside the Log Cabin during their One
Room School House experience.
Poupard’s second grade girls enjoy a visit to the log cabin
c.1840.
Author Book-Signing, Lecture &Special Grosse
Pointe Hunt Club Dinner Event
Showcasing Author Nick Sinacori’s Recently
Published Book: “
Men, Horses, AndMachines
”
The transition from horse to automobile happened
in Grosse Pointe Township on October 10, 1901. The
dynamics behind this shift are explored in
Nicholas Sinacori’s
newly published
book,
Men, Horses
and Machines: A
Journey through
Automotive and
Horse-racing
History in Detroit.
The Grosse
Pointe Historical
Society,The
Village of Fairview
Historical Society
andThe Grosse
Pointe Hunt Club
are collaborating to
host a special lecture,
dinner and book- signing on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 5:30
p.m. at the Grosse Pointe Hunt Club, 655 Cook Road
in Grosse Pointe Woods.
The book is of special interest because it uncovers
how the intersection and influence of politics, money,
horse racing, and religion combined to change
Detroit’s horse based society into the modern
manufacturing and automobile era.The power
structure of Detroit included original Detroit settler
families, banking, public transportation, real estate
investors, manufacturers, heavy industry, horse
racing syndicates and promoters, and the politicians
and religious leaders of the day all had a major
influence on how Detroit grew, what it looked like,
and how the people lived.
Guests will be served cocktails (cash bar) beginning
at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner. The lecture follows
dinner and includes a private tour of the barn and
Hunt Club grounds. A meet- and- greet with the
author, a book-signing, and dessert with coffee
concludes the evening.
Tickets are $25per person which includes dinner
from a select menu. For reservations contact:
The GPHS at 313-884-7010 byThursday, Oct. 4.
Special Event:
Saturday, October 6, 2012
The Grosse Pointe Hunt Club, when it
opened in 1911, became the repository
of many artifacts from the Detroit Driving
Club including this July 17, 1894
inaugural trophy.