The history of school buildings on this Mendon Township site is murky, but we can assume there was more than one building at this location over the years, as a school was standing on that site as early as 1858.  And, we do know a bit about how the second building, the one now located in the Historic Village, came by its name.

Ezekiel Strong was born in Vermont and came to Michigan in 1844.  After three years in the Centerville are, he bought a farm situated in the extreme northwestern corner of Mendon Township, right on the line between St. Joseph and Kalamazoo County.  the Strong's had three children.

An 1873 Mendon Township Map continues to show a schoolhouse on the site, straddling the property line between the E. A. Strong farm and land owned by Henry Holmes.  Since the Strong's owned over 200 acres in Section 6, it is understandable that the school was named for the family.

The 1877 History of St. Joseph County lists Henry Holmes as a carpenter and joiner.  The Historical Society has a photo of Strong School as we know it today, dated 1903.  Could a new building have been built about 1900 replacing a deteriorating 50-year old structure?  Could neighbor Henry Holmes have built, or work on, the new schoolhouse?  We may never know.

Prior to the formation of Vicksburg Community Schools as we know it today, there many individual rural school districts in the area, each served bye a building much like Strong School.  These one-room schools educated students from kindergarten through the eighth grade.  Each school was located with easy walking distance - a mile or two - from the farm homes of those children residing in that particular geographic district.  Students in all grades were taught by a single teacher in a single classroom.  Many of these unique buildings remained in use long after the rural districts consolidated with Vicksburg in 1947.

A few of these buildings can still be seen standing along our rural roads, some turned into residences, but most still recognizable for what they once were.  Because Strong School was never remodeled or re-designed for another use, it was the ideal candidate for restoration.

see: One Room Schools: Michigan's Educational Legacy

( See the Kalamazoo Public Library's article about the Rural Schools of Kalamazoo County as well as Kalamazoo One Room Schools ) 

Also see the Schools page on this site)

Strong School was given to the Vicksburg Historical Society by Mrs. Wesley Copenhafer and family and Mr. Robert Schroeder in 1996.

The building, which had not been used as a school for many years, straddled the line between the Copenhafer and Schroeder properties, and both families wish to see the building preserved rather than torn down.

RESTORATION

Vicksburg Community Schools provided funds to move the building from its original location on Silver Street to the Historic Village, and contribute money toward its restoration.  many volunteers worked long hours to restore and refurbish the building.

One of the first steps in the restoration was recreation ofp the long missing bell tower. The man who constructed the Strong School bell tower was Walter Wesoloski, a descendent of one of the Polish families that were brought here to work in the Lee Paper Mill - see the Lee Paper page.