Home News Karen Rieser to Present ‘History of OMP Education’ at Historical Society Meeting

Karen Rieser to Present ‘History of OMP Education’ at Historical Society Meeting

March 2, 2020

one room school, mapleton school, sunny slope farm, carroll farm, tim carroll, daisy isabel johnson, alex carroll, old mission gazette old mission history, old mission peninsula history, old mission, old mission michigan, peninsula township, peninsula community library, vicki shurly, pcl, history room — Mapleton School, Spring 1950. First Row: Ken Lardie, next two unknown, Warren Lindsey, next three unknown, Joe Tiffany, Danny Kowalski, Denny White. Row starting with girl holding doll: Dina Loomis, Barbara Hicks, Michelle Carroll, Elizabeth Kroupa, Lillian Bates, Patsy Kroupa and Sharon Emory. 2nd and 3rd Row: Luella Bates, little brother in front, Mary Jane Giles, Elizabeth Lardie, Jim Potter, Claudette Gilmore, Sharlene Grover, Ann Hager, Shirley Hicks, Kenny Cooledge. Back Row: Mrs. Blanche Valley (4th to 7th grade teacher), Shirley Jamieson, Tim Carroll, Marion Lindsey, Mary Jo Kitchen, unknown, Carol Ann Kroupa, Mrs. Hunt (teacher for younger students), Mary Francis Kowalski, Judy Lardie | Photo Courtesy of "A Century of Service" Book

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Ever wonder about the history of education on the Old Mission Peninsula? Before there was the current Old Mission Peninsula School we all know and love, there were several one-room schoolhouses scattered about the Peninsula.

Here’s a photo of the kids at Old Mission School (north of the Old Mission General Store) in 1908.

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old mission school, old mission, old mission michigan, old mission gazette, old mission peninsula — Old Mission School Grammar Room, Nov. 9, 1908. First row, left to right: Loren Rust, Will Marshall, Carl Pratt, Frida Tompkins, Denise VanHorn, Oliver Brinkman, Josie Jarrett, Katherine Bugley. Second row, left to right: Harold Lardie, Robert Tompkins, Isabelle Reay, Constance Horn, Gertrude Lardie, Clarebel Hanbert, May Tompkins, Edna Young, Howard Roush, Gertrude Wolcott (between 1 and 2). Third row, left to right: Marie Stone, Roush, Teacher E.H. Wilson, Marshall Pratt, Minnie Porter, Elsie Stone, Evelyn Closson Pulver | Photo courtesy of “A Century of Service” by Peninsula Telephone Company

At this week’s meeting of the Old Mission Peninsula Historical Society – Thursday, March 5, 2020 – Karen Rieser will give a presentation on the topic. Karen is an expert on all things related to OMP education and wrote the book, “The History of Education on Old Mission Peninsula.” Check out her books on Amazon.

Karen also recently made the news over at Up North Live for both that book and “Aiden’s Tree.” Inspired by her grandson, this book tells the story of a Michigan fir tree that journeys from a seedling to a Christmas tree to a marker on the ice near the Mackinac Bridge.

As mentioned, the OMP Historical Society meeting is this Thursday, March 5, 2020, in the community room at Peninsula Community Library. The business meeting will take place at 6 p.m., and Karen’s presentation will take place at 6:30 p.m. The library is located at 2893 Island View Road (on the corner of Center Road).

On a related note, here’s my dad’s (Walter Johnson) 8th grade diploma from the Mapleton School, dated May 19, 1936. He went on to complete high school in Traverse City, and then studied mechanical engineering at Northwestern University, where he met my mom.

Old Mission Peninsula History — Walter Johnson’s Mapleton School Diploma, Circa 1936 | Jane Boursaw Photo

Upcoming presentations and gatherings of the OMP Historical Society meetings include:

April 2: “Experiences in Researching, Cleaning and Providing Memorial Headstones,” Scott Schwander, Memorial Officer for the Sons of Union Veterans, Presenter.
May 7: “Abraham Lincoln Through the Eyes of Political Cartoons,” Dr. Stephen Siciliano, Presenter.
June 4: Potluck and Annual Meeting at the American Legion Hall.
June 28: Log Cabin Day (stay tuned to the Gazette for more info).

Consider joining the OMP Historical Society and staying “in the know” on all things related to OMP history. For more info, check out their website here.

Read Also…

Old Mission History: Ogdensburg School, October 1949

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