Lake School
SE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 Sec 29 Grand Rapids Township
This school began under the authority of Grand Rapids Township School District #3
May 20, 1859
Harvey P. Yale, Winthrop R. Cady and wives
To
School District No. 3 of the Twp of Grand Rapids
Liber 113 Page 371
Consideration, (None Shown)
Description
Beginning on Section line between SE ¼ of Sec 29 and Sec 32-7-11
at a point on said Section line where the E. line of a contemplated road
crosses North and South from Robinson Road to Clinton Road (Wealthy)
across said Section line
thence East on said Sec. line 10 rods, (166 ft)
thence N. at right angles 8 rods, (132 ft)
thence W. at right angles 10 rods, (166 ft)
thence S. on line of contemplated road 8 rods (132 ft) to beginning. CE
1891 - . Third Ward, lot 160 feet x 99 feet deep. A two room two-story and basement brick building, heated by furnace and well ventilated. Sittings for 100 pupils. Supplied with larger furnace and ventilating shafts.
1892 - lot 166 feet on Wealthy avenue and 99 feet deep. (plated as Bundy Add by Skeels for George and Mary Bundy. School renamed Norwood in 191, Nathan renamed Woodmere)
1893 - Sittings for 100 students.
1895 Sanborn Fire Map:
1897 - The closets are located on rear of the lot.
1898 - The closets are located in the basement, are connected with the sewer and supplied with water.
1907 Section 29 Ogle GRT. This school is obscured on the map cut-out. So I had to use my camera. The blurry photo shows the school is still present.
.
1909 - It seem improbable that the Lake school will ever again be used. The title to this property is such as to render it unsalable (sic). I recommend that an attorney be employed to perfect this title and property be sold. If the title cannot be perfected, I recommend that the building be sold for removal and the property sold
1910 - In Sept a four room building at the corner of Norwood avenue and Wealthy street ( for the mentally retarded.. Four classes of twelve pupils each were organized and became known as the Auxiliary school for Exceptional Children. There are four departments - kindergarten, English, manual training, domestic art and domestic science, including school gardening.
1911 - auxiliary for exceptional children
1912 - School Street renamed to Norwood Avenue
1913 Sanborn - It appears that Assessor's tried to indicate that an Eberhard's grocery store replaced the school but at an unknown date.
Pg 332
1918 - an attempt to sell the property led to a squabble over ownership as the heirs of Cady and Yale claimed the property had been sold for the use and occupation of a school house and for no other purpose.
1921 Annual Report - Auxiliary School - Old 3d Ward - Part of Section 29, T7N, R11W ----NE corner of Wealthy St and Norwood Avenue etc to the SW corner of lot 12 of Bundy's Addition - etc.
1932 - another attempt, another squabble.
1937 - A letter from Paul Strawhecker of Smith, Strawhecker and Wetmore, attorneys, dated 18 May 1937 says, "the dogfight Mr. Sims and Mr. Whinery are in --- fighting for the carcass -- I am not going to spend very much time -- when we have the courts."
But the Board had to trace the heirs - genealogy. In a letter from Carl M Yale of 149 Richton Ave, Highland Park, MI dated Dec 7, 1935 he claims that he and Harold Edson Yale were born in Grand Rapids, the sons of George Washington Yale and grandsons of Linus Yale, Sr the original inventor of the Yale Lock. Linus was the son of Divan Berry Yale who was the son of Nash Yale of Merida, Conn. etc "and if you think that - we may have any legal claim to the property, would be pleased to hear from you."
A Jessie Osborne Crabtree quit-claimed as a grand-daughter of Winthrop Cady.
There was also a letter from a Boynton descendant that his Boynton
grandfather had purchased 160 acres from the government and gave 1/2 acre to
school dist no 3 to be used for school purposes only and when not in use for such it
was to revert back to his estate. "My father L S Boynton at the close of the
Civil war purchased the old homestead and paid off all heirs. This property was
given to Harvey P Yale and Winthrop R Cady as being the Director and Treasurer
of this District." In the Board of Ed records there is a reference to a Fanny
Boynton deed in 1861 to Cady and Yale (Who is Fanny?) There were also many, many quit-claim deeds from both
Yale and Cady descendants since all the principals and their children were dead.
See the genealogy site
http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=grcity
Hearing in Federal Court - the Bd of Ed won.
This photo shows what replaced the school:
GRPL
From article Hillcrest
From Heading History and the City of GrandRapids
From web site: MyCityofGrandRapids.info