History of the Public Schools in the City of Grand Rapids

To understand history it is necessary to be able to see the source it its timeline not yours. And if you grew up after the 1960's,
you are looking from a very different timeline. "The decade of the 1960's will go down in history for its restlessness and turbulence, but also for the changes and expansion it caused in our society's way of life. -- (bringing) about a significant number of sociological as well as institutional changes--."  ^Jung . Now the 60's are history and the new century reveals even further growth in automation, fast personal transportation, even faster communication that would make understanding earlier history's lack of automation,  slow personal transportation and even slower communication even more difficult.  To understand Michigan school history it is necessary to know that during this social upheaval,  the state government made a power grab wresting control over the  local school boards and replacing the taxpayers' common-sense  with well-credentialed and well-paid "experts".

The public schools in the City of Grand Rapids began in 1850 when the newly created City annexed three township schools,  two from Grand Rapids Township and one from Walker Township. Townships were created with the authority to tax land for public schools under  the Land Act of 1785 and the  Northwest Ordinance of 1787 before the United States Constitution was even written (1788) much less ratified and before Michigan became a state. (1837).

These early laws said:  "Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged" while ensuring  that "No person, demeaning himself in a peaceable and orderly manner, shall ever be molested on account of his mode of worship or religious sentiments, in the said territory". The Land Act of 1785 provided the financial means: "There shall be reserved the lot No. 16 of every township, for the maintenance of public schools within the said township".

Because public schools were attached to the land, land records reveal some of the earliest and still existing primary records.  As people slowly moved westward it wasn't just ma, pa and the two kids but grandma and grandpa and aunts and uncles and siblings and cousins and in-laws and neighbors. So it was likely that every student in a small local school, public or private,  was related or at least from the same ethnic and religious background. Diversity wasn't an issue, survival was the issue.

The first schools in what would be the City were mission schools  for the Odawa (Ottawa) who had settled on the west side of  the rapids of the Grand River.  The white settlers sent their children in canoes across the river to these mission schools, one Baptist and one Catholic,  until private schools, none lasting for very long, were built on the east side of the river.

Even though most of the village was actually in Walker township, the river stood in the way so the village would be under the legal jurisdiction of Grand Rapids Township. The City was created in 1850 from sections 19 and 30  of Grand Rapids Township and sections 24 and 25 of Walker Township. By 1848, Grand Rapids Township had grown so big it had at least six schools so spit it's schools into districts. Two of those districts would overlap the Village of Grand Rapids and both of these school buildings were actually in the village; District Six which included the north half of Section 19 and District One which included the south half of Section 19 and all of Section 30. The dividing line was the 1/4 section line in Section 19 running along Bradford Street..

Grand Rapids Township

Coldbrook School overlooked Coldbrook creek

^{1907 Ogle}

This centrally-located school was at the head of Jefferson Avenue.

  ^{1907 Ogle}

The early Walker Township records burned so the earliest extant land records indicate a school in the Village of Grand Rapids on the south side of Bridge Street just West of the Grand River although it's exact location is unclear. .

^{1907 Ogle}

^{1907 Ogle}

The City began with  three independent school districts, 1, 2 and 6 with one school each with separate boards of education: future Central, future Union and future East Leonard or perhaps North Ionia.

The location of Coldbrook school is shown on the 1853 Henry Hart map but Central had already been moved to Ransom Avenue and the then-named Wards 4 and 5 school had been moved to First Street, now the location of St. Mary's Catholic Church.

Bibliography with Grand Rapids Public Library call numbers.

Annual Catalogue of the officers, instructors, and students of Grand Rapids Public Schools East Side 1860- , Dept of Public Education . M379.1 G76ac

Annual Reports of the Grand Rapids Board of Education 1872- , Board of Education.  M379 G76a,

Austin, Franklin H., A History of the Organization in the Public Schools of Grand Rapids, Michigan. MKG379.Au7                                          

Baxter, Albert. History of the City of Grand Rapids, Mi. Munsell & Co, 1891 republished 1974 Grand Rapids Historical Society.  M977.456 B333

Belknap, Charles.  The Yesterdays of Grand Rapids. Dean HIcks Co., Grand Rapids, Mi. 1922. R977.456 B412

Chapman's History of Kent County, MI. Chas. C. Chapman & Co, Chicago, IL, 1881.  977.4 C366

City Assessor's Records 1936-, City Archives on State Street

City Engineer's Records, City Hall

Cuningham, Bill. City Archives.  Personal Interview. 2005, 2006

Dillenback & Leavitt, History and Directory of Kent County. Daily Eagle Steam Printing House, Grand Rapids, Mi, 1870. M977.455 D582

Etten, William J.  Citizens' History of Grand Rapids, Johnson Company for the Campau centennial committee 1926. 977.456 Et75

Funk, Tim. GR Bd of Ed, Administrative Assistant, personal interview, 2006. 

Gillis, Edward. Growing Up in Old Lithuania Town, Grand Rapids Historical Commission, 2000. 977.456 G416g

Grand Rapids Board of Education manuscript collection at the service building on Union Ave.

Hart, Henry, Civil Engineer and Architect,  1853 Map of the City of Grand Rapids, New York. Michigan Room

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Last modified: 05/17/10