"Building and Contents Total Loss - Valued at $20,000 - With Insurance of Only $9,500. Schools Now Held in Churches."
This was a headline summary of an article that greeted readers of The Montague Observer Thursday, Nov. 13, 1919.
Fire destroyed Montague’s central school building the previous Friday, Nov. 7, together with its contents of valuable records, books, maps, splendidly equipped laboratory and library, furniture, etc. Everything was devoured by the flames, and not even a scrap of paper was saved, so rapidly did the fire spread throughout the interior of the building.
It was fully three-quarters of an hour after the fire was discovered on the second floor of the building in Miss Johnson’s room, before the firemen got a stream of water on the fire. This was no fault of the fire department, however, as they responded promptly after the alarm had finally been sounded. The delays were caused by some difficulty in getting a message through the telephone office. The other delay was in getting water pressure, owing to a defective suction pipe at the power house. Contrary to rumors that were circulated, Engineer Cote was at the power house and had the pumps working a few minutes after the alarm was given.
The origin of the fire is a mystery, although some think it started from the furnace stack and that the fire had been smoldering all afternoon before it finally broke out at 9 p.m. Some of the teachers recall having detected the odor of heated varnish during the latter part of the day, but as fumes of gas often escaped from the furnace, it was laid to that and nothing more was thought of it. Supt. Chase was in the building about 7 p.m. the night of the fire but saw nothing wrong. Fred Noordhof was probably the first one to see the fire from his home. He first saw a light in the window, which went out and was succeeded by a brighter one. In another moment flames burst out in the room which convinced him the building was on fire and he then gave the alarm.
All that remained of the imposing school building was the grim brick walls and the brick chimney in the center, a skeleton of the structure that stood for 44 years, and in whose halls of learning hundreds of youth were fitted for life’s battles. It is indeed a sad sight, especially to those who look back to their childhood days spent in this institution, many of whom are yet living in this community.
The total loss was difficult to estimate, but it was safe to say the building and its valuable contents could not be replaced today for $25,000. The total insurance carried was $9,500.
The building that burned was built in 1874-75 at a cost of $16,000. It was a three-story structure built of white brick and was exceptionally well constructed, as is evidenced by the fact that its walls still stood after being completely gutted. We find by the records of the school district that on April 18, 1874, a special meeting of this school district was held and voted to build a new schoolhouse with a seating capacity of 300 pupils, the building to be completed by the following September. The new schoolhouse was not occupied, however, until June 1, 1875. The building committee was composed of George E. Dowling, Ophir R. Goodno and DeWitt C. Bowen.
The first superintendent in the new building was Prof. Henry B. Strong. In 1881, there was an enrollment of 363 pupils in the school with an average attendance of 230. The enrollment at the time of the fire was 240.
The school board, owing to the loss of the school building, was confronted with a serious problem as to how to maintain the schools, and solved it by soliciting the aid of the various local churches, who came to the rescue of the schools promptly and generously, especially that of the Presbyterian society, who gave over their church entirely to the schools. Their sacrifice was very great and was made only because the emergency was very great. The next Monday morning, the schools all assembled at the Presbyterian church, where details were worked out for taking care of the various departments, with the result that the high school and grammar grades were to occupy the auditorium of the Presbyterian church, the 5th and 6th grades the church parlors, the primary grades the League rooms of the Methodist Episcopal church, and the 3rd and 4th grades the Lutheran school room on the north hill. The Presbyterian church was divested of its carpet and the pews were replaced by regular school desks as soon as they could be procured.
The loss of the old school building was a staggering blow to the district, not only financially, but from an educational standpoint, as the schools were handicapped by the lack of equipment and conveniences for many months. Everything was done to make things work as smoothly as possible and with the cooperation of patrons and scholars everything came out alright in the end.
One thing was certain, and that was that a new school building was required, and as quickly as possible. A district meeting was considered likely to be called to authorize the issuance of bonds. It was barely possible to have the new building ready for occupancy by the next fall. This was an ideal time to establish a township unit system whereby all the districts in the township unite into one district. This would give the district schools a fine building and equipment, also greatly superior advantages for their children’s education which cannot be offset by any money consideration. The Observer endorsed a move started in this direction.
Prior to the devastating fire, the teachers for the year included: Supt. Vernon E. Chase, Miss Edith Campbell and Miss Blanch Sumner; high school assistants: Mrs. Ruzena Pillman, 7th and 8th grades; Mrs. Florence Ferguson, 5th and 6th; Miss Ethel Johnson, 3rd and 4th; Mrs. V. E. (Maude) Chase, 1st and 2nd. There was no mention of a primary or kindergarten grade.
In January 1920 some chairs were donated to the high school rooms from the Red Cross, but more were still needed. Anyone having chairs not in use would be gladly received by the school.
By March, new school desks were being installed in the Presbyterian church, much to the appreciation of the students.
With the loss of Montague’s entire school system, it provided an opportunity for the people of Montague Township to reorganize into a single school district and to consolidate its four schools – Maple Grove, Mears, Redding & Trading Post. There being no high school building and only the four rural schools of the old one-room type, the township had little to lose and everything to gain. A vote was taken in April 1920 and passed with 232 Yes votes to 71 Nos. Thus was created the Montague Township Rural Agricultural School.
By the end of November 1920, Batterson & Ellsworth, architects from Kalamazoo, had submitted their final plans for the new proposed consolidated school building. The building was two stories high, made of brick with white stone trimmings, and was fireproof in all stairways and corridors. It was steam-heated and well-ventilated and provided the required number of grade, class, assembly and recitation rooms to advance the health, comfort and interest of its occupants.
School started in the new building Tuesday, Sept. 6, 1921. There were 20 students in kindergarten with still more to follow, 32 in the 1st and 2nd grades, 28 in 3rd and 4th grades, 32 in 5th and 6th grades and in the grammar room 54, and 77 in the high room. Over the years, as school enrollment increased, the Nellie B. Chisholm (NBC) middle school and a new high school were built.
In June 1985, the 1921 school building became Oehrli Elementary School, named after Raymond Robert “Jack” Oehrli. He came to the Montague school system in 1929 at the age of 25, when the school system had 285 students and eight teachers. When he retired as superintendent in July 1965 after 36 years, there were over 1,000 students and 55 teachers. Oehrli died in a Muskegon hospital in May 1986.
According to published information for the 2023-24 school year, Montague Area Public Schools had 1,353 students in grades PK, K-12, and 86 teachers.
