SCHOOLS OF YESTERYEAR
Hillside School Memories
Sand Beach #7, Part 3
by Janis Stein

Join in the continuation as Hillside students recall recess fun.

The children were always thrilled when the end of the school day neared. On the way home, the children often explored as they went. The roadsides and the surrounding hills consisted of clay and, with a bit of rain, the clay turned to mud. One young girl announced to her walking companions that she could climb a roadside hill. Part way up, she began to sink as if she were in quicksand, the mud rapidly climbing to the tops of her boots. She eventually freed herself from her predicament, and merrily went home. When her mother saw the condition of her boots and clothes, things were no longer quite so merry!

Many children enjoyed the camaraderie of their siblings, laughing and singing to and from the schoolhouse. The children traveled over a bridge at the bottom of one of hills along their route, the water so high it almost came to the top of the bridge. Cakes of ice formed at the sides of the bridge, tempting the children to stop to play.

If the students were lucky during the winter, a parent traveling that day might drive the children to school. When a Michigan snowstorm blew up during the course of the school day, some of the younger girls were often afraid they’d not make it home. Without communication, the children had to assume they’d be walking home, and for the little ones, the deep snow was frightening.

When the weather permitted, the children enjoyed eating their lunches across the road in the nearby woods. Sandwiches made with homemade bread were the norm, many filled with leftover meat, chicken, peanut butter or eggs. Many families in the district stored fruit from the orchard over winter, so apples were common fare as well.

The teacher’s desk could be found on the south end of the building with blackboards and pull-down maps hanging on the wall behind the desk. Likewise, the children’s desks faced the south, and the windows located on the east side of the frame building allowed for just enough light for the children to see.

Those students who would eventually graduate and attend the high school in Harbor Beach realized what a fine education Hillside School had provided. When the teacher held class at the front of the room in the little country school, the lower grades couldn’t help but absorb additional information; many felt their education was advanced in comparison to those students attending school in town because of their one-room schoolhouse experience.

During the early days the children enjoyed playing on the side of the hill. The most popular game was Pump, Pump Pull Away. The children burnt off their excess energy running through the bottom of the gully, and anyone getting caught would be transferred to the other team. On occasion, the children even had the thrill of traveling to East Huron for a baseball game and a bit of friendly rivalry.

Because the lot only contained a half acre, only about 40 feet stood between the back of the school and the south end of the parcel. During the 1930s, the flag waved proudly in the front yard. The well had been dug on the north end of the parcel and many a student cherished a drink of cold water after running around at recess.

The wood shed stood about 30 feet west of the school and measured approximately 20 by 24 feet wide. The south end of the wood shed was almost in alignment with the north end of the school. Looking for some excitement, one boy decided to climb atop the wood shed roof. In his haste, he accidentally fell off the building. The hurt student was promptly placed upon a sleigh, and some of the older boys hauled him home!

Be sure to look for the conclusion in next month’s issue.

© 2008 Stein Expressions, LLC