Washburn School

The Washburn School is a beautiful, authentic turn-of-the-century building that is perfect for field trips, tours, and photo opportunities.  Inside, you are taken back to a time when a one-room classroom was the educational norm with a coal or wood-burning stove for heat, sturdy wooden vintage desks, ink wells, slates, one teacher and a much simpler education experience. 

The school was built in 1907 in Green Oak Township, Livingston County to replace a log school building.  It served the families in the area until 1953 when the district consolidated with South Lyon schools.  The City, in conjunction with the South Lyon Area Historical Society, moved the schoolhouse to its present site where is serves the community as part of the museum and the historic village.  This building was donated to the City of South Lyon in 1984 by the Gordon Wood Family. 

School children can enjoy a "one-room schoolhouse" experience through field trips to the historical village.  The school is open for tours, meetings and other community needs. For more information about utlizing the schoolhouse, please contact Linda Ross at southlyonahs@gmail.com.

Washburn School Historical Marker

This is a great article about one-room schoolhouses in Michigan. 

It is estimated that at one time there were over 7,200 one-room schools in Michigan, and approximately 7,000 of those have been found and documented on the Michigan One Room Schoolhouse Association (MORSA) website.  Michigan One Room Schoolhouse Association