The Copemish Historical Society and Library

The Copemish Historical Society and Library building was once the one-room schoolhouse, Riverside School, in Springdale Township. Ben Blaho gathered information from Mariann Olson. We believe that the school was located on Big 4 Road, north of Rudman Road.

When Mariann started school (guessing 1938/1939), the school did not have electricity. A large stove heated the room, and you planned to come early for school so you could get a seat close to the stove to keep warm. The older boys were tasked with keeping the fire going. Mariann remembers that the teacher for all eight grades was Margaret Graham (or Grams). She later married John Thompson. She also worked at the Pomona School and then at the Copemish School (as a 4th, 5th, and 6th grade teacher).

Mariann remembers that when she was there, the school had 33 children. She recalls some of the student names - Jim Mallison, Bob, Tom, Ted, Don, and Mariann Rudman, Doris and Nancy Hale, Anna May Vondra, Wally, Bill, Mike, and Ruthann Humphrey, Jessie Blanchard, Clarence Merskin, and a Leatherman child.

All of the students walked to school. When the teacher was absent, one of the older students would be in charge. In the winter, the teacher would take the students down to the river to play. The entry to the school had cement steps with a porch. Once, Mariann was pushed off the porch, and it was two weeks before she was taken to the doctor to discover that her arm was broken.

Ben believes that the building was moved to Copemish about 1951 or 1952. He remembers having a Shop class there in 1953.