National Register of Historic Places

Fife Lake-Union District No. 1 Schoolhouse

Fife Lake, Grand Traverse County, Michigan
Listed
August 26, 1987
Type
Building
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
87001433

About this property

The Fife Lake–Union District No. 1 Schoolhouse, also known as the Cedar Creek School of the Union Township Hall, is a school building located at 5020 Fife Lake Road near Fife Lake, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1983 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It is unique because of the distinctive design of its Late Victorian porch and belfry. The Fife Lake Schoolhouse was built in 1882 by local carpenter John Dewey. It was used as a school until the early 1950s. In 1955, Union Township purchased the schoolhouse and converted it into a township hall. The Fife Lake Schoolhouse is a one-story Late Victorian balloon-frame rectangular structure with a gable roof and clapboard siding. The exterior is generally plain, but the appearance is enhanced by a distinctive triple-bay entry porch with a barrel-vault-top center, and by an open well-house-like belfry. Both the porch and the belfry have stickwork brackets, and the belfry has a gable roof and a central finial. Two entrances lead from the porch into coat rooms, which open onto the main schoolroom. The schoolroom has vertical-board interior paneling and a pressed metal ceiling. A clapboard woodshed with a gable roof is located behind the schoolhouse.

Location

5020 Fife Lake Rd.
Fife Lake, Grand Traverse County, Michigan
44.61253, -85.35388

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Questions about this property

When was Fife Lake-Union District No. 1 Schoolhouse listed on the National Register?

Fife Lake-Union District No. 1 Schoolhouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 26, 1987.

What type of historic resource is Fife Lake-Union District No. 1 Schoolhouse?

Fife Lake-Union District No. 1 Schoolhouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Fife Lake-Union District No. 1 Schoolhouse?

The period of significance for Fife Lake-Union District No. 1 Schoolhouse is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Fife Lake-Union District No. 1 Schoolhouse?

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