Bridge School (Michigan)

The Bridge School is a former educational facility in rural Raisinville Township in Monroe County, Michigan. The building is located at 96 Ida-Maybee Road just north of M-50 on the formerly designated M-130 near the River Raisin. The Bridge School is recognized as the first public school in Michigan when it was founded in 1828.^[1][2][3] It was designated as a Michigan State Historic Site on December 17, 1982.^[1] As of 2010, it serves as the township hall and seat of government for Raisinville Township.^[4]

In 1828, the earliest settlers in the area organized a public school district to provide a basic education for their children. The new district would receive funding from the government of the Michigan Territory and is recognized as the first district of its kind in the territory that later became the state of Michigan in 1837. In the same year as its founding, the district built a small log schoolhouse, and the district's name came from the nearby Bruckner Bridge that had just been constructed over the River Raisin. A larger school, constructed from walnut trees, replaced the log structure in 1832. The present brick building was constructed in its place in 1868 and received an addition in 1910.^[2] On June 23, 1928, the school dedicated an obelisk in front of the building to commemorate the district's centennial.

The Bridge School served as the area's only public school district from 1828–1950. The building ceased operation in 1950 when the district was consolidated with the newly established Dundee Community Schools in nearby Dundee Township. Shortly after in 1957, the board of education for Dundee Community Schools donated the unused building to the Monroe County Historical Society.^[2] Since 1982, the building has served as the township hall for Raisinville Township.^[1]

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