Schools of Yesteryear
The Mystery of Bingham
No. 5, Fractional, Part 2
By Janis Stein

Join in the conclusion to determine whether Bingham No. 5, Fractional even existed…

According to old maps, Bingham No. 5, Fractional, was located in Section 36, Bingham Township, Huron County. But did Bingham No. 5, Fractional, even exist?

The 1872 report indicated a total of five schoolhouses within Bingham Township: four “whole districts” and one “Fract’l Dist.” All five schoolhouses were of frame construction, rather than being built with stone, brick or log.

The Annual Report of the School Inspectors to the County Superintendent for the year 1873 shows limited information regarding Bingham No. 5, Fractional. Frank Pacha was listed as the “Director for the Ensuing Year.” A total of 52 children between the ages of five and 20 lived within the district’s boundaries, however only 26 attended school. One of these students was under the heading “No. attending School under 5 or over 20 y’rs of age.” Two different female teachers taught during the five months that school was in session. Total wages paid out for teaching amounted to $168.75.

The 1873 map of the school districts of the township clearly shows a symbol indicating the schoolhouse was located in Section 36. Much of the information typically reported, however, was missing. No financial report was submitted for Bingham No. 5, Fractional, and School Inspector Neil McKay noted, “Limited Report Received Only from Fractional District.”

All five districts taught Reading, Spelling, Writing, and Arithmetic. Four of the five districts taught Geography. None of the following subjects were taught at any of the Bingham Township schoolhouses in 1873: Grammar, U.S. History, Algebra, “Book-keeping,” Geometry, Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, Physiology, Drawing, and “Science of Government.” The 1873 report also included a map outlining the boundaries for all five districts. The task of outlining the school district’s boundaries fell to the Town Clerk.

The 1874 Annual Report of School Inspectors did not list Bingham No. 5, Fractional, in the details of the report, nor was this district mentioned in detail in subsequent years. Subsequent years did, however, continue to show the district boundaries on the map outlined by the Town Clerk. Based on these School Inspectors’ Reports, it appeared Bingham No. 5, Fractional, actually conducted school sessions during only the years of 1872 and 1873.

An 1875 plat map of Bingham Township, on file at the Library of Michigan reads “FR DIST No. 1” across the top of Sections 35 and 36. The previous Inspectors’ Reports and Town Clerk maps always indicated this school as Fractional No. 5. The discrepancy in numbering on the 1875 map may be because this schoolhouse was the first fractional school within the township, hence “FR DIST No. 1” on the 1875 map. (Later, Bingham No. 3, also known as Wadsworth School, would become a fractional school as well.)

The Township Clerk depicted boundary lines for all five districts within Bingham Township on the 1876 and 1877 Annual Reports, however, the reports made no indication of Bingham No. 5, Fractional, thereafter.

All of Bingham Township experienced calamity again in 1881 during the Great Fire. An 1884 document lists only four schoolhouses within the township. According to the Chapman Brothers Portrait and Biographical Album of Huron County (1884), there were “four schools in the township, located on sections 17, 27, 11 and 29. The 1890 plat map also shows Bingham No. 5, Fractional, ceased to exist.

Was the frame schoolhouse built in 1872 only meant to be a temporary structure after the 1871 fire swept through the Thumb area of Michigan until relief money was received to build a more permanent structure? Why did Bingham No. 5, Fractional, conduct school terms for just two years? The 1873 Bingham Township map clearly indicated the schoolhouse was located in Section 36 of that township, and the 1873 Paris Township map showed boundaries of a fractional district but no schoolhouse. It would have been easy to assume these details had been lost through the fog of time, however, additional research proved otherwise.

Neighboring Paris Township, Huron County, also showed a Fractional District No. 5, its boundaries including all of Section 31, the southern half of Section 32 and the southwest corner of the southwest quarter of Section 33. An 1874 map with school district boundaries filled out by the Township Clerk showed the schoolhouse for Paris No. 5, Fractional, stood in Section 31 of Paris Township. If in fact, the schoolhouse for Bingham No. 5, Fractional, had been located in Section 36, Bingham Township, and the schoolhouse for Paris No. 5, Fractional, had been located in Section 31 of Paris Township, then these two schools would have been built within one mile of each other.

Further research into Paris No. 5, Fractional, proved a schoolhouse named Bingham No. 5, Fractional, likely never existed. The information had been reported incorrectly. In regards to the No. 5 Fractional School, a handwritten line on the Annual Report of the School Inspectors of the Township of Paris for the year, 1873, stated, “Pacha writes that the house is in Paris.”

In addition, another (barely legible) note dated 1874 but attached to the 1873 report stated, “Dear Sir, …I am sorry to say that I have made out the (report) and send it of [sic] before I received your instruction as it was hard to make it out as there was no records…only a copy of the organizing…that the report should be given to the Town Clerk of Bingham but the building did not belong to the District.”

Based on this information, the school district boundaries on the map of Bingham were correct, however, the schoolhouse itself for Fractional No. 5 did not exist in Bingham, but rather the building stood in Paris Township. Therefore, information reported for Fractional No. 5, on the Annual School Inspectors Reports for 1872 and 1873 should have been submitted under Paris Township – not Bingham!

In addition, by 1904, Bingham No. 2, also known as Sparling School, moved from the west side of what is now Jurgess Road in Section 27 to the east side of Tyre Road in Section 25. This lateral move of location more easily accommodated those students living in the southeastern corner of Bingham Township.

Be sure to look for this column in next month’s issue to learn about the history of Paris No. 5, Fractional – in other words, stay tuned for the rest of the story!

©2010 Stein Expressions, LLC