History – Chelsea Alumni Association

Preserving Our History

We’re excited to share our latest initiative: the CHS Alumni History Wall Project. This project aims to honor and preserve the rich history of Chelsea High School alumni by transforming a wall in the high school into an engaging historical timeline of our beloved schools.

Image of a rendering of the proposed Alumni Wall — A rendering of the proposed Alumni Wall at the High School by Julia Applegate ’86.

Central to this project will be a 65″ interactive TV touchscreen display that will feature class composites, photographs, and other historical information dating back as far as possible. A dedicated section will also honor Chelsea students who lost their lives while serving in our country’s military. Importantly, the interactive information will also be accessible from offsite locations. Another key component to this historic project will be a plaque recognizing the founding members of the CHS Alumni Association.

The total cost for this project is approximately $25,000, and we are reaching out to our alumni community for support. We kindly ask you to consider making a donation to support this initiative. As a token of our appreciation, your name will be displayed on the opening tab of the interactive TV, and all contributions are tax-deductible.

Your support is crucial in helping us preserve the rich history of Chelsea High School for future generations. We cannot fund this project without your support!

YES, add my name to the Wall! — I’LL DONATE TODAY!

Chelsea Schools Timeline

Like many communities across the nation, Chelsea started its school system in the 1800s. Take a walk through time to see where we’ve been and how far we’ve come!

Timeline (Click to open)

Photograph of the Red School in 1953 — The Little Red Schoolhouse in 1953. Originally located on M-52 at Sager Road, it was moved to the Fairgrounds to make way for Chrysler Proving Grounds. It remained in use at the Fairgrounds as a restaurant and display area during the fairs and was demolished in 1973 after it fell into disrepair.

1800s

Many one-room schoolhouses spring up throughout the country, including in the rural areas and districts surrounding Chelsea. Often the schools are built as a community effort on land donated by farmers with many children or on public lands near churches and town halls. Offering courses through the eighth grade, they open in October, after harvest, and close in May. Up until 1900, few of the local schoolmasters and schoolmistresses are educated much beyond the eighth grade themselves. Some schools south of town are bilingual with classes in German and English due to the large number of German immigrants settling there in the mid- to late-1800s. Current Chelsea residents may remember having attended one of these schools, with some continuing into the 1950s and which remain standing as homes. At one time they included Baldwin, Bareis, Beach, Canfield, Collins Plains, Freedom, Freer, Howe, Irwin, Jerusalem Stone, Jewett Stone, Lima Township, Lyndon Center, McIntee, McLaren, Merkel, North Lake, Palmer, Pleasant Lake, “Punkin College,” Red School, Riemenschneider, Rogers Corners, Savage, Ira Spaulding, St. Louis, Stapish, Sylvan Center, Waterloo Village, and Weiss.

1837

The first school in Chelsea is started. It is housed in a small wooden building near where the First Congregational Church is today on E. Middle Street, and is destroyed six years later by suspected vandalism.

1854

The next school is constructed between W. Middle and South Streets and serves the community until 1860.

1860

The Congdon families donate land at Park and East Streets and a new wooden school is built.

Vintage photograph of the Union School on East and Park Street in Chelsea, MI. — The new Union School at East and Park Streets.

1873

The original school at Park and East streets is demolished and the Chelsea Union School, a large brick Victorian building, is constructed and houses grades K-12. Enrollment steadily grows and smaller wooden buildings are built on the grounds to house K-4 grades.

1907

The first St. Mary’s School opens on Congdon Street and is staffed by the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, offering classes through eighth grade. In 1916, a complete high school course is added for grades 9-12.

Vintage photograph of the High School at East and Harrison Streets in Chelsea, MI. — The new High School at East and Harrison Streets, next to the Union School.

1910

A high school is built next to the Union School, on Harrison Street. The former smaller wooden buildings are moved to Madison Street and become homes.

1925

The original St. Mary’s School is destroyed and a new building is constructed that same year. This building remains standing today on Congdon Street.

Vintage photograph of the rebuilt St. Mary's School on Congdon Street in Chelsea, MI. — The new St. Mary’s School built in 1925.

Photograph shows the Union and High Schools on East Street with the new auditorium addition in between. — The school complex on East Street with the completed auditorium addition between Union and the High School. The Rock sits at the corner.

1926

A gymnasium and auditorium building is constructed between the Union and High school, connecting the two schools buildings. (Prior to this basketball games are played in the Town Hall building on W. Middle Street, still standing today.) The Rock is excavated during its construction and moved to the corner of East and Harrison Streets.

1934

The last senior class graduates from St. Mary’s. Due to overcrowding in the elementary grades, the high school is discontinued and St. Mary’s returns to K-8.

1940

A second addition is made to the schools on East Street for home economics and science.

1952

South Elementary School is built at Pierce Street at a cost of $307,266.

1955

North Elementary School opens on McKinley Street and is built for $206,457.

1957

Two four-room additions are made to North Elementary School due to overcrowding.

1958

The last senior class graduates from the High School at East Street. The school serves as a junior high for ten years thereafter.

1959

The new Chelsea High School at Washington Street opens its doors to 362 students. The 1-story open campus structure is built to house 700 students with room for additions to accomodate up to 1200.

Color photograph of the Chelsea High School at Washington Street. — Chelsea High School built in 1959.

1968

The new Dwight E. Beach Middle School on Mayer Street opens. It is named after Chelsea’s four-star general.

St. Mary’s unites with the public schools.

1971

St. Mary’s officially closes but St. Mary’s Catholic Church continues to use the facility for religious education for both children and adults. The building is sold in 1998.

The former Union School at Park and East Streets is torn down and replaced by the Schoolhouse Apartments, standing there today. “The Rock” is later moved to Pierce Park on South Main Street.

1997

Pierce Lake Elementary opens at N. Freer Road and later becomes the Pierce Lake Early Childhood Center for children ages 3-5. Both existing elementary schools receive major renovations and are renamed to South Meadows School and North Creek Elementary.

1998

Color photograph of the entrance to the current Chelsea High School located at N. Freer Road. — The entrance to the current Chelsea High School located at N. Freer Road.

The current 3-story, 224,500 square foot High School is dedicated to the community on August 30, 1998 and opens its doors to students a few days later.

References:

Church, Cary; Clark, Kathy; and Ogle-Mater, Janet (2009). Chelsea—175^th Anniversary, 1834-2009. Chelsea, MI: Sheridan Books.

Reynolds, Cynthia Furlong (2001). Our Hometown: America’s History as Seen Through the Eyes of a Midwestern Village. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press.

Vintage photographs courtesy of Chelsea Area Historical Society (CAHS).