Did you know that Leonard’s Rowland Hall has a small jail situated on the back of the building? Or that the Sutherby home on E. Elmwood was one of the first to have electricity?
Second-graders at Leonard Elementary do, after they embarked on a downtown walk last Thursday with village councilwoman, Char Sutherby, and village planning commission member, Debra McDonald.
With photos of certain parts of historic buildings from downtown in hand, the students had to try and find which building they had. When they did, Sutherby and McDonald presented historical facts about it.
Other sites visited on Elmwood were the post office, the Leonard United Methodist Church and the over 120-year-old McDonald home.
‘I want you to get a sense of place and history,? Sutherby told the children before leaving on the walk. ‘Someday, it’ll be your history to tell your children and grandchildren.?
McDonald said getting the children involved with the town’s history was something she and Sutherby learned while at Oakland County’s Annual Planning & Economical Development Conference at Oakland University Sept. 12.
‘The more children learn about the past, the more they’ll appreciate it,? she said.
The village was accepted into the Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) Mentoring Program at the conference and saw the downtown walk as a way to get the children involved in the process. Along with the City of Berkley and the Village of Franklin, Leonard will be paired up with an existing Main Street community for two years, and be introduced to their philosophy of historic preservation.
Leonard’s primary contact at the MSOC will be Associate Planner Julie Courtney. Feel free to contact her at (248) 858-2033 with any questions/concerns.