The History Channel has awarded the Orion Historical Society a Save Our History grant, worth nearly $10,000 to rescue and relocate the Howarth School.
The school, located at Silverbell and Bald Mountain Roads, is the last remaining one-room schoolhouse in Orion Township.
The $9,986 grant is pending approval by the Orion Township Board. It would cover a portion of the moving cost.
The grant is one of 27 grants given this year by the History Channel for the Save Our History preservation mission. That program is in its third year.
In addition to the money, students from the Upland Hills School will work with OHS to rescue the historic building.
The students will work in teams with adults to salvage stone, re-build a fieldstone foundation, and prepare the building for moving.
The destination for the school must be approved by the board as well, though Friendship Park (near the relocated Porritt Barn) has been discussed as one possibility.
The students from Upland Hills will also collaborate with students from Lake Orion High School to conduct oral histories, and document and help create an exhibit of archaeological artifacts.
The project will be digitally preserved through photography and the production of a documentary DVD.
‘There are a lot of aspects to this project that really excite me,? said Ted Strunck from the Upland Hills School.
Strunck said his seventh and eighth grade students have already done one archaeological dig and are hoping to do a second one soon.
‘I think this is a great opportunity,? he said. ‘We’re looking forward to doing repair and restoration work as well.?
Leslie Pielack of the OHS said the oral history component of the project is one that will require community involvement.
‘What we’re going to be looking for is people in the area that went to a one-room schoolhouse in Lake Orion, or even the Howarth School,? Pielack said.
She encouraged anyone that attended a local one-room schoolhouse to contact her at 693-6718, or contact Lisa Sokol at the Orion Senior Center.