James School Presentation

Please join us in welcoming Martie Pritchard to the library on Tuesday, August 19th at 4:30 p.m.

Martie will give a presentation about her research on the James School History Project.

All are welcome and light refreshments will be served.

The James School is the last one-room schoolhouse in the Presque Isle area still in public use. Built in 1917 it was used as a school until 1948 when rural schools in the area closed. The Hillside Gospel Mission purchased the building in 1949 and used it as a church for about ten years. The last recorded church business was August, 1958. The school building was boarded up and abandoned until 1985 when it was scheduled to be burned by the city of Presque Isle. It was then that a restoration committee was formed under the guidance of Judge Julian Turner. For the next two years every Saturday was a work day for citizens of the area. The James School stands as a monument to hard work and community pride, providing a year-round gathering place for meetings, parties, picnics, and school field trips.

Martie Pritchard joins the ranks of historians of the James School. She is a special education teacher in Presque Isle, a farmer, grandmother and freelance writer. She is working on the James School History Project in two volumes; a compilation for adults and older students, and a children’s book which incorporates questions posed by her students on field trips with photographs of children exploring the historical features of the school.