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Payne School

        The Payne One Room School is over 100 years old. It was first located on the south side of 17 Mile Road (about 1 1/2 miles west of Cedar Springs was). In 1971 was donated by Cordon and Marjorie Wallace and moved  to its present resting place in Morley Park as the first Museum Building in Cedar Springs.  Since the newer museum building was built and opened in 1996 the Payne One Room School has been restored to appear as it was in the early 1900's as a one room school. 

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 Payne School - 1886

The School now contains actual desks, teacher's desk, pointing stick, American Flag, wash basin, pitcher pump, pot belly stove, and the recitation bench as well as many other points of interest.  One super feature displayed on the walls of the schoolhouse are the several class composite pictures of CSHS Graduating Classes which once hung in the top level of the original High School at Main and Muskegon Streets.  A complete collection of these composite photos is the ultimate goal

 Payne School - 1929

Free tours are available.  The Payne school is available for teachers to bring students for an hour or the whole day! School classes have enjoyed stepping back in time while spending a day in the turn of the century class room..

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A teacher packet is available to help plan your old fashioned school day.  We have many, old school books for reference as well as 2nd and 4th grade McGuffey readers on the desks.  Each desk also has a slate with chalk and a sock eraser.

 

Call the museum for info or reservations

616-696-3335 or email cedarspringsmuseum@gmail.com

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