In the early 1900s, a Round Oak Stove sat in the middle
of the Town Hall School House, heating the building's one-room.
The school's
heating methods have changed many times throughout the
years, with the comfort of modern conveniences replacing
the aesthetic of antique pieces. Now, thanks to a generous
donation, a Round Oak Stove once again adorns the interior
of the schoolhouse.
Last June, FOCUS EMU published a story calling for a donation
of a Round Oak Stove for the one-room schoolhouse. The
call was heard and answered. Jill Hunsberger, director
of development in the College of Arts and Sciences, just
happened to have one in her basement.
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STOVE DONATION: (above, from left)
Thomas
Gwaltney, a professor emeritus
and original charter
member of the Friends
of the Town Hall Schoolhouse
Committee,
stands next to the Round Oak Stove
donated
by Jill Hunsberger, director of
development for
the College of Arts and
Sciences, and her daughter,
Rachel. The
1916-model stove now sits in the one-
room
schoolhouse on campus.
|
"It had been in my basement, shrink-wrapped for years
when I saw the story in the FOCUS EMU," said Hunsberger. "I
thought that since this stove was sitting in my basement
in perfect condition and not providing anyone any use or
enjoyment, that was the 'sign' that I should donate the
stove to the schoolhouse."
The school's previous stove was a replica of a coal-burning
stove, similar to those found in other one-room schools.
It was only ornamental and not large enough to heat the
whole school, said Thomas Gwaltney, professor emeritus
and original charter member of the Friends of the Town
Hall Schoolhouse Committee.
Gwaltney, who spent his lifetime studying one-room schoolhouses,
said that, in order for the décor to be authentic,
the school's fake stove needed to be replaced by a real
Round Oak Stove.
Luckily for Gwaltney, and the schoolhouse, Hunsberger
saw the story. She contacted Gwaltney and brought her 1916-model
stove to campus in December 2005.
"I was absolutely overwhelmed that it worked out that
well and that quickly," said Gwaltney.
The original Round Oak Stove was developed and manufactured
in Dowagiac, Mich., from about 1890-1925. The stoves stood
approximately 6 feet tall and had a long pipe coming out
of the top, with the pipe running to the chimney. They
were once considered to be the best all-around heating
stove in the world, burning any kind of fuel — wood,
soft coal or hard coal.
The wrought iron stoves were ornately embossed and decorated,
shaped like large oak logs.
"That brand was beautiful, a work of art," said Gwaltney. "Those
stoves were originally well-built, but [the donated stove]
was kept in excellent condition."
Hunsberger's father worked in the building that had once
been the Round Oak Stove factory. Though the factory had
been closed for many years, he was interested in the history
of the Round Oak Stove Company and started collecting stoves
in the 1980s. He purchased old stoves and restored them
by sandblasting, painting and nickel-plating them.
"He amassed a collection of about 40-50 stoves over the
years and since he did not have a great place to display
them, he allowed Dowagiac city merchants to display the
stoves in their places of business," said Hunsberger. "He
also donated some to the Round Oak Stove Museum at Southwestern
Michigan College."
About 10-12 years ago, Hunsberger's father gave her and
her siblings a restored stove as a gift. Following in her
father's generous footsteps, Hunsberger donated the stove
to EMU.
"I feel this was a perfect use and place for this stove," said
Hunsberger. "It was meant to be."
The Geddes Town Hall School House was built in Pittsfield
Township in 1895. Originally housing nine grades, the building
had no bathrooms and only the stove for heat. The building
was eventually renovated to include electricity and running
water. But as the trend of the one-room schoolhouse declined,
the Town Hall School House was closed in 1957.
In 1987, the Geddes family, who owned the property the
schoolhouse had been built on, donated the Town Hall School
to EMU. The structure was largely bare, containing only
its original bell and piano. Donations have helped to fill
the schoolhouse with authentic, time-appropriate pieces.
Today, the school is used as a learning facility where
students in the education department exercise early 20th-century
classroom life for school children. Though the schoolhouse
now contains modern methods of heating, the antique stove
adds to the décor and lends authenticity
to its surroundings.
"Having the Round Oak Stove in the Town Hall School is
important because it will add reality to the school," said
Gwaltney. "When children come to the school on field trips,
we have them compare and contrast between this school and
their more modern school. When they see things like the
stove in here, they can visualize more easily how times
have changed."
So far, 17 groups of young students have visited the schoolhouse
since January, said Carol Zakrezewski, secretary in the
office of the dean of the College of Education.
Groups interested in visiting the Town Hall School house
can contact Zakrezewski at 487-1414.
