Loomis-School

LOOMIS SCHOOL Dist. No. 9

Located on the NW corner of 63rd St. and 122nd Ave. Fennville Michigan
Loomis School was built in 1881 and closed in 1960 See: 1895 MAP
The school was located one mile south of the 1st school in the area, Peach Belt School.

The Loomis School student body of 1924:

Front row l-r: Marie Stehle, Anne Morse, Eva Goodwine, Bob Line, Grace Goodwine, Ella Morse, Arnold Green, Lawrence Stehle, and Bob Cine.

Middle row: Cleo Gebhart, Gerald Stehle, Lawrence, John Stehle, Don Line, Al Morse, and Ruby Boggna.

Back row: Cynthia Richards, Gladys Phillips, Harold Hoover, teacher Helen Kitchen, Emma Goodwine, Gertrude Dykhuis, Mae Morse, and Freda Goodwine.

This webmasters sister, Arleen Bouwman, attended her first 2 years of school
here in 1946-46 with teacher Ms. Miller

.....The school is located on the corner of the former M.D. Loomis farm, across from the Loomis Cemetery. M.D. is the son of Levi and Sally Ann (Skinner) Loomis.

.....Levi Loomis was born in Blanford, conn. the son of Josiah and Rebecca (Sheen) Loomis. Levi's father fought in the war of 1812 and voted the wig Ticket. Levi's grandfather, Alexander Loomis was a soldier in the American Revolution. After Levi's parents were married they moved to New York where they bought a farm in Halton County and had four sons and a daughter. Levi's sister Emily became the wife of William G. Butler.

.....Levi, was born in Madison Co., N. Y., on Sept. 6, 1810. Having learned the trade of a carpenter and joiner, he, in 1835, made his way to Swan Creek, Allegan County, Michigan by way of Detroit, Marshall, Grand Rapids, St. Joseph, across the lake to Illinois and back. At Swan Creek Levi built a mill, thirty-five by fifty, doing all the framing and laying foundation, and within three weeks, with the help of a millwright, had it in running operation. Later he returned to the East, was married to Miss Sally Ann Skinner and returned to Michigan, crossing the State in a wagon, going from Allegan to the mouth of the Kalamazoo River on a raft.

.....In

Singapore

they built the first dwelling and Sally baked the first loaf of white bread at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River. Mr. Loomis assisted in building a mill fifty by one hundred and twenty feet. It was here that Levi had memorable experience with money in the form of 'wild cat bills'. In the spring of 1839 they moved to Saugatuck, then to Kalamazoo. During this same time, Levi cleared a farm of eighty acres on section 11, Ganges Twp. on which he had purchased one hundred and sixty from James Hale in 1839. They moved to it in January of 1840. Eighty acres was later added. This was their home through the remainder of their days.

.....Levi and Sally had seven children; Florence A., Ida T., Effie L. (deceased), Charles L.(deceased), L. B.(deceased), Charles H. and M.D. born March 10, 1840 being the first white child born in Ganges Twp. M.D. Loomis became owner of the farm in 1876; being on the north side of the Hutchins Lake Rd. (122nd Ave.) and Charles H. the south side farm.

.....The whole farm was placed under cultivation. Much of this land devoted to fruit-raising, ten acres being devoted to apples and twelve to peaches. In 1862, Elam A. Fenn, Levi built a saw mill about 100 yards west of where the railroad depot used to be. Much lumber was created from trees of Levi's property. In 1865 the mill burned down where six thousand dollars worth of lumber was lost and Levi sold out.

Levi was active in proceedings of the western county area where he helped in the settlement of Ganges in 1837. He was the earliest assessor in Saugatuck. In 1847 he was the Treasurer of Ganges Township.

Two of their sons were soldiers in the Civil War where one gave his life in 1864. Two of their other children also died and the remaining five married and lived near their parents. Levi died November 21, 1902. Sally died on April 3, 1889.

Census 1920 Page 6 : Son of M.D. Loomis;
Loomis, Floyd M. 42 farmer, Michigan & childs; Mary (mother) 72 Germany; Gertrude (sister) 40 public school teacher; Myra (sister) 38 piano music teacher; Pearl (sister) 33.

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