Murray Lake Elementary Kids Learn Local History at Fallasburg Village

Photo courtesy of Bruce Doll.

By Emma Palova || Contributing writer

6/5/2024

Under the blue skies, the Murray Lake Elementary first graders followed guide, Ken Tamke, through the peaceful historical village of Fallasburg. The walking tour through Fallasburg started at the one-room school house, where the kids divided into three groups.

The first group, with teacher, Nancy Breuker, headed down Covered Bridge Road for the first stop at the North Country Trail, going through the village. In answering Tamke’s question about how long is the trail, the answers ranged from one mile to 190,000 miles. No one guessed where the trail starts.

A stop at the Tower Barn revealed a covered up old silo, as the group proceeded to the Tower Farm, built circa 1850s by Orlin Douglass. Tamke explained that the Tower Farm actually consists of two houses, one built for Mrs. Tower and the other one for Mrs. Steketee, who ended up living together.

He pointed out the oldest tree in Michigan, standing in front of the farm, and that is the majestic 200-year-old Black Locust tree. “Bees love it,” he said.

On the corner of Whinnery and Covered Bridge Road, there was a fence post surrounded by big trees that lasted until 2010. But the main attractions on this tour were yet to come; the group toured the John Wesley Fallas house, built in 1842 by the village founder Fallas and his brothers, Silas and Arad, who came from New York. John Wesley Fallas and his wife, Phoebe Brown, lived in the house their entire lives. The Fallas House now serves as a museum for the Fallasburg Historical Society (FHS) and showcases Fallas family documents, pictures and artifacts. “They most likely traveled the trail in an open wagon not in a stagecoach,” Tamke said.

The Fallas House is equipped with furniture built in the village of Fallasburg, long before furniture was made in Grand Rapids. Among some of the artifacts showcased at the house are the baby room, Abacus, a loom, a yarn spinner, a woodburning stove, a dress form, a wedding dress, rag balls, a book safe with documents and many more items. The bedrooms are located upstairs.

En route to the Covered Bridge, the group stopped at the Blackmer Cottage, built circa 1848, where the village postmaster lived. Next to Blackmer, which is a private residence, is the Stagecoach House, which served as a hotel, built in circa 1859. The Stagecoach is also a private residence.

Then the kids ran across the Covered Bridge, encouraged by Tamke, who wanted to charge them a $5 fine for crossing the bridge faster than a walk, per the famous sign on the bridge. The Covered Bridge is a 100-foot-long historic span across the Flat River, built from pine timbers and brown trusses, in 1871. It is one of only two covered bridges open to vehicle traffic in Michigan, along with Whites Covered Bridge in Smyrna.

The Fallasburg Covered Bridge was listed with the Michigan State Register of Historic Places on Feb. 12, 1959, and on the National Register in 1972.

Tamke pointed out in the distance, along the banks of the Flat River, the site of the Fallasburg village three-story grist mill. Furniture was also built here before it was built in Grand Rapids.

The next stop on the tour was the David Misner House, built for Misner in 1850. It is the most complete FHS museum in Fallasburg Village. It houses the memorabilia collection. The kids first noticed the dummy in the window on the second story, then they toured the kitchen and the main exhibit room with the organ and arrowhead collection.

Stepping outside, Tamke said the village used to be busy but something caused its demise. Breuker’s class will discuss what happened that diverted the traffic from the village of Fallasburg to Lowell. “We learn about the history of the area, and we also do a walking tour of Lowell and compare the two communities,” she said.

She estimated that the partnership between Murray Lake Elementary and Fallasburg Historical Society started at least 15 to 18 years ago.

Depending on the rotation of each group, the tour either started or ended at the one-room schoolhouse with docent Tom Vaughan, who went to the school through seventh grade. “I love doing this,” he said. “I love being a member of the Fallasburg Historical Society.”

Vaughan talked about the 1867 schoolhouse, which served as a focal point in the village and a gathering place for people, as well as a church. “There were 24 children at one time, in grades one through eight,” he said.

In response to kids’ questions, Vaughan said he didn’t remember having a substitute teacher. “We ate lunch on the slab outside from 12 to 1 pm, we didn’t have the porch,” he said. “We had one recess in the morning and one in the afternoon. No, we didn’t have a principal.” He remembered a traveling nurse making her rounds in the area schoolhouses.

In response, if the school had any technology, Vaughan laughed and said, “No, there was no technology. We had paper, pencils and a bottle of ink. Yes, we had books.” Vaughan said they wore plaid shirts, t-shirts and Levis and bought supplies at the Hartman’s Book Store in Lowell. “We each had our own seat and everything we had was in our desks,” he said.

The schoolhouse museum is open on most Sundays, from June through Sept. 2, from 2 pm to 4 pm. For more info or appointment go to www.fallasburg.org

Mark your calendars for the third annual Fallasburg Village Celebration on July 27, from 11 am to 8 pm.