THE MICHIGAN ONE ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE ASSOCIATION

In 1993 the Michigan One-Room Schoolhouse Association (MORSA) was founded at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) in Ypsilanti. The founding was a joint effort of the Historical Society of Michigan and the College of Education at EMU. The organization does not promote a return to one-room schooling, but it rather seeks to foster understanding of and appreciation for Michigan's remaining one-room schools and the important role that they played in the history of education in Michigan. A further purpose of MORSA is to stimulate and encourage the preservation and interpretation of Michigan's one-room schoolhouses through conferences, newsletters, awards, consulting services, and related historical activities. An annual conference is held each year at which sessions on restoring schools, researching history of buildings, and acquiring furniture and artifacts for restored schools are attended by participants from all over the state. At a popular session titled simply "Stories and Reminiscences," those who attended or taught in a country school tell tales of what it really was like. The annual conference is held at a different location each year and always features a restored schoolhouse. A major activity of MORSA is the ongoing statewide survey of one-room schoolhouses. A county-by-county directory is in preparation detailing location, condition, and current use of buildings. The survey is housed at the Grand Rapids Public Library. Twice a year MORSA publishes the Slate, a newsletter devoted to items about restored schools and historical reminiscences about life in country schools. The association maintains a Web site at www.miorsa.com