Lake Orion in Oakland County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Howarth School

Photographed By Stephen Roberts, October 16, 2014

1. Howarth School Marker

Inscription. John Howarth provided the land on which this Greek Revival schoolhouse was built in 1859. The building served the community as a place of worship for the Howarth United Methodist Church and as an Oakland County school. The Methodists moved to a new building across the road in 1898; however, the building was used as a school until 1955 when the Orion township school system was consolidated. The church then acquired the building for its vacation Bible school and its annual Christmas bazaar.

Erected 1988 by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number 1059.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Education. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1859.

Location. 42° 46.111′ N, 83° 18.752′ W. Marker is in Lake Orion, Michigan, in Oakland County. Marker can be reached from Clarkston Road, on the right when traveling west. Located in Friendship Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3380 West Clarkston Road, Lake Orion MI 48362, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. William E. Scripps (approx. 2 miles away); William E. Scripps / William E. and Nina Scripps Estate

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(approx. 2 miles away); Predmore House (approx. 3.9 miles away); Lake Orion Methodist Church (approx. 3.9 miles away); Seymour Lake Methodist Episcopal Church (approx. 4.1 miles away); Sashabaw United Presbyterian Church (approx. 4.2 miles away); Sashabaw Cemetery (approx. 4.3 miles away); Oxford World War II Memorial (approx. 4½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lake Orion.

Additional commentary.
1. Not the original Location
Howarth School was originally located at the southwest corner of Silverbell Road and Bald Mountain Road, 5 miles away as the crow flies from its current location at Friendship Park. A developer had bought the property in the early 2000's with plans to develop it. The Lake Orion community, led by its schoolchildren, took action to preserve the historic school. Through fundraising efforts and assorted grants, restoration of the school started in 2006, starting with the bell tower. The building, with its historical marker attached to the wall to the right of the front entrance, was moved to its current location

Howarth School image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Stephen Roberts, October 16, 2014

2. Howarth School

on November 4, 2009. Restoration efforts continue to this day with most of the focus on restoring the interior and replacing the front steps.

— Submitted July 31, 2023, by John Garman of Rochester Hills.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 13, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 16, 2014, by Stephen Roberts of Oxford, Michigan. This page has been viewed 710 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 16, 2014, by Stephen Roberts of Oxford, Michigan. • William J. Toman was the editor who published this page.