According to the 1883 Manistee City and County Directory there were four school districts located in Arcadia Township. The map below shows the locations of those schools.
1903 Plat Map
The pushpins show the location of each school and act as links to additional
information. To find out more, click a pushpin.
District #1: The Gabel School (spelled "Gable" in the map)was located on the NW corner of St. Pierre Road and M22.
District #2: The Swamp School was located on St. Pierre Road south of Chamberlain Road at the bottom of the hill.
District #3: The Arcadia Village School was located in town on the NE corner of Lake and Fourth Streets.
District #4: The Burnham Village School was located north of Arcadia in Burnham.
In 1883 Arcadia Township had 190 children of school age, and 170 attended school. School was held for 7 months each year.
Saw Mill and Basket Factory
Around the years 1895-1900 a basket factory was built at the Starke sawmill in Arcadia employing 30 or more men. This brought additional children into the district, and more school space was needed. At the same time Burnham was running out of timber for its mills, and families had to go elsewhere for work.
The Burnham School was moved to Arcadia and placed next to the Arcadia School. Another teacher was added to the staff, and the Arcadia School became twin schools. Miss Stella Enos of Pierport taught in one building, and Miss Helen Ellefson of Onekama taught in the other.
The Arcadia Twin Schools