Schools

The first school-house was built in 1833, only three years after the first settlers arrived on the land that later would become Fabius Township. It was a log structure that stood at the edge of the woods on the south line of Section 35. It was used as a meeting house and also for Sunday School. It only stood for a few years before being destroyed by fire. The next school-house was a frame structure built on land in Section 34 where the cemetery is now situated. It is believed the Fabius School District was organized as early as 1838, but there are no school records earlier than 1858. Records from 1876 show that there were then ten one-room schools in the township –two brick and eight wooden frame. That year there were 429 pupils attending school, 88 % of the 489 children of legal school age living in the township.

The era of one-room schools lasted more than a century. A total of 11 one-room schools once existed in Fabius Township, Each served a geographical district, The delineation of school districts can be found on a 1907 map showing all school districts in St Joseph County which is displayed at the county historical society. Eight of the school buildings are still standing. Six of these have been converted to dwellings, one is used as a workshop and for storage, and the eighth is used for storage by Corey Lake Orchards. As late as 1952 there were seven one-room schools providing elementary education in the township under county supervision. In 1953, because of decline in the number of pupils, all operating one-room schools were consolidated into three one-room schools –- Lake Section, Johnny Cake, and Hopkins. The last classes of the one-room schools graduated from 8th grade in May of 1956. Pupils in the lower grades then attended the new Lake District school, now known as the Norton School on A.L.Jones Road, that opened in the fall of 1956. Ten years later, in 1966, the Fabius Township elementary school became part of the Three Rivers Community Schools . A listing of the one-room schools, their locations. and current status is provided in the table on Page x. A very large amount of additional information about one-room schools in Fabius, as well as the 15 other townships in St Joseph County, may be found in the St Joseph County Historical Society’s offices. The information, collected and organized by Kathy Brundidge of Colon, includes locations, photos, teachers, salaries paid, enrollment , and much more. There was a total of 125 one-room schools in St Joseph County and more than 8,000 pupils were taught in them.