Hyde School Forest Twp. #5 Contributed by Nute Chapman,Jim Hall,Sally Beatty

 THE HISTORY OF FOREST TOWNSHIP SCHOOLSHYDE SCHOOL - #5By Mary Lyon  The Hyde School had its beginning in 1901.  At that time, it was called Hyde�s Corners
school because it was located on the Northwest corner of the J. P. Hyde�s property at
the corner of Erratt and South Black River Road.  This would be two miles south of
Highway 68 and 33.             One acre of ground was purchased from Mr. Hyde for this school site which
with building and furnishings cost $750.00.             James Kerry was president of the school board when this district was
formed as a division of district number one, located two miles further south.             Lucy Glasier was the first teacher.  Families were attracted to the area
because of the logging operations with mills on the river to the east near Erratt
Road.  At that time, that was the route travelled to reach Onaway from the South
Forest area.  Most people bought and did their trading in Onaway.              Since Forest Township is a part of Cheboygan Country, the residents had to
travel to Tower for their township elections.  The annual elections were held the
first Monday in April.  At that time of the year, with the spring thaws starting, it
was a difficult trek to get to the village with either sleighs or wagons, depending on
how much snow was left.  Elections were taken very seriously and regardless of
weather, you could depend on a large turn out of cast their votes on election day
which probably was the most exciting and sometimes �heated� day of the year in local
politics.             Attending Hyde school district was not always easy for some of the
students who lived across the river to the east.  Donna Siddle Allen recalls when the
water was high enough to be over the road near the bridge.  The ice piled high in the
spring breakup and the dangers were there.  She lived on the County Line road and
tells of Mr. Wilson who came to the rescue of some with his boat and helped ferry them
across the swollen river.             Donna recalls a dear and faithful teacher, Mrs. Pierson, who taught at the
Hyde School for many years.  Mrs. Pierson lives in the hearts of many who now tell how
much she meant to them.             She drove a horse and buggy or cutter to school depending on the season of
the year.  Some of the Hyde boys attending the school would keep her horse in their
barn and have it ready for her at the end of the day.  She too, had to cross the river
to go home and at times ended up staying with the Erratt�s until the river ended it�s
spring rampage.             As Donna Siddle Allen reminisces more about the Hyde school, she tells of
the children helping to put out a fire blazing in the roof of the Hyde home nearby.
The younger children kept pumping water while the older ones ran with the buckets
dousing the flames and saving the home on a cold wintery day.             The school was discontinued for a few years in 1916 bit reopened again in
 1919 with families moving into the area.  After 1929 children who had attended the
Buzzell school were transported to the Hyde school.  In 1941, the children were taken
to Tower and Onaway schools.  The school house was later used as a home by a grandson
of the original J. P. Hyde and later burned.  The property now belongs to some of the
Hyde family.