The first school house in Colon Township was built in 1833, on the Brooks(then Phineas Farrand's) farm, and Martin G. Schellhous was the first teacher therein, - the winter of 188-2. Mrs. W.H. Castle was a pupil in that school, and Jerome Cobb, a prominent citizen of Schoolcraft, also. Martha Schellhous was the first school ma'am, and taught in the same house, the summer of 1834 and was followed the next winter by a Mr. Harwood then Mrs. Keyes around 1876.

The school-statistics of 1876 are as follows: Ten schools were taught in the township, in as many school houses, eight being frames, one brick and one stone, capable of seating four hundred and eighty-four pupils. Three hundred and twenty-seven scholars, out of three hundred and forty-eight children in the township (of the legal school age) attended the schools, which were in session an average of eight months. There were two male teachers employed, who were paid two hundred and eighty-seven dollars and fifty cents for their services, and

eighteen females who received one thousand three hundred and six dollars and sixty-five cents for their work. The total income of the districts was two thousand two hundred and fifteen dollars and seventy-seven cents, of which was expended on thousand nine hundred and ninety-one dollars and seventy-one cents. The school property is valued at six thousand nine hundred and seventy-five dollars. One private school was taught, having thirty-five pupils in attendance. *taken from "History Of St. Joseph County 1827-1877"

Photos above are the first school house in the town of Colon. Courtesy of The Colon Historical Society.

Below, a classroom from 1908. Courtesy of The Colon Historical Society.

Colon High School pictures circa. 1910. I don't know when the bell tower was added.

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