Location: 42.76855, -83.31253, at 3380 Clarkston Rd, Orion Township, MI.
Howarth School (1859-1955) is now located in Friendship Park in Orion Township. John Howarth provided the land on which this Greek Revival schoolhouse was built in 1859. It's the nearly the simplest rectangular wood-frame structure possible for a schoolhouse. The front has a single centered door and nothing else. Each side has 4 medium-sized windows. There is a bell tower but no school bell inside. The structure rests on a cement-block foundation. In addition to being used as an Oakland County school, the building served the community as a place of worship for the Howarth United Methodist Church. In 1898, the church moved into a new building across the street, but this schoolhouse continued to be used for learning 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.
