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Joseph W. Guyton School

From the National Register of Historic Places nomination written by Debroah Goldstein:

“The school was named after Joseph W. Guyton, a Michigan resident who was the first American soldier killed on German soil during the First World War. It was constructed in 1922 at a cost of $145,265. It opened in January 1924 to serve about 400 students organized into twelve sections under a platoon plan, with twelve non-platoon rooms, a kindergarten, conservatory, and office.

What was intended as the school’s main section was completed in 1925 at a cost of $247,855. It brought the building up to thirty-one rooms, including an auditorium, gymnasium, library, playroom, kitchen, and lunchroom. It housed nearly 1,200 students in the kindergarten through eighth grade, in twenty-four sections, one non-platoon room, and one kindergarten room. In April 1957, $4,500 was spent on alterations to add an instrumental music room, gym offices, and a new teacher's rest room.”

Guyton managed to avoid closure in 2005 due to low enrollment through the efforts of community leaders and businesses, who lobbied to keep it open. But by 2008 the school was again on the chopping block, and closed for good in 2009.