In the 1700s, many former residents known as settlers from the East Coast of the United States had settled to find homeland on what is known as the Eastside Village located in Flint, Michigan today. The late 1700s is where farmers from the East Coast had settled in the Flint area. These citizens were known as the pioneers of Flint, Michigan. Many setters had came from New York, New Jersey, Vermont, and Maine to settle in Flint. This area would later become to be known as Eastside and Eastside Flint as people would refer it to.
In the 1800s, The Eastside of Flint was vastly all farmland and community gardens. Many vast lands on the Eastside of Flint were once farmlands for dairy products. The Eastside of Flint was once considered valley land out in the country surrounded by numerous forests. Nothing was really out there.
During this time around the 1800s is Canadian citizens had become settlers in Michigan. Citizens from Canada had settled in Michigan state to become settlers. That is how Michigan has such a close friendly relationship with the country of Canada. Canadians had settled in Flint and Detroit proper.
The sight of dairy farms were a common sight to see when traveling down Dort Highway (Michigan Highway 54). Vegetable farms and grass farms were a common sight as well. Community gardens were a prevalent element to the Eastside of Flint too. Some of the land on the Eastside was owned by the Perry family. The land that the Perry family owned land were Lowell Junior High School currently sits. The Perry family had owned much land on the Eastside where Williams Elementary and Lowell Junior High are currently located.
In the 1890s is when the Eastside of Flint was in its first stages of urbanization. This is when significant sights of farmlands started disappearing around the turn of the 20th Century. Farmland started being bought out from the city of Flint and by realtors. Much of this area was not even close to urbanization and gentrification however. Many residents of the Eastside were poorer citizens as Eastside Flint was designed for lower class citizens of the economy system as originally planned by the Flint city planners.
The Eastside Village neighborhood on the Eastside of Flint, Michigan was established in the 1890s preferably around the year of 1898. The Flint City Council wanted the Eastside of Flint to be a nice neighborhood area for low income people because that's what kind of people were living there and have always been. The middle class did thrive in the neighborhood with their businesses.
During the very beginning of the 20th century around 1900 is when the city of Flint officials decided to ask realtors to build houses on the Eastside of Flint to make it a small urban area as a residential place. The Eastside was becoming a residential place ideal for people to move there.
By 1900 all the Eastside of Flint had already been established.
By 1920, Eastside Village was a thriving bustling community with businesses and restaurants. Franklin Avenue was designated urban center for the neighborhood. Lawyers set up offices there too. In 1930 is when the city of Flint officials decided to ask realtors to build more houses and businesses on the Eastside of Flint to make it a small urban area. The Eastside of Flint had a small urban center with many small local businesses by 1940. The location in the neighborhood was an ideal place for retail and business expeditions. Business ventures were created on the Eastside. The Eastside of Flint was in its prime during the 1940s and 1950s.
The 1950s was the decade of prosperity when Flint was at its peak. This was when Flint was doing at their peak years. The state of Michigan proved to be a beacon of prosperity and business. Even though Flint was prosperous, the seeds of decline were eventually planted.
The late 1980s is when the Eastside along with the rest of the city of Flint started financially collapsing, deteriorating, and have buildings becoming vacant only to later be boarded up. The area was getting bad. Steel factories started leaving the city and outsourcing their work to different countries across the globe away from the United States. Services were being cut off. Gangs started moving into the area infesting the Eastside with more crime and vandalism. Vandalism was a common criminal mischief element on the Eastside.
In the 2000s during the 21st Century is when the Eastside of Flint started financially deteriorating and falling apart. Buildings were abandoned and boarded up. Many of the retail store buildings are currently vacated. The city of Flint would have these buildings becoming vacant only to later be boarded up. Jobs were being outsourced. Police services to the community were being cut off. Community services were being cut off. The Eastside of Flint was once a thriving bustling place. Now the Eastside of Flint in economic despair from this country's financial turmoil during the 21st century. By 2014, the Eastside of Flint, Michigan has gotten completely gotten worse comparatively speaking in terms of crime and quality of life issues.
The year 2015 has not proven to be any better for the Eastside of Flint, Michigan as the state of Michigan has declared financial emergency. However, there is good in the Eastside neighborhood and Flint proper. Many community gardens have been popping up on the Eastside neighborhood of Flint. Community gardens have been popping up in Flint proper. Restoration to houses and business is slowly but surely happening.
Now I will get into what Flint Schools were located in the neighborhood in the Flint Community Schools District.
The Flint Community Schools had saw the Eastside neighborhood had potential for educational powerhouse institutions known as schools to be built in. So the Flint Community Schools had bought out many dairy farms and farmland from many farmers and longtime residents in the Eastside area. They had built many educational institutions on the Eastside.
Alice Moss Perry was member of the Flint Community Schools PTA Committee. She was very vocal in the community as she was known as an educational local PTA activist. Alice was very active in her community in her lifetime as she was known as strong community activist. Alice had very deep beliefs in educational values and thus raising educational awareness into the communities. She was know as Alice Moss.
Washington Elementary School opened its doors as a school in 1908 as Washington Community School. Washington School was a national exemplary school similar to Cook School, Dort School, Doyle Elementary School, Central High School, and Northwestern High School. Every school in the Flint Community Schools District follows Washington Elementary School's educational model.
The architectural design for Washington Elementary School bared the Greek Revival architectural style many early Flint schools had along with Victorian architecture that had the Neoclassicism resemblance. Revival architectural style was a common sight for schools such as this one. It too proved too exceed in academic excellence. In terms of architectural design, Washington Elementary School has similar resemblance to Homedale Elementary School, Clark School, Potter School, Pierce School, Dort School, Civic Park School, and Cook School.
Washington Elementary faced closure due to lack of enrollment and financial budget cuts. Washington Elementary closed in 2013 mainly due to lack of enrollment. Washington Elementary is now abandoned. It is boarded up. The buildings structure is still standing.
Washington Elementary School is located on 1400 North Vernon Avenue, Flint, Michigan 48506.
WC Lewis Elementary School was built in 1911 less than 2 blocks directly across from where Lowell Junior High School currently is. WC Lewis Elementary School was named after former Secretary of the Flint School Board W. C. Lewis.
WC Lewis School went under various name changes over the years with names such as WC Lewis Community School, Lewis School, Lewis Elementary School, and WC Lewis Elementary School. WC Lewis School was WC Lewis Elementary School from 1970 until it closed in 1991. WC Lewis School was known at a time as Lowell Junior High School Annex.
At the time, Lewis Elementary was known as WC Lewis School when it first opened. Lewis Elementary was an all-white school at one time even though black students just had lived blocks away from school grounds. Lewis Elementary was originally planned to be an all-white school. By 1950, Lewis Elementary was an integrated school. The walls and structure were caving in from lack of repairs and increasing enrollment in the 1960s. The walls were not sound structure.
In 1978 is when Flint Community Schools closed down Lewis Elementary due to statewide budget cuts and lack of enrollment which led the remaining students to attend Williams Elementary and the surrounding elementary schools. Flint Community Schools later repurposed and renamed Lewis Elementary School to Lowell Junior High School Annex from 1978 to 1990.
In 1991 WC Lewis Elementary School was demolished due to structural problems from lack of maintenance. WC Lewis Elementary School was also demolished to save on resources and utilities. The administrative decision to close down Lewis School was an unplanned move. Many residents were not notified. Some were saddened by this. Others didn’t seem to much care.
All that remains is the square asphalt ground that was once where the school building was located along with the asphalt parking lot covered by grass which has crumbed from weathering effects overtime making the parking lot ground uneven. The concrete structures haves decayed and crumbled from urban blight. Basically all that remains is the ground and square frame structures. All infrastructure has been demolished.
All that remains of WC Lewis Elementary School is the shop class building with the giant 40 foot chimney which also was a part of Lowell Junior High School.
WC Lewis Elementary School was located at Franklin Avenue & Colorado Street, Flint, Michigan 48506.
Lowell Junior High School is where the former farmland owned by the Perry family was once formally. This land used to be farmland and also was a dairy farm. The Flint Community Schools had purchased the land where Lowell Junior High School is today from the Perry family back in 1900. Alice Moss Perry had a petition she had signed by local citizens of the community in order to have Lowell Junior High School built. 1929 is the year Lowell Junior High School was built and opened.
Lowell Junior High School went under the names Lowell Middle School and Lowell School.
Prior to 1950, Lowell Junior High School was an all-white school even though black students lived just blocks away. Lowell Junior High School was originally intended for whites only as Eastside Flint was historically planned out to be by city planners and urban development.
The year of 1950 is when Lowell Junior High School integrated allowing black students to attend. By then Lowell Junior High School had became an integrated school.
Lowell Junior High School was a feeder school for many elementary schools on the Eastside of Flint and also the Rollingwood area. That's how the Flint Community Schools had designed Lowell Junior High School.
In 1988, Lowell Junior High School closed down due to budget cuts by the Michigan Board of Education. Lowell Junior High School closed down as part of the largest school closing plan in Flint Community Schools district history at the time along with Northern High School.
In 1991, Lowell Junior High School would later be rezoned to be an alternative middle school for troubled students. Fights were common. Metal detectors were later on put in Lowell Junior High School. Due to the declining enrollment of students in the Flint Community Schools and financial budget cuts, the administration decided to close Lowell Junior High School in 2003. These actions made were also due to administrative decisions and budget cuts.
From 1991 to 2003, Lowell Junior High School served as an alternative middle school/junior high school for the Flint Community Schools district during that time. The school went through many land owners. First as a community center, alternative school, church, and a non-profit organization.
Lowell served as a high school for a shortened brief amount of time.
In 2005, Church of ROC - Flint rented Lowell Junior High School from Flint Community Schools on their lease. In 2008, Flint Community Schools found out that Church of ROC - Flint had failed to provide documentation on whether or not they were paying their rent lease. In 2009, Lowell Junior High School was set on fire by a home barbeque pit that had spread from someones home from the area to the school. 2009 was also when an arsonist set fire to Lowell Junior High School. These drastic events alone made Flint Community School board up Lowell Junior High School all together thus leaving it abandoned for criminal activity to occur. By 2010, all of Lowell Junior High School was boarded up and still is in 2015.
The building now sits vacant as a former shill of itself with broken wood panels that line directly within the windows. The former educational institution known as Lowell Junior High School is constantly being vandalized and tagged with graffiti all over the property. Windows are missing. Doors inside are missing too. The outside building structure is still intact. All of the surrounding building infrastructure is boarded up. This building is a case of urban decay where the outside looks fine but the inside is deplorable.
Lowell Junior High School is located at 3301 North Vernon Avenue, Flint, Michigan 48506.
Williams Elementary opened its doors in 1967 as T. Wendell Williams Community School. Williams Elementary would later on feed into Lowell Junior High School as many elementary schools in the Eastside community would. Williams Elementary was built to relieve increasing enrollment at Lewis Elementary. Which worked for a while. However, it too had faced financial budget cuts along with numerous public schools on the Eastside of Flint. Declining enrollment was a factor as well. Williams Elementary had finally closed in 2010.
Williams Elementary was considered to be an explementary school by Michigan Board of Education at one point in time. Yes, Williams Elementary was considered as a great school in the community. Many parents had sent their children to this school because they were thrilled with the academic excellence that Flint Community Schools were producing and putting out.
Williams Elementary is now used as storage for the school district and classes for teachers who work for Flint Board of Education and Flint Community Schools.
The Williams Elementary School is located on Utah Avenue, Flint, Michigan 48506.
As for race relations, race relations were not always in good standing in Flint prior to 1950 despite many public schools in Flint being integrated before Federal discrimination laws were put into place in the United States requiring public schools to be racially integrated and to be desegregated. Many schools in Flint were already desegregated before 1950.
Eastside Flint was specifically designed for whites only when it was first planned. Restrictive covenants did now permit black citizens to live in the Eastside Village neighborhood of Eastside Flint.
Dort Highway (Michigan Highway 54) was the racial barrier of Flint that divided Black citizens from the White citizens and Hispanic citizens prior to 1950. Black citizens were not permitted by law and local ordinance to reside on the Eastside of Flint. Blacks were restricted from living there until 1950.
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