By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
FREE SOIL — The former Free Soil School building, which educated generations of northern Mason County students for nearly a century, was demolished Monday as residents gathered to witness the end of one of the village’s most recognizable landmarks.
Former Village President Dave Morley, Dave Hasenbank, Michael and Sherry Hasenbank, Free Soil/Meade Fire Chief Vince Williams and many other residents watched as heavy equipment from Pitsch Companies brought down the long-vacant structure on North Democrat Street. Morley was among those who helped initiate discussions with the Mason County Land Bank Authority that ultimately led to the demolition project.
Dave Hasenbank, left, and Dave Morley hold one of the buliding’s bricks.
One final effort centered on saving the school’s historic belfry. The building’s bell had already been removed several years ago and is displayed at Crawford Memorial Park across the street from the former school. Mason County Treasurer Andrew Kmetz IV, who serves as chairman of the Mason County Land Bank Authority, had expressed doubt that the deteriorated belfry could be preserved. As demolition progressed Monday, the structure collapsed to the ground, sustaining significant damage.
The demolition was funded through the Michigan State Land Bank Authority as part of the Mason County Land Bank Authority’s expanded blight elimination program. The project became possible after plans for the former Scottville schoolhouse changed from stabilization to demolition, freeing a portion of the authority’s previously approved $700,000 grant for additional blight removal projects.
The school, which opened in 1913, served generations of students before its final graduating class completed school in 2007. A previous demolition attempt in 2024 stalled after asbestos-related issues left the building exposed to the elements without windows and doors, accelerating its deterioration.
On-lookers watch the demolition from Crawford Memorial Park.
Earlier this year, Kmetz, Morley and Mason County Land Bank Authority Vice Chair Janet Andersen toured the property before the authority sought state approval to include the building in the grant-funded demolition program. Following environmental assessments and asbestos abatement, Pitsch Companies of Grand Rapids was awarded the demolition contract.
Earlier this month, the building’s interior was photographically documented to assist the Mason County Land Bank Authority with grant requirements and to preserve a visual record of the historic structure. Copies of the photographs will become part of the permanent collection of the Mason County Historical Society’s Rose Hawley Archives.
Following demolition, ownership of the property will remain with the Village of Free Soil as a build-ready site for future development. The land bank authority has said some materials from the building, including bricks, will be retained and made available to the community as a way to commemorate the school’s history.
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