January 4 is Trivia Day, so here's some right now: did you know that the University of Michigan had a branch in Romeo? It did from 1841 to 1852.
The University of Michigan established many branches and partially supported them "in order to prepare students for entrance to the University." The University Regrents approved of Romeo being a branch in 1839. It was one of eight towns to become so along with Pontiac, Monroe, Kalamazoo, Detroit, Niles, White Pigeon, and Tecumseh.
This picture is of a drawing of the Romeo Branch done by Caroline Kimball (1857-1932), who was an artist known for her water color and pencil sketches as well as an art teacher at the Romeo public schools.
Romeo's connection to the university started when Nathan Dickinson - cousin of Emily Dickinson - came to the village from Amherst, Massachusetts in 1838. Since his grandfather helped to established an academy and Amherst College, Nathan wanted to "achieve the best education possible for the area's youth."
He soon learned about a man named Professor Rufus Nutting who had an excellent reputation as a teacher and scholar, specifically as a professor of Latin and Greek at Western Reserve College in Hudson, Ohio. Nathan reached out to Professor Nutting to persuade him to come to Romeo to open a school. He claimed that the school "carried an income underwritten by the citizens of Romeo" and further promised that "the railroad would soon be coming to Romeo, bringing with it greater expansion and opportunity."
In other words, the residents would fund the school to make it all possible.
Professor Nutting accepted Nathan's offer and traveled to Romeo in 1840 to establish the Romeo Branch of the University of Michigan.
The branch was in two separate locations, including the upper room of the North Primary School (that building currently stands on 155-157 Church Street, which Caroline herself resided in) before Professer Nutting bought the old First Congregational Church - the same one seen in the sketch above - in 1842. He then purchased the lot owned by Dexter Mussey, which is presently located on 200 Church Street, in 1843. The church moved to that location soon after and remained there until the school was permanently closed.
Professor Nutting would be the headmaster of the Romeo Branch from 1843 to 1847.
The students attended school from 9am to noon, and from 2 to 5pm. Each day started with a reading from the scriptures, and with a prayer. Those who weren't present in the morning faced serious consequences. The school also contained an extensive cabinet of minerals and "Chemical, Philosophical, and Astronomical Apparatus" aka a telescope.
Unforunately, the Romeo Branch faced several problems. It had low student enrollment fluxing between under and over 100, and the U of M Board of Regents wasn't always keen on funding it. The Regents "voted to discontine all appropriations" in 1844 since they found that the branches were too expensive to run. This measure was defeated at the time, but it got raised again in 1846. The question of whether or not federal funds granted to the Unversity could be used to maintain the branches was taken to court with Romeo being the test case. The branches won, but money continued to be disputed and curtailed by the university. While the University of Michigan partially funded the branch, many prominent Romeo citizens like Asahel Bailey, Nathan Dickinson, Edwin W. Giddings, Albert E. Leete, Watson Loud, Charles F. Mallary, Dexter Mussey, Rufus Nutting II, Aaron B. Rawles, and Philo Tillson contributed the rest of the money.
In 1851, the Regents of the University again stopped all appropriations for the branches. Since the school couldn't survive on tuition and the generosity of the Romeo citizens alone, it was forced to close in the spring of 1852.
Even though it didn't last long, the memory of the Romeo Branch of The University of Michigan remains.
To learn more about it, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890.
Source: The Romeo Observer Centennial Supplement, August 4, 1966, p.4; The Romeo Observer, November 16, 1932, p.5; and A History of the Romeo Community School District 1824-1976 by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli, p.12-20