When we think about the evil that exists in the world, there’s always one event that stands out as more horrific than the rest. In the case of Michigan, we have the Bath School Massacre, in which 38 children and six adults were killed, and another 58 people were injured.
We don’t bring this up to get you down, but rather to remind us all that we still have to fight to see the good in society, not matter what stands in our past. Here’s more on the event that changed Michigan forever.
The perpetrator, farmer Andrew Kehoe, was angered by increased taxes and a political defeat in a run for township clerk the year prior. His wife was also sick with tuberculosis, he had fallen behind on his mortgage payments, and he was facing foreclosure.
By unknownUploaded by The Mystery Man at en.wikipedia - Scanned from historic image., Public Domain
The attacks occurred May 18, 1927 at the Bath School, during which a series of bombs were set off at the school, his farm, and his truck, where he committed suicide.
By unknownUploaded by The Mystery Man at en.wikipedia - Scanned from historic image., Public Domain
Here, Kahoe’s home before the explosion.
By Unknown - Scanned from historic images., Public Domain
And here’s after, with only the chimney standing. The explosion at his home also resulted in the murder of Kahoe’s wife.
By Unknown - Scanned from historic image., Public Domain
Part of the school house was destroyed in the explosion. He had secretly planted hundreds of pounds of dynamite over the course of several months.
By unknownUploaded by The Mystery Man at en.wikipedia - Scanned from historic image., Public Domain
And here’s Kehoe’s truck after the fact.
By Unknown - Scanned from historic image., Public Domain
What happened after the vicious attack, though, was an outpouring of support from all over the country.
Public Domain Donations came flooding in to restore the school and rebuild the community. The assistance helped raise funds to demolish the damaged school, construct a new wing called the James Couzens Agricultural School (named after the senator at the time), and to plow down the Kehoe farm.
The Couzens building was demolished in 1975 and the site was rebuilt as James Couzens Memorial Park. The space was dedicated to the victims of the massacre and is centered around the original campus’s cupola, which had survived the explosion.
By unknownUploaded by The Mystery Man at en.wikipedia - Scanned from historic image., Public Domain
By Unknown - Scanned from historic images., Public Domain
By Unknown - Scanned from historic image., Public Domain
Public Domain
Donations came flooding in to restore the school and rebuild the community. The assistance helped raise funds to demolish the damaged school, construct a new wing called the James Couzens Agricultural School (named after the senator at the time), and to plow down the Kehoe farm.
Today, the park serves as a reminder that evil will never win over the spirit and perseverance of the good that’s in all of us.
Tell us, what have you heard about this horrific event? Are Michiganders better for having come together after such a tragedy?
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
