(PHOTO BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
DEDICATION … A dedication piece was put in place on the site where the old Chesterfield-Dover School used to stand. Included in the picture are Chesterfield Township Trustee Jim Stubbins, Don Williams, Dorma Eberly, and Richard Henricks.
By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
A committee put in place by Chesterfield Township Commissioners has completed its task. That is to say, a dedication block has been put in place where the old Chesterfield School used to reside.
Demolished back in 2023, the school stood as a testament to education in both the United States, and our local community as a whole.
Created back in 1916, the school saw many people from the Fulton County area walk through its doors.
Whether that was as a Comet, the school’s name for sports teams, or as a player from an opposing school, many from our community spent some amount of time in that building.
This, and many other reasons, is why the Trustees put together a group of individuals. The hope was, some sort of dedication or memorial to the building could be figured out and placed where it once stood.
This committee was made up of community members that had once walked the halls of the school. Don Williams, Richard Henricks, and Dorma Eberly attended Chesterfield-Dover School and also graduated from there.
That made this project a bit special for each of them. Trustee Jim Stubbins, who was involved with the committee as well, attended Chesterfield School for some time, before ultimately transferring to a different school before graduating.
Once the committee was formed, the group set out to find a way to give honor to the building.
The original plan was to take a piece of the school that showed the name of the school and the date for when Dover was added to the school’s area.
However, this did not pan out. During the demolition process, the part that was supposed to be saved broke into several pieces. An attempt was made to save the piece; however, this was not successful.
Still, the idea was a good one. This inspired the committee to create a nearly identical piece, albeit with an added touch.
An image of the school and the school logo was added to the stone, along with a brief description of the school’s history at the top.
According to committee members, many people have already stopped by to see the dedication piece.
The history of the building means something to many people in our area. Members of the committee explained that fairly well.
“I went here from grades one to twelve. When they started tearing it down, it hurt because it was such a big part of our lives,” said Eberly.
“I was born and raised here. I spent twelve years of my life there. It is a part of my life. It had always been there,” said Henricks.
“I had a lot of good years here. Twelve years of our life before the school consolidated. It was like a family, and I wanted to be a part of this. I have a lot of good memories, and I feel privileged to be a part of this,” said Williams.
If you would like to see the dedication piece, it is located right next to the Chesterfield Township building at 15891 US-20 just north of Wauseon.