Eggleston School

The Eggleston School is former school and current private residential structure located at the 10539 Nolan Road in rural Nester Township in southeastern Roscommon County, Michigan. It was designated as a Michigan Historic Site on February 29, 1996 and soon after added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 4, 1996. The school is particularly notable for the finely crafted fieldstone exterior, constructed of blocks with various shapes, sizes, and hues. It is the only property in Roscommon County listed on the National Register and one of only four county properties designated as a Michigan Historic Site — along with Gerrish Township Information Site, Pioneer House, and Turney House.HistoryThe Eggleston School is located at the corner of Nolan Road and Muma Road in section 19 of the very sparsely populated Nester Township. This location was once the village of Nolan, founded in 1890 near the end of the lumber boom in northern Michigan. Nolan had a peak population of around 80 in 1905, In 1910, the Nester Township Unit School District No. 3 apparently came into possession of the one-acre property where this school now stands. The masonry structure now standing here was built in 1934 to serve as a schoolhouse for the few residents of the township. The school and its property were financed by the township's largest landowner, Mary Eggleston.The Nestor Township District merged with the Houghton Lake Public Schools in 1959-60, and the school decommissioned. It served as a town hall until 1974, and then was used as a hunting lodge. In 1992, it was converted into a private residence. The few students in the area now attend Houghton Lake Community Schools about 20 miles (32 km) northwest in Houghton Lake.