Beacon Tree Elementary opens, honors Underground Railroad

Updated on 03/03/2021 8:55 AM

Beacon Tree Elementary School was dedicated Sept. 18, 2005. Its name represents the Beacon Tree that freedom seekers identified as a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Thousands of freedom seekers undertook a year-long, clandestine journey through Tennessee, north through Indiana into Michigan and to the Detroit area known as "midnight." Then, by riverboat, the travelers moved across the river to freedom in Ontario, Canada. These brave men and women followed the North Star during their journey to a better life.

One of the last stops was the Lerich family farm in Shelby Township. It was marked by the Beacon Tree, its sheltering branches a place of safety along a perilous journey.

While not the exact location of the Beacon Tree, the 99,000 square-foot school sits roughly one quarter mile north of the site of the former Prestonville School, a one-room schoolhouse that served farm families in the community.