Charlie Dietz: A man of history

Williamstown Township is a rural community and farming is still a way of life there. For my story about the changes in farming I was directed to speak with Charlie Dietz.

Just about everyone I ran into knew this man somehow or another and he was considered a wealth of knowledge, seeing as he had grown up and lived in Williamston his whole life. However, trying to get in touch with this 90 year old man was quite a challenge. My search for Mr. Dietz really taught me how to be investigative by calling local businesses he regularly visited and asking if they had seen him around, calling his house multiple times and even showing up on his door step to try and get an interview. 

After a week of searching for him he answered his phone early one Friday morning and within half an hour I was sitting at the local McDonald’s talking about farming with him. Just about every person that walked past our table stopped to say hi and see how he was doing. All I could think was, “this man is like a legend here”.

Mr. Dietz spoke to me for three hours about his life in Williamston, his family’s history, all the changes that have occurred over 90 years and how thankful and blessed he has been in life. I could have visited with this man all day long and really enjoyed talking with him. He was such an open and personable man with a lot to talk about. My morning spent with him is something I will never forget.

Thank you Williamstown Township

I would like to extend a thank you to WIlliamstown Township–to everyone at the township office, their government committees, the Williamston Chamber of Commerce, the Ingham County Sheriff’s Department, Mitch Lutzke, the Johnson family and everyone else that I met along the way. My experience as a journalist and reporting for this rural community was more than I could have expected. Everyone was welcoming and helpful whenever I called or showed up.

I chose to report for Williamstown Township because it is a smaller community and had a hometown feel and the people there made me feel welcomed as if I was apart of their community. Whether it was visiting a high school class, trying to track down a busy 90 year old man or chatting over dinner or coffee my reporting skills became fine tuned and a lot of my Friday mornings were spent with the people of Williamstown.

Thank you for such a great experience, it was very nice to get to know so many people and learn about a community that is proud of who they are and where they came from. Everything I learned this past semester I will never forget and has helped me become a better journalist.

Williamston’s farming transformation

Williamston was the main stop from Detroit to Grand Rapids when it was founded and became the commercial and social ‘hub’ of the farming and early industrial society in Eastern Ingham County. The area is still rural and some of the farms are still in use, while others sit dormant.

“For the most part, the percentage of people in agriculture, the farm was a place to live and a place to earn a living,” said Bill Turner, a Williamston resident who grew up on a farm until the 1950s.

Branch School being restored

“Branch School District No. 4”, once known as “Little Africa”, stands at the corner of Branch and Sherwood roads in Williamstown Township.

The Williamstown Township Historical Committee and community volunteers are restoring the white, one-room schoolhouse, originally built in 1863.

Perry Public Schools consider consolidation

   As Michigan’s economy continues to decline, many are moving away to find something better. As families leave, so do their kids and school enrollments are dwindling and small districts are getting smaller. As school funding dwindles because of the loss of students, districts are considering ways to save money. Many districts have considered the idea of consolidating with another district, or at least sharing services.

   By sharing the costs of services such as maintenance, transportation, food service and administration, districts hope to save enough money to get by until the economy rebounds or another baby boom occurs.

Williamstown Twp. School Districts

Within the small township of Williamstown, four different school districts serve 1,416 families (2000 U.S.Census). Williamston Community Schools services the majority of the townshipfollowed by Haslett Public Schools and Perry Public Schools while Okemos PublicSchools serves the least.

Concrete Concepts

As you enter the west side of Williamstown Township you will pass a white house with a bunch of sculptures in the front yard fenced in. I was curious as to what this place was because there is no business sign or phone number available. It is Concrete Concepts owned by the Ridenour’s. Their business has been opened since 1979 and is currently for sale. Doris Ridenour said,”We sell to all types of people. These sculptures are gaining popularity and are used for decorating gardens.” 

Tornado hits township, emergency crews prepared

As the sky darkened and the wind picked up, a funnel cloud touched down, taking out trees, power lines and even a home with two inside. For the township of Williamstown, Oct. 18, 2007, is a day that is still on resident’s minds.

Only lasting moments the tornado moved homes off their foundations, ripped rooms from houses and sent tree limbs into the streets. Many residents were forced to leave their homes because of the damage. The area was in such disarray, the next day there was a curfew and only residents could enter. Ingham County Sheriff Gene Wriggelsworth said the day of the tornado there were officers in the township, as well as the county’s Emergency Management Program.

High school students discover local history

 

 

Junior and senior history students at Williamston High School are going outside the classroom to piece together the history of the city of Williamston from its farms, businesses, buildings and homes.

“History is most student’s least favorite subject and I want to change that,” said Mitch Lutzke, a history teacher at Williamston High School.

Williamstown Twp. seeks grant to improve park

As the sun beams down on open fields, birds fly through a clear blue sky and people mingle and talk. An afternoon of picnicking and sports is about to begin in the Williamstown Community Park. While days like this do occur, the Williamstown Township Parks and Recreation Committee is in the process of applying for a grant so community events can happen more often. 

The committee is in the process of applying for a grant through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources that will help to update and improve the quality of the Williamstown Community Park.The grant would be funded through the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. It is dependent on the township finalizing their state-mandated Master Plan.“This is a big deal for the committee because we have been trying to get funding for the park and this is [our] last suggestion,” said Jerry Fulcher, chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee.