Press Releases
Press Release July 2023
URSCC Announces New Directions for Brownsville #1
July 30, 2023
Dear URSCC and FBS Members:
After much thought, we are changing our plans for Brownsville School #1. Rather than restore this school, we will preserve the c. 1840 original building. We will repair the foundation, roof, floor, windows, and anything else that needs repair while keeping the original structure as is as much as possible.
Press Release January 2023
One-Room School to be Restored by Friends of Brownsville School
The Underground Railroad Society of Cass County (URSCC) has recently purchased Brownsville School #1, 20559 Osborn Street in Cassopolis , MI. Built in the early 1840s, Brownsville was integrated from the day it opened until it closed in 1957, making Brownsville #1 among the longest integrated public schools in Michigan, and perhaps the country.
Friends of Brownsville School Hold Inaugural Meeting
Sunday, January 22, 2023–Fifteen people attended the inaugural meeting of the Friends of Brownsville School, a commitee of the Underground Railroad Society of Cass County. Mike Moroz, URSCC President and Buildings and Grounds Chair presented the history of URSCC’s involvement with Brownsville School and explained restoration contractor Peter Brubaker’s stabilization plans.