This brick schoolhouse stood at the intersection of Big Beaver and Crooks Roads. In 1877 those roads were muddy paths traversed by horse-drawn farm wagons; but by 1975 high-rise office buildings and corporate headquarters dominated Big Beaver. Tiny Poppleton School faced the wrecking ball. In response, the Troy Historical Society rallied community support to buy the building and relocate it to the Village. However, it was too heavy to move over I-75 and too tall to maneuver under an overpass. Still, a solution was found. The Italianate architecture was carefully documented; the wooden windows and interior components removed; and the brick structure dismantled. The roof—secured to the floor—was easily transported to the Village where new cinderblock walls were built and the salvaged brick, windows, and wainscoting were reinstalled.
William Poppleton, a prosperous pioneer owned 1,200 acres in Troy Township. He provided the land on Big Beaver Road west of Crooks Road where a one-room brick school was built in 1877. In 1925 that single room was connected through a hallway to a large addition. When Big Beaver Road was developed as a corporate corridor during the 1970s, well-used Poppleton School was slated for the wrecking ball.
Saving Poppleton School was a Troy Bicentennial Project. Moving the building presented financial and logistical challenges; because it was too heavy to move across the I-75 overpass and too tall to move under it, the building was carefully dismantled and reconstructed at the Troy Historic Village.
Following restoration, Poppleton School became the favorite destination for thousands of children who visit the Village on school fieldtrips each year.
