A group of about ten volunteers in Bath Township is reaching out to the broader community for support in building a new museum. The project aims to raise $5 million to establish a museum commemorating the victims of an almost 100-year-old tragedy.
In 1927, a disgruntled school board member set explosives at Bath Consolidated School. The attack killed 45 people, most of which were schoolchildren. The event remains the deadliest assault on a school in U.S. history.
Susan Hagerman's father and her two aunts were injured in the 1927 attack. Both her and her son, Chris Hagerman, serve on the Bath School Museum Committee dedicated to commemorating the event.
“My mother and dad were part of the original organizers of the Bath School Museum," said Susan Hagerman. "Eventually, after I retired, I just joined the committee myself.”
The Hagermans said the new museum’s design should reflect the character of the original school building. The decision arose as a commitment to school alumni and their attachment to the old school building, which was demolished in the mid-1970s.
Some artifacts are held in Bath Middle School at a museum for the township's school system. The Hagermans say the current setup is not large enough to display every artifact and is not as available to the public as they would prefer.
“With a new building, we feel like it’s going to increase our ability to share some of our lesser seen artifacts that we have, as we as present them in a way that makes it more accessible," said Chris Hagerman.
Current fundraising efforts include selling specialty Bath Township school merchandise, such as commemorative coins, coffee mugs and community-supported books.
The committee is planning a kickoff event in August 2025 to screen a forthcoming docuseries about the school tragedy produced by Ahptic Film & Digital.
The committee remains steadfast in its goal to have the museum ready to open by May 18, 2027 — the 100th anniversary of the attack.
Those interested in donating to the new museum building can do so here.