- Date:
- May 18, 1927
- Location:
- Michigan
- United States
Bath school disaster
-
What was the Bath school disaster?
The Bath school disaster was a school bombing that occurred on May 18, 1927, at Bath Consolidated School in Bath Township, Michigan. The incident resulted in the deaths of 38 schoolchildren and 5 adults, including the perpetrator, Andrew Kehoe.
Kehoe, who had spent months planting dynamite and pyrotol beneath the school's flooring, detonated the explosives using an alarm clock at 9:45 a.m. The explosion destroyed the north wing of the school, killing 36 children and 2 teachers. Shortly after, Kehoe detonated a truck loaded with metal debris and dynamite, killing himself, the school superintendent, two other adults, and a child who had escaped the initial bombing.
Rescue workers later discovered approximately 500 lbs (230 kg) of undetonated explosives in the school's south wing, indicating Kehoe's intention to destroy the entire school.
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Where and when did the Bath school disaster happen?
The Bath school disaster, a school bombing, occurred on May 18, 1927, at the Bath Consolidated School in Bath Township, Michigan. The bombing resulted in the deaths of 38 schoolchildren and 5 adults; the perpetrator, Andrew Kehoe, also killed himself.
Kehoe, who had spent months planting dynamite and pyrotol in the school's north wing, detonated the explosives around 9:45 a.m.. About half an hour later, Kehoe drove a truck loaded with explosives to the school and detonated it, killing himself, the school superintendent, two other adults, and a child. Rescue workers later found about 500 pounds of explosives in the south wing that failed to detonate, indicating Kehoe intended to destroy the entire school.
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What caused the Bath school disaster?
The Bath School disaster was a school bombing that occurred on May 18, 1927, in Bath Township, Michigan. The bombing was carried out by Andrew Kehoe, who killed his wife and spent months planting dynamite and pyrotol under the Bath Consolidated School.
On the day of the massacre, Kehoe detonated explosives at his farm before setting off the explosives at the school using an alarm clock. The north wing of the school was destroyed, and Kehoe killed himself and others using a truck loaded with explosives. In total, the disaster resulted in 38 children and five adults killed.
Kehoe, who was on the school board, was reportedly upset about property taxes and had ceased farming and stopped making payments a year before the incident. Rescue workers found 500 lbs of explosives that failed to detonate, suggesting Kehoe intended to destroy the entire school.
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Who was responsible for the Bath school bombings?
The Bath school disaster was a pair of bombings at Bath Consolidated School in Bath Township, Michigan, on May 18, 1927, that killed 38 schoolchildren and five adults.
Andrew Kehoe, the man who carried out the attack, spent months planting dynamite and pyrotol under the school's flooring. He murdered his wife a day before the bombing. On the day of the massacre, he destroyed his farm buildings with explosives before detonating explosives in the school at 9:45 a.m..
The north wing of the school was destroyed, killing 36 children and 2 teachers. About half an hour later, Kehoe drove a truck to the school loaded with metal debris and dynamite. He fired a rifle into the truck, blowing it up and killing himself, the school superintendent, two other adults, and a child.
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What happened during the Bath school disaster?
On May 18, 1927, Andrew Kehoe bombed the Bath Consolidated School in Bath Township, Michigan, killing 38 schoolchildren and 5 adults. Kehoe, who had spent months planting dynamite and pyrotol under the school's flooring, murdered his wife a day before the attack.
On the day of the massacre, Kehoe detonated explosives at his farm before setting off the bombs in the school at 9:45 a.m., destroying the north wing. About half an hour later, he drove a truck filled with explosives to the school and detonated it, killing himself, the school superintendent, two other adults, and a child. Rescue workers later found 500 lbs (230 kg) of undetonated explosives in the south wing, indicating Kehoe's intention to destroy the entire school.
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How did the Bath school disaster affect the community and school safety in the United States?
The Bath school disaster was a pair of bombings on May 18, 1927, at Bath Consolidated School in Bath Township, Michigan, that killed 38 schoolchildren and five adults, including the perpetrator, Andrew Kehoe.
Kehoe, a local farmer and former school board member, harbored resentment over property taxes and perceived grievances against the community. He secretly planted explosives in the school's north wing. On the day of the massacre, he detonated the explosives, destroying the building and killing many inside. He then killed himself using explosives in his truck, along with several others.
The north wing of the school was destroyed in the explosion, and 36 children and 2 teachers were killed (another child died nearly a year later). Approximately half an hour afterward, Kehoe drove his truck to the school. The back seat of the truck was loaded with metal debris piled on top of dynamite, and Kehoe fired a rifle into the back seat when he arrived at the school. The truck blew up, killing Kehoe, the school superintendent, two other adults, and a child who had escaped the school bombing.
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Bath school disaster, pair of bombings on May 18, 1927, of Bath Consolidated School in Bath Township, Michigan, U.S., that killed 38 schoolchildren and five adults. The perpetrator also killed himself.
The man who carried out the attack, Andrew Kehoe, spent months before the event placing dynamite and the World War I explosive pyrotol under the flooring of the school. He murdered his wife a day or so before May 18. On the day of the massacre, he used rigged explosives to destroy the buildings of his nearby farm moments before the explosives in the school were detonated by an alarm clock at 9:45 am.
The north wing of the school was destroyed in the explosion, and 36 children and 2 teachers were killed (another child died nearly a year later). Approximately half an hour afterward, Kehoe drove his truck to the school. The back seat of the truck was loaded with metal debris piled on top of dynamite, and Kehoe fired a rifle into the back seat when he arrived at the school. The truck blew up, killing Kehoe, the school superintendent, two other adults, and a child who had escaped the school bombing.
Rescue workers searching through the rubble of the school later found some 500 lbs (230 kg) of explosives in the south wing that had failed to detonate, suggesting that Kehoe had intended to destroy the entire school.
Kehoe and his wife owned a farm in Bath Township, then a small rural community not far from Lansing. His neighbors described him as a tinkerer and a knowledgeable handyman but indicated that he was an indifferent farmer. Bath Consolidated School had opened in 1922, and local property taxes had been increased in order to pay for the new building. Kehoe found the new levy to be a substantial burden.
He was elected to the school board in 1924 and was named treasurer. In that position he fought, sometimes unreasonably, to decrease school costs. In spring 1925 he was appointed to finish the term of the recently deceased township clerk, but he lost the position in the election the following year. It was reported that Kehoe had ceased farming and had stopped making mortgage or insurance payments about a year before the massacre, and investigators found a sign wired to a fence on his farm with lettering that read, “Criminals are made, not born.”
Bath Consolidated School was demolished, and a new school, the James Couzens Agricultural School, opened in its place in 1928. That school was torn down in 1975, and a commemorative park was created on the site, focused on the cupola of the original school building. An account of the disaster, Bath Massacre: America’s First School Bombing by Arnie Bernstein, was published in 2009.
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