Bath School Massacre of 1927
April 19, 2007
L. Ward
Michigan Gun Owners
Despite widespread reporting in the mainstream media that either state or imply that the Virginia Tech Massacre is the worst in US history, I believe a school in Michigan still holds that distinction.... The perpetrator of the Bath School Massacre didn't use a gun. Perhaps that's why this story escapes mainstream reporting.
It was 1927 in Bath, Michigan. School Board Treasurer Andrew Kehoe became upset by a property tax that had been levied to fund the construction of the school building. He apparently blamed the tax for financial hardships which led to the foreclosure on his farm. Over the course of several months, Kehoe secretly planted hundreds of pounds of dynamite and pyrotol in the Bath Consolidated School basement.
In the early morning hours of May 18, Kehoe killed his wife and then set his farm buildings on fire. As fire fighters arrived at the farm, Kehoe detonated the explosives planted in the Bath Consolidated School building, devastating its north wing and killing many of the people inside. After rescuers started gathering at the school, Kehoe drove up to the rescuers and detonated another bomb inside his car, killing himself, the school superintendent, and killing and injuring several others. During rescue efforts, an additional 500 pounds of unexploded dynamite and pyrotol were found planted throughout the basement of the school's south wing.
According to reports, there were 46 dead: 38 children, seven adults, and Kehoe himself. At least 50 others were injured. Most of dead and injured were children in the second through sixth grade.
Though the Bath Consolidated School has long since been torn down, a small park where the original school once stood, was constructed. Inside the park, a bronze memorial plaque contains the names of all the children killed on that day.
School Explosion Aftermath