Deadliest US School Massacre: 1927 Bath School Disaster

At 8:45 AM on May 18, 1927, a deadly bomb explosion tore through the north wing of the Bath Consolidated School. Investigators found Andrew Kehoe detonated pyrotol and dynamite from a remote spot.

Local residents saw the scene like a war zone. The children were left unrecognizable by blood and dust.unrecognizableThe first blast killed 38 people, 36 students. Parents and residents ran to the school, trying to free victims from debris, but the roof collapsed.

Andrew Kehoe attacked more than the Bath Consolidated School that day. About the same time as the school bombing, Kehoe's house and farm blew up. He alsoKehoe killed his wife.Kehoe killed his wife somewhere between May 16 and May 18, stashing her body in a wheelbarrow. Kehoe spared nothing; heHe wrapped wire around his horses' legs.to stop them from leaving the family farm during the explosion.

Firefighters went to the house. Kehoe allegedly told them, "You better head down to the school." Monty Ellsworth, Kehoe's neighbor, claims the killer smiled and waved after the school explosion.

The first bombing did not cause Andrew Kehoe enough bloodshed. He arrived at the school about 30 minutes after the blast and called Superintendent Huyck. Witnesses later said thetwo men arguedHe carried a rifle.

Dynamite in Kehoe's vehicle blew up, killing Huyck, retired farmer Nelson McFarren, second grader Cleo Clayton, and Kehoe.

Kindergarten teacher Bernice Sterling asked Andrew Kehoe to borrow land. Kehoe agreed, letting Sterling and her class use some woods he owned for a picnic.

Details are unclear, but the picnic likely happened days after the Bath School bombing. Kehoe had the date set for his murder spree; he reportedly responded to Sterling's request with a creepy warning: "If you are going to have a picnic, you would best have it right away."

Andrew Kehoe smuggled 1,000 pounds of dynamite into the Bath Consolidated School. The first blast set off half this supply, but the remaining500 pounds stayed in the school's basement.Police found the second stash and gasoline while investigating. Speculation suggests Kehoe planned to burn the school if the dynamite failed. We do not know if the second dynamite stash failed to blow or if it was not triggered.

Police found the second stash and gasoline while investigating. Speculation suggests Kehoe planned to burn the school if the dynamite failed. We do not know if the second dynamite stash failed to blow or if it was not triggered.

Andrew Kehoe served several years as school board trustee and one year as treasurer. He earned a reputation for saving money and being difficult to work with, yet he still got a temporary chance to be the appointed town clerk.

The town held an official election for town clerk in the spring of 1926.Kehoe lostKehoe became angry after losing a local election. This rejection fueled his obsession with blowing up the local school.

Andrew Kehoe wanted to send a message to law enforcement and residents. He rigged the school and his property to make a statement. Kehoe also left behind a sign.The sign was creepy.Kehoe wired a sign to a fence on his farm. It read, "Criminals are made, not born."

Many people interpret this, but Kehoe seemed to want to blame the town for his actions, not himself.

Andrew Kehoe did not rush his plans. He spent months smuggling dynamite into the Bath Consolidated School. Mid-1926, Kehoe started buying large amounts of pyrotol. He also drove to the nearest large town, Lansing, to buy dynamite.Kehoe bought dynamite there.Kehoe also bought a rifle in December 1926.

Kehoe had full access to the school during the entire 1926 summer vacation. No one knows exactly when Kehoe started placing explosives, but the common idea is that the smuggling began in the fall of 1926.The smuggling began in the fall of 1926.Kehoe spent months preparing for the school massacre.

Within 24 hours of the bombings, 44 people died, including Andrew Kehoe. Three months later, Kehoe claimed his 45th and final victim posthumously. Beatrice Gibbs suffered many injuries and stayed in the hospital for the rest of her life. The fourth-grader...The fourth-grader passed away on August 22, 1927.This happened after receiving...hip surgery.One victim took months to die.

Long before Andrew Kehoe blew up the school to get revenge on Bath Township residents, he played a questionable part in his stepmother's death. The official story states Kehoe's stepmother died when an oil stove exploded. Her body caught fire fast, and Kehoe threw water on it, trying to put out the flames. Oil fire spreads with water, and that is exactly what occurred.

Some think Kehoe was...responsible for the stove fire.and therefore murdered his stepmother.