Centre Street Public School

1890 - 1966

In 1890, a four-room, red brick, public school was built to serve the children attending the North and the South School.  This new school was located on the west side of Centre Street, half a mile north of the village on lot 13.  Mr. Woodcock and Mr. Ramsden built the school for the sum of $2,360.

Elsie Crozier, a former student recalls, "Public school classes were held in the two rooms on the lower floor.  The north room (on the right side) was a split class for grades 1 to 4.  Grades 5 to 8 were held in the south room.  Continuation classes were held in the two rooms on the upper floor.  This included grade 9 through to grade 12, or junior matriculation, as it was called."

In the spring of 1891, the students held a concert to raise money for a clock for the new school.

In 1894, a bell was purchased for the roof.  In 1967, this bell was placed in a cairn in Birchard Gardens.

Elsie Crozier recalls, “We had no playground equipment at the school, but we always had fun playing in the school yard.  When the bell rang, we lined up outside the school - girls in one line, boys in another - and then we marched into the school and into our classroom."

In 1926 there were too many students for the two-roomed public school, so the south room was divided and a third teacher hired.  In 1932, the number of students decreased and the public school was converted back to two rooms.  In 1946 the number of students increased again and again the three rooms were needed.

At a town meeting on June 16, 1949, it was decided to redecorate the south room upstairs and add a fire escape on the second floor.  

It was also decided that funds from the sale of the old High School building should be used to install a pressure system and flush toilets in the school.  These flush toilets would replace the outhouses available at the back of the school.

Also in 1949, a "suitable" walk from the village to the public school was built.  Suitable was defined to mean level with the road, and graveled so that the children would not have to walk in the traffic.  Prior to this, the students coming from the south used a boardwalk that ran along the road, where the current sidewalk is located.  This boardwalk was made of wood and was laid down so they could cross the swamp.  Elsie Crozier recalls with a chuckle, "The boys used to catch snakes along the boardwalk and then chased the girls waving the snakes at them."

This school was closed in 1966 when the new school was built on Mount Albert Road.  Sometime later it was torn down.

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