School Days
School Houses of Grey County
In the 1840s and 50s, several acts were passed in Upper Canada to create the structure for a more uniform, province-wide school system. School Sections were formulated as the smallest unit to be administrated by a small board of trustees who were in charge of hiring staff as well as managing buildings, property, and finances.
S.S. #13, Artemesia, Eugenia Public School Details
In 1876, a one-room brick school house was erected in the town of Eugenia. As attendance grew, a second room was added. Eventually the original school was destroyed by a fire and a new building was built on the same site.
S.S. #10, Ceylon Public School Details
Before the construction of the school in Ceylon, children attended S.S. #5 in Flesherton. On June 7, 1887 a site was purchased for $50 from Miss Jane Latimer on which a brick school would be built. Miss Bull was the first teacher at the school with a salary of $200 per year. A bell was bought for the school in 1892 for $10. In 1926 new seats were added and indoor toilets were installed in 1930.
S.S. #7, Osprey, Feversham Public School Details
The first log school house in Feversham was built in 1853 near the NE corner of Victoria Street & 15 Sideroad but was moved across the road shortly after. In the 1890s there were 75 students with only one teacher and benches had to be put up around the outside of the room for everyone to fit.
S.S. #7, Osprey, Feversham Public School Details
The brick school house in Feversham was built at the site of the original school around 1896 after the second log structure was condemned. In 1910 a two-room Grade C continuation school was opened. By 1928, the older students were being bussed to the Flesherton High School. The Public School was closed in 1965 to later become New Horizons Nursing Home which then closed in 1979.
S.S. #3, Euphrasia, Kimberley Public School Students Details
The date of the original log school house in Kimberley is unknown but it was in use as early as 1861. By 1872 the wooden structure could no longer accommodate the 70+ children, so a new building was put up just across the road. A larger two-storey school was built in 1910 but it closed in the late 1950s. Children were then bussed to Flesherton to attend school.
Markdale Public School Details
The Markdale School built in 1895 to replace it's predecessor, which burned down after only 4 years, and was a visible landmark from Highway #10. In 1910, a new section was added to the building to accommodate a Continuation School. When his annex became too small, the new Centre Grey District High School was built and opened in 1951.
After the three local high schools (Dundalk, Flesherton and Markdale) merged into Grey Highlands Secondary School in 1968, the elementary students in Markdale were moved to the high school, now called Beavercrest. The public school building was bought by the Grey County Board of Education and used for office space to accompany their headquarters next door. Unfortunately, the old building was demolished to make space for a larger parking lot in 1986.
King Edward Public School, Dundalk, 1910 Details
The King Edward School was built in 1905 to replace the previous one which had burned down. Five years later an addition was built and the entire bottom floor became a high school. In 1954, a new High School was built on Main St. near the Backline (it later became Highpoint Elementary when Grey Highlands Secondary opened).
In 1970 the new Proton Community School was built right behind the King Edward School with the purpose of replacing the outdated building, so it was dismantled in 1971.
In 1970 the new Proton Community School was built right behind the King Edward School with the purpose of replacing the outdated building, so it was dismantled in 1971.
