S.S. No. 18, Toronto Township School (Britannia Road Near Tenth Line)
Description
- Media Type
- Image
- Item Type
- Photographs
- Description
- Ethel Giles started her teaching career at this school which was in an area originally part of Trafalgar Township but later became part of Toronto Township, now the city of Mississauga in Peel County, (in the Meadowvale area). In 1824, a log school was built at the modern-day named intersection of Tenth Line and Britannia Roads in the former Trafalgar Township, Halton County.
Approximately 50 pupils, including many adults, attended when the school opened.
Rural students also came to this school from Toronto Township in Peel County to the east. When school sections were created in 1842, area families from both Townships were permitted by the Ontario Legislature to continue this school on the Town Line as a "union" school.
The log union school, S.S. No. 10 Trafalgar, burned down in 1858.
A brick building was built in 1859 on the nearby Robinson farm in Halton County. This construction turned out to be so poor that the building tilted and had to be propped up more than once. Attempts were made to sue the builder.
The 1859 Tremaine Map shows a nearby school on the farm of John Miller, on the western half of Lot 6, Concession VI, Toronto Township, on the Peel County side of the Town Line near Tenth Line. This area originated as part of Trafalgar Township. This farm ran between the Ninth and Tenth Lines and butted the opposite side of the Ninth Line Trafalgar brick school.
Apparently, there were conflicts between the "Ninth Liners" and the "Town Line Blazers" schoolchildren of each school.
In 1872, trustees of the Trafalgar school (one of whom was farmer John Miller) prepared to construct a third school building to end the grief caused by the faulty brick school construction.
The new building, shown in this record, was framed with 8" x 8" timbers, clad with horizontal boards and painted white. It was built by John Gailey of Oakville. It opened in August 1872.
This school, Trafalgar's White School, was also built on the farm of John Miller, diagonally across the road from the discarded brick building.
The two schools were eventually combined in 1883 as United School Section No. 3. 25% of the pupils and finances came from Toronto Township, 75% from Trafalgar. There was another outcry against the White School being amalgamated into the Trafalgar Township Board in the 1920's and 1930's.
Students from both Townships were educated at S.S. No. 10 until June 1960. At that time, Toronto Township trustees gave up claims to any assets of the Union School Section.
The above information is taken from the presentation pamphlet prepared by Joan Reid, Streetsville Historical Society president in 2008, for the 150th Anniversary of Streetsville.
The TTHS has a copy of Joan Reid's study, "Little White Schoolhouse S.S. No. 10 Trafalgar" in its print archives. The book has a wealth of documented information about the activities at the school, names of the teachers and school trustees, and tells stories about the school and the people involved with it.
- Notes
- Reid, Joan. "Little White Schoolhouse ; S.S. No. 10, Trafalgar".
A link to the collection of photographs and information on S.S. No. 10, Trafalgar is in this record for your further information. - Date of Original
- ca 1920s
- Subject(s)
- Local identifier
- TTOIKW0073
- Collection
- Trafalgar Township Historical Society
- Language of Item
- English
- Geographic Coverage
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Ontario, Canada
Latitude: 43.50011 Longitude: -79.78293
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- Copyright Statement
- Public domain: Copyright has expired according to Canadian law. No restrictions on use.
- Recommended Citation
- S.S. No. 18, Toronto Township School (Britannia Road Near Tenth Line)
- Contact
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Trafalgar Township Historical Society Sponsor: Jeff Knoll, Local & Regional Councillor for Oakville Ward 5 – Town of Oakville/Regional Municipality of Halton
