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The Work of Our Hands at these events. In this way the villagers were able to maintain the atmosphere of elegance premiered at Brucefield in the 1840s after Dr. Alexander Cooke sold his father's impressive mansion to the Hartley family in 1876. Education proved to be the other constant in the village, of equal importance as religion and social events to its residents. The 1871 School Act created the position of county education inspector and at that time as well public schools became the new name for Common Schools and High Schools became the new name for Grammar Schools. Therefore the old Nelles Academy, which had previously ceased to be private when it became a Grammar School, was now referred to as Mount Pleasant High School. The sons of Rev. Alfred Andrews, pastor of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, remembered living in the new Mount Pleasant Methodist parsonage Mount Pleasant young people. This group considered themselves quite elegant, select and anything but dull as they struck a pose c1870s. By then young women of means were wearing fashionable dresses they made at home from the fine fabrics now available in Brantford's department stores, and the competition for appearance was fierce. In the picture are: Robert Bryce (middle front, on chair); "Mettie" (Marion) McEwen (to his right); Robert Devlin, later a Brantford merchant (cross-legged on floor); Isabella Ellis (at table); Elmer Townsend (to her left); "Dolly" McEwen (far left, back row); Herbert Biggar, Jr. (2nd from left, back row). The others are not identified.