Site Record
Metadata
Site Name |
S.S. #17 Eden School |
Site# |
025 |
Description |
S.S. #17, also known as Eden School, was a originally constructed as a small log building in 1823 on Lot 11 Concession V WHS. It served as a prayer hall for the Methodists who had settled west of Meadowvale in 1819. It was sometimes called Switzer's Schoolhouse because it doubled as a schoolhouse during the week and was on the property of John Switzer. In 1835 this chapel-school was replaced by a building of hewn logs. The Streetsville Temperance Society met in this building and the Reverend James Magrath of Springfield held services here too. When Toronto Township was divided into school sections in 1843, this building was moved to the property of Mr. Warnock and school trustees made plans for a more permanent school. In 1847 James Switzer asked the Toronto Township Council for permission to enlarge the school's property. At some time during these years a 30 by 26 foot red-brick schoolhouse was built. Pupils sat in double desks. There were two blackboards, one on either side of the room. It was heated by a heavy box stove placed in the centre of the room. Teachers were typically paid a salary of $250 annually, c. 1885. The roster of pupils was very large at this time but it was rare that all pupils would be present at anyone time. Older pupils tended to come in the winter months when they were not needed for farm work and younger ones tended to come in the warmer months. The name "Eden" came from the name given to the nearby Methodist Church in 1868. School Section No. 17 served the hamlets of Harris Corners and Lisgar. The final one-room red-brick school was built in 1887, approximately 100 yards west of the old school and further from the road. As a rural school section, the School Board consisted of three trustees elected by the male ratepayers of the section. One trustee was elected at every annual meeting held late in December for a term of three years. The school operated as a one-room ungraded rural school until it was closed in 1960. It was located on what today would be the corner of Argentia and Derry Road. During World War I (1914-1918) school children were encouraged to "do their bit" for the war effort. The proceeds of the school concert in December 1917 was used by the Treasurer of the Section to buy yarn. The ladies of the section knitted 18 pair of socks - one pair for every boy in the section who "answered the call". Others were given to those who had no one to knit for them. 13. There were eleven pupils in the school in 1918. Formal observance of Remembrance Day with a holiday did not begin until the 1930's. In 1920 the trustees decided to have Mr. Hamilton "witch" a well for the school. They also decided that the school needed an organ. Luckily Mr. Rutledge donated one to the school in 1923. In 1922 the trusteeshad the school painted and in 1926 they installed a new roof and floor. In the 1930's repairs and renovations were slow to happen because of the widespread financial distress caused by the Great Depression (1929-1939). Hydro was finally connected in early December 1937 just in time for the annual Christmas concert on December 22. In the 1930s, the population of School Section No.17 was very small. In 1935 the 15 pupils came from only nine families. In September 1937, the Medical Officer of Health briefly closed Eden School because of the polio epidemic. During the Second World War, the school had to deal with a steel shortage due to the war and feared that teachers would leave for more profitable wartime work. Teacher salaries had gone down dramatically during the 1930's and gradually started to rise again during the war. Further, the problems associated with an aging school multiplied in the late 1940's. The trustees wrestled with poor heating, ventilation and lighting. Repairs and renovations became more challenging. To deal with staffing shortages during and immediately after the war, they held work "bees". For example, on January 2, 1945 the trustees held a work "bee" to rebuild the furnace, glaze the windows, and make minor repairs. After World War II pupils from S. S. No. 17 participated in the annual school sports day at the Cooksville Fair. In 1947 they placed third out of 20 schools with a total of 18 points. It was a "good showing" as they had the greatest number of points for a rural school. Pupils from No. 17 also became regular competitors in the Peel Music Festival in the 1930's,1940's, and 1950's. In 1950 Toronto Township celebrated its Centennial. Pupils from No. 17 took part by singing "Land of Hope and Glory" at the Dixie Arena for the occasion. On June 2, 1953 pupils from the Township participated in the Coronation ceremonies for Queen Elizabeth II at Streetsville. Pupils also planted two maple trees in the schoolyard to commemorate the event. The end-of-year picnic was also a significant point in the school year. In the 1950's small school sections faced increasing pressure to consolidate into larger units. In 1953 the trustees rejected a proposal for the formation of a larger school area in the northern part of Toronto Township because of recent major renovations at S.S. No. 17. In December 1958 the trustees of Toronto Township School Area # 1 proposed the closure of both Eden and Britannia Public Schools. In September 1959 pupils from Eden were sent to the new Meadowvale Public School. The school was closed officially in 1960. It was demolished in 1993. |
