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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2005 -- THE NEW TANNER 11 Old Brucedale school destined for demolition ..But for former students the memories linger on. by Rebecca Ring The Rockwood Miller At their regular meeting on January 24, the Council for the Township of Guelph/Eramosa authorized the demolition of the old Brucedale school house, known as School Section Number 10. Any his- torically significant features, such as the year built lental (plaque), will be saved and incorporated into any future expansion of the municipal building. Council will meet at the schoolhouse to determine which items will be saved. In addition, the Manager of Property and Leisure Services will investigate the building to salvage and sell items such as window frames, doors and flooring. The decision process offi- cially began in July 1999 with a public meeting to discuss the future of the old school- house. In February 2003, the township's LACAC (Local Architectural Conservation Committee) recommended that Council preserve the schoolhouse and a feasibility study be prepared, with the goal that the building's use be self-supporting. In March 2003, Anthony Bragg, an historical researcher, submit- ted a report summarizing the history and historical aspects of the building. In May 2003, the Manager of Property and Leisure Services submitted a report detailing the condition of the building and the cost of bringing it up to current build- ing code standards. LACAC conducted a public opinion poll at Rockwood's Pioneer Day celebrations. In June 2003, LACAC re- viewed the poll and the other documentation and concluded that the building was not architecturally significant and its future be decided by Council. Relocation of the build- ing was considered but the $75,000 plus refurbishing costs were deemed too high for the township.. Bringing the building up to code was also considered to be too expensive. Some of the prob- lems include a wet basement, mould growth, an unusable furnace and a defunct septic system. The township may have declared the building archi- tecturally insignificant but there are those that believe it is culturally significant. It is the only publicly owned one-room schoolhouse left in the municipality. It was built in 1934 to replace the origi- nal schoolhouse, which was built in 1905. It was struck by lightening and burned to the ground. Mrs. Jean (Major) Jackson of Eramosa, was a student at School Section No. 10. She re- members the morning in 1934 when the old schoolhouse burned down. The grade 3 stu- dent watched out her window as the school fell with its bell sounding its own death toll. The community rushed to help but nothing could be done. This happened during the depression era when money was scarce. The community pitched in and volunteered in School as it is now cleaning the site and build- ing a new school. A 20-year bank loan was secured for the purpose. There was no belfry built onto the new school. Perhaps that is where the lightning struck and no one wanted to tempt fate, or perhaps there was simply not enough money. The Old Brucedale School , holds memories of a very different time. The one-room schoolhouse accommodated grades | through 8. There were usually three or four children per grade. The teacher started each day with The Lord's Prayer. She then assigned work to the older children and began lessons with the younger ones. After completing their own lessons, the older children often helped teach the younger ones. Read- ing lessons involved standing in front of the class in a spe- cific spot marked with a chalk line that one's toes must not cross. All the students walked to school. There were no buses or parents driving minivans. Inwinter, they had a hot lunch at school that the teacher and students prepared. Each child was asked to bring a potato, and those.from farms with dairy cattle were asked to take turns bringing milk. The teacher supplied the canned goods and cocoa. The lunch was cooked on a coal-oil stove. There was no running water. In warm weather, the children drank water from.a shared tin cup that hung from the well pump. In winter, a student was assigned to bring in a pail of water that held a dipper from which all the children drank. There were indoor toilets, one for girls and one for boys. Two pupils, one of each sex, were assigned the dubious honour of each flushing a toilet with a pail of water at the end of the day. The students were re- sponsible for daily school maintenance. One child was paid 10 cents per day to light and maintain the firein, the wood furnace. Two others were each paid 8 cents per day to sweep the floors after school. This was one of Mrs. Jackson's duties. Another child was paid 5 cents per day to dust in the morning. On Arbor Day, the first Friday in May, the students spent % of the day cleaning their desks, the library, and raking the yard. The end of the day was spent hiking. A hired man did the major cleaning jobs during the holidays. Mrs. Jackson House Garden Fresh me es Fully Presents its Anniwal Valentines Special Monday, February 14, 2005 € 6-8:30 p.m." "Fresh Aflaiitic Lobster Newburg Oven Broiled Trout Fillet Almondine _ with choice of Slow Roasted Rib Eye of Beef Au Jiis d Chicken Breast with Irisht'St ven Roasted Herbed Baby Potato Orresh jecili with Baby Carrots Dessert of Choice™ 7 offee or Tea mea Main St., Rockwood (519) 856-0188. § Vol) always feebprinended The Rockwood MILLER Castle's iD a ay Vegetable Salad or Licensed We also create funeral arrangements as well as book wedding consultations. Acton Sobeys Floral Shop 853-2670 remembers being greeted in September by the clean smell of the freshly scrubbed and oiled floor. Most of the students were from farming families and agriculture was their bread and butter. Its importance was demonstrated by the fact that a course in agriculture was part of their curriculum. This was later combined with Science and eventually the farming component was phased out. Another indication of agri- culture's importance was a beautiful glossy poster that the Department of Agriculture supplied. It pictured three breeds of beef cattle, three breeds of horses, and three breeds of sheep, The depart- ment also gave each student a packet of flower seeds and a packet of vegetable seeds every spring. They grew them over the summer and could enter their produce in the school fair. The school fair was held every September at what is now Lord Dyer Park in Rock- wood. The students practised marching and_ exercising for Ready to.serve. For Valentines day, think of us first. We have everything you'll need to sweep that special someone off their feet. the event. They formed two rows, from largest to smallest child. The children in the lead carried their school's banner. Little Jean Major could not wait until she was big enough for this honour. Other events at the fair included showing animals. Students brought calves, chickens, rabbits and other assorted creatures. There were sewing contests * -where girls demonstrated their skills by sewing buttonholes or hems using white cloth and black thread. There were also baking contests where boys and girls entered goodies they made from recipes chosen from a catalogue. The last school fair was held in 1939. Mrs. Jackson remembers the Christmas concerts which were originally held during the day but were eventually. held at night. As there was no electricity in the building, it was lit with gas lamps. The children put on a show de- picting the story of the Christ child. She remembers one Christmas when the teacher gave each student a photo- Continued on page 15 Traditional Japanese Karate skills the opportunity to do it? it's got to be unique and local? get started? + Increase stamina + Reduce stress The Rockwood Karate Club est. 2002 Ever wanted to study a martial art, but never had Thinking you'd love to do something healthy, but Worried that you may not be fit enough to even The Rockwood Karate Club now offers classes for your age and level of fitness, during convenient evening hours. Practice the exciting ancient Martial Art of Karate-do here in town, and develop a high level of ftness at your own pace. + Improve health + Improve flexibility. Learn self defense + Control weight Every Tuesday and Thursday evening. 7:45-8:45 112 Main Si. in Rockwood at the St, John's Anglican Church Hall ,across from Saunders Bakery wrewwock woodkarate.com Tel; 856-2058 Proud to be a member of : + Japan Karate Association + Karate Ontario * World Traditional Karate Organization + Rockwood Eramosa Business Association