HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1970-06-18, Page 11hi
123 YEAR. 25
BY W.E�ELLIOTT
A teacher who `sat at the desk
of S.S. No. 8, Col orae, in
19064, 'returned the ' other day
to what is left: of it; peered,
through the fire -scarred doorway
to debris and weeds where ,once
her $5 pupils engaged
instruction and discipline. As a
summer breeze stirred the
branches of tall maples planted
by the children on a long -ago
Arbour Day, Miss L. E.. Durnin,
of Goderich, scanned a group
photo made in 1907 and named
many of the boys and - girls
whose shouts rang in the
playground sixty -odd years ago.
Occasion for the visit was
plenty of picnic
tables. The school'well is still
�z�'' there,. but somebody has
�=T189a�t��tt�sctinal.� i�oa�sl��-��,�
an
announcement by Reeve Wilmer
Hardy that the former
. ..
• schoolyard, part of Lot 5 at
Concession, V and the first
siderbad east of Zion Central
,
School, is to become a roadside'
A. park, with
The township plan calls for
immediate cleaning up of the
grounds, long neglected. The
_. !._.school- known in its, ,time . as,.
Cedar Valley, was closed in 1957
on .completion of Zion school,
and the property was bought by
Ray Mitchell, of Clinton, who
converted the school into a
dwelling. Fire a few years ago
left little but the front wall and
roof, now tenanted by birds.
Goderich firemen responded on
that occasion, and Chief John
Hoggarth , sort of acquired the
school bell, now at his summer
r cottage.
Miss Durnin rode out to the
old school with Mr. and Mrs.
Chester , Feagan, Palmerston
Street, Goderich. Mrs. Feagan as
Elizabeth'Adams taught at S.S. 8
some years after Miss Durnin.
A Mr. Feagan had not even started
s.
school there when the 190T
group. picture was taken, but he
showed up in it, his home being
nearby. Miss Durnin' easily
identified him in the picture.°
The teacher 'at S.S. 8 was paid
$250 in 1892, and the scale did
not experience any great change
until about 1920, when it had
soared to $450. In. this school
the work of -all grades to 8 was
taught, and in some. sections .of
the township, including No ° 8,
there Fere often pupils taking
continuation f work.
•
The., record shows that many
of the 'teachers hired for this
school» were -'members of families
in the school section, or at least
the township: Walter,, Hamilton,
Allin, Million, McMichael,
McEwen. Colborne's population
has shifted, less than in most
Huron townships, and pupils,.
pictured in the 1907 photo here
mentioned represented only
about:; 10 families: Mitchell,
Allin, Bean, Feagan, Fowler,
Straughan,. Kirkpatrick, Cousins,
Morrish and Walters. Many of
t� 1
THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 19,7!
.
those boys and girls have
become grandparents; some have
``spent their days as a tale that is -
told"and are n9 more. Some of
the boys fought for Canada on
the battlefields of Europe.
Teacher Lizzie Adams' tour of
duty at S.S. 8 resulted in
changing her name to Feagan.
One of the Chester Feagans' fourl
children is now Inspector Hugh
Feagan, in charge of` the RCMP
detachment in Yellowknife,
established
established capital of the
newl.Y
North West Territories, and a.
younger sone Bryan, is a
constable, in the Force.
Tom Elliott,'teaching at No. 8
because he was too young to
attend universij y, may have
thought the teacher at No. 4, Up.
by the Little Lakes, might be
lonely. He borrowed a friendly .
farmer's horse and' buggy and
from time to time travelled the
two miles or sa around to the
boarding house of Miss, Georgina
B. Welsh. , Tom and Ina Elliott
revisited
PUPILS OF SS 8 COLBORNE IN 1907 — Back row, from left:
Robert Mitchell, Ada AIIin; E,isie Bean, Ruby Gilders, Leila
Feagan, Marybelle Fowler, Letitia Durnin (teacher), "Eddie
Straughan, Tommy Mitchell, Russell Kirkpatrick, Jim Cousins,
George W. Feagan, George C. Feagan, Second row: Ella
Cousins, Olive Tabb, Nellie Cousins, 'Olive Fowler, Teena
Fowler, Dela Allin, . Gladys Kirkpatrick, Wes. Morrish, Reg w.
Fowler, Everett Allin, Reg Allin, Bill Feagan, Cal Straughan.
Front row: Viola Allin, lona Fowler, Lucy Feagan, Fanny
Allin, Chester Feagan; Jim Feagan, Laura Cousins, -Howard
'Feagan, tyella. Feagan,- Andy Straughan, Bella Cousins, Mav
Walters; Mabel Bean, Stella Morrish.
h•
celebrated their golden wedding
anniversary . in ' Oshawa, . in
• August, 1905, They died a year
apart, not long after.
` It .was on August 10, 1887,
that a meeting of ratepayers
appointed a committee— William
Straughan, Robert ' Allin,
Andrew, Millian, C, W. Treble
and Wm. Tewsley — to see
George Bi$set about purchase of
a school site. Successful tenders
for construction of the building,
36 by 26 feet, were J. B. Durst
and J. Munnings, at $565. First
trustees elected were A. Millian,
Wm. Straughan and C. W.
Treble.
In 1892 the salary of the
teacher, Miss Stevenson, was
' $275, add'the scale experienced
no significant increase until
along about 1920, , when it
reached $450. Possibly set . in
proportion was the
remuneration • of successive
caretakers. Mrs. James Mitchell,
appointed for 1911 at : $30 per
• year, undertook to fulfill duties
regnjr., d , the -119,9 ,;.trustee,.
to wit, -as follows: '"Scruhing
school threetimes,, washing
woodwork and .windows once,
cleaning, stovepipes inside and
out, varnishing pipes once,
procuring kindling wood and
lighting fires in morning at 8,
sweeping snow from road to
school and from school to the
pump and . to the different
closets, cleaning chimney,,
hoisting _flag on holidays and.
cutting • all weeds inside
schoolyard and outside as far as
the school fence runs."
The school board received
good value for whatever it paid
the Mitchell family for
caretaking, and now the
township is indebted in _ a
manner of speaking, to another
member; , Mrs. Mitchell's
grandson, Ray, has conveyed the
school property
one. dollar...
The roadside
long war •from
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•
- •�.
for the sum of
park will be a
any provincial:
highway', but people tt, the
neighborhood will soon flBd tom'.
pleasant picnic ground under. the
maples of Old Nu•1dn.
Mauve and 'yellow iris in an
attractive arrangement flanked
by yellow tapers decorated the
buffet table for the annual
graduation dinner held for the
Auburn Explorer group in the
Sunday School room of Knox
United Church last Tuesday
evening.
•
The Chief Counsellor, Mrs.
Eldon McLennan welcomed the
Explorers, their Mothers 'and
guests. Pastor Fry pronounced
the grace.
Mrs. McLennan thanked the
mothers for their To -operation
and for Pastor Fry's leadership
during the past year. Scrapbooks
. were on display showing their
Explorations dtiring the year.
Maureen Longhurst presided
for the program. Joyce Chamney
had an elimination contest and
'Mrs. Ted Robinson- was ' the
winner.
Cathy McClinchey presented
Miss Margaret Jackson with a
gift for being' the oldest _lady
present.
Doris Naylor had. a „contest
and her mother, Mrs. Gordon
Naylor was the winner. '
A piano solo was played by
Marilyn Wightrrian and a solo
was sung by Maureen* Longhurst
accompanied by Doris Naylor.
Cathy McClinchey thanked Mrs.
McLennan and Mrs. Robert
Slater for their leadership.
A solo was sung by Yvonne
Bean accompanied by Mrs.
Norman Wightman. A recorder,
', solo was played . by Judy
Robinson and Faye Hildebrand
gave a reading.
_ter
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•
Mrs. Norman McClinchey
thanked the ,leaders for. their
work with the girls and also the
buffet dinner. Miss Jackson„ also.,
spoke to the girls and their
leaders. Janet Cook received the
of ring.
The Graduation service took
place. and . - framed " certificates
were presented to Doris Naylor,
Maureen Longhurst, Faye Seers,
Cathy McClinchey, Yvonne Bean
and Joyce Chamney. These were
presented by Mrs. Slater.
Second blue stars were
presented to Marilyn Wightman,
Judy R o b i n-so1 - __ . Debbie
,letterson and Faye Hildebrand.
Second red sitars were
presented to Jane Thompson,
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Connie Trommer.
=
AT -THE OLD WEL.t:-= Chpster-Feagan,Goderich, was'a pupil
of S,S.' 8, Colborne, when Miss Durnin taught there. He is
shown (a beginner with a slate) in front row of the group
picture taken in 1907 .
THEY TAUGHT HERE — Mrs. Chester Feagan•(left)-and Miss
Letitia Durnin, both of Goderich, revisit the fire -scarred
remnant of S.S. 8, Colborne. In Miss Durnin's4ime4here were
about 35 pupils.
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Second red stars were pres4rrted to (IA to right) ' Jane
Thonpson, Janet Cook, Sherry Verbeek and Connie Trommer.
fr
a
r�were preseted to (left 'to.•righ r Marilyn
Wightman, Debbie Jef#erson, Judy Robinson and Faye
Hildebrand.
4,
Mrs. Eldbn McLennan (left), Chief Explorer, and Mrs, Robert
Stater, assistant, ,were ` in charge of this year's Explorer
activities.
Graduating Explorers were (left to right) Cathy McClinchey,
Joyce Chamney, Yvonne -Bean, Maureen Longhurst, Doris
Naylor and Faye Seers.
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