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The Huron Expositor, 1975-06-26, Page 44SEAFORTH on your 100th Birthday from 1928 Charles H. lie age - married. - Ethile Sharp children - Marg Ed Helen Jean j Gerry Ed. Dohmusge MITCHELL FEED MILL (Owned by Ed Dolmage and Family) Do you remember when? 1953 married children - Richard Linda Bruce Anne fi 1931 Warren Gibblings =Med - Marie Raps= chiltiren - Jean Ken Betty Ann Doug. Jean Gibbings 1898 Sid pollinage Married Elizabeth McDonoti OP if c dren - Charles H. Edna 1908 Tom Sharp married Jeanette !Bowman • c - 'axone Alvin Keith Ernie Junor 1902 John G. Gibh go married Mary children - Flom Pere Warren Evelyn 1908 J son married Mary Jane Knox children - Marie Lot Of Little Things Hap: en In 100 Years" .4k The teaching stall of SPS posed for this photo when the new school was completed in 1953. Left, back are, E. Hoffman Mrs. Jean McDonald, Principal J.W. Talbot, Miss Mabel Turnbull, Don Morton, front, Mrs. Elva Ellis, Miss Ella Elder, Mrs. Agnes Mason and Mrs. John Black. sr= PRETTY •GRIM SCHOOL CLASS — This pretty sparse classroom would hardly be recognized by present day students who are used to open classroom seating and brightly, decorated walls. The children in this 1912 "first book" class at S.P.S. are, George Patterson, Don McKay, Harold Paterson, Pertly Nash, Frank Knight, Harold Dill and Reg Brown, Ralph Smith, Scott Cluff, Lyman Taman, Harold Frost, Wesley Bowen, Gerald Stewart, Don Kerslake, Allen Reid, Harvey Bristow, Ron McKay, Hartman and Willis Huisser. The girls, also sitting with hands demurely behind their backs are, Janet Grieve, Gladys McPhee, Pauline McMinn, Ethel Crich, Jennie Reeves, Ethel Daly, Lila Thornton, Annie Smith, Annie Strong, Mary Bell, Florence Chesney, Myrtle Trott, Fu Beattie, Elva Habkirk, Jean Scott, Cuthill, and Nettie Storey. Ada Sleith was the teacher. 1:17 Elva Ellis) Well over a hundred years ago, in 1867, the fir-sighted citizens of Seaforth began, what eventually becaine, the seven-room Seaforth `,4 Publie' Sabo], on Church Street. 7 previous to this, the school had been a two-room structure in the tiny village of Seaforth, which was competing for survival with nearby Egmondville and 'Harpurhey. However the people had• enough faith in the future of :their little community to see the need for a larger and better equipped school. The first part of the building, was what was later the centre. and the north wing. The centre, in the years to follow, was the main. hall< downstairs, and a board-room above the hall, at the front:„ The north wing was the Grade 8 room downstairs, and a Grade 4 & 5 room up above. A tew ,years after this, the south wing, consisting of a classroom up and down, was added on, and the whole, topped by a tower which never in my memory contained anything but innumerable pigeons. However it was nicely painted white and gave the building quite an elegant appearance. • As the attendance increased, an addition was added to the back of the building, housing a Grade 3 room upstairs over washrocims on the lower floor, and a Grade 1 classroom over the kindergarten, which was downstairs at the back. In the early days, each classroom had its own wood-burning box stove. Consequently each room had a large wood-box behind the stove. Here, wet socks and mittens were draped to dry after each recess. Some time later, a central heating system was installed, probably the same one that served the school when we moved , into the new building in May 1953. I can remember our good and efficient caretaker for . many years',- Mr. Robert Joynt, jokingly telling me, the boiler was in such ai bad state of repair that someday it would blow Up and would go out the roof, as nay room was over OP furnace in the basement -- COmforting thought! The building was built sturdily of white, brick, and its beautiful Georgian lineS are, to this day admired by many a tourist or visitor from out of teWn. However it was at one tithe painted red with white trim and covered with iyy, Which clung to the brick until the not too far distant past. Later the school was given ugly yellowish-brown Coat of paint. ,Mr. Archibald Dewar was the first Principal, serving from 1868 to 1871 and was followed by William O'Connor 1871-1873; I. J. Birchard 1873.1874; Leonard McFaul 1875-1901; William J. Moffat 1902-1910;J- T. Curtis 1910-1912; Alfred Naylor 1912-1919; Foster T. Fowler 1919-1924; 5.„ R. Crawford 1924-1931; Peter B. Moffat 1931-1949; Donald N. Eastman 1949-- 1953. Mr. McFaul, a native of McKillop Township, was outstanding for his long twenty-six years of service. Mr.Eastman turned the key in the door of the old school for the last time in May 1953, before moving to the new building at the end of Market Street. Members of the last staff of the old building were: D. N. Eastman - Principal; Donald F. Morton; Miss Mabel Turnbull; Mrs. Jean MacDonald; Mrs. El''a Ellis; Miss Ella Elder; Mrs. Agnes Mason; Miss ' Peggy Willis Kindergarten. Most of the above staff moved to the new School, under the leadership of Mr. John Talbot, who is still Principal' of Seaforth Public School. Mrs. Mason and Mrs. tp, MacDonald are deceased. is ' 2 —THE HUFION EXPOSITOR, JUNE 26, 1675 • iE