Yesterday And Today, A Salute to Blyth's 125th Anniversary, 2002-07-31, Page 4Best Wishes Blyth
on yourl 25th Anniversary
OtdrARIO
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Stephen Radford Londesborough 523-4922
7 (
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wsL, eiya,
un tja )UP 12511-) Anniversary
A warm welcome to all visitors
yawn To ME VOW NEXHBOUR
• Ontario fresh produce
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PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, YESTERDAY and TODAY, WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2002.
Blyth's first students taught in one-room log cabin
Early education
The two-storey addition to rilyth s school in 1910 was
dedicated to the activities of the continuation school. (Courtesy
Brock Vodden)
Learning today
The new school, built in the late 1960s is situated just north
school stood.
of where the old continuation
The first schools for Blyth
students were much like the rural
schools, which first educated
students in all of Ontario. They were
i 1 1- venti lated. one-room log
structures with little more than a
teacher's slant-front desk, box-stove
or Quebec stove and benches for the
students.
In the beginning Blyth students
attended schools located in Morris or
East Wawanosh. Unfortunately it is
difficult to tell exactly where the
local students were going.
SS No. 1 Morris included the'
eastern half of the village. When the
first village school was opened SS
No ,1 moved one and a half miles
east and became known as Ebenezer
School after the Methodist Church
across the road.
SS No. 10 East Wawanosh was
opened in 1860 and its second
teacher was George Quinn of Blyth
who taught there from 1865 to
1875.
The first truly Blyth school was
the result of a petition of Dr. Alex
Thomson and others asking the
council of East Wawanosh for the
establishment of a union school in
1867. It was on Dinsley Street in the
Orange Lodge building. It was
probably not opened until 1868 at
the earliest, as the petition is
reported to have been made in
August.
The history of Blyth compiled for
the centennial celebrations reported
that the new school was a one-storey
frame building, 30 feet by 40 feet,
seating 100 students. This was
replaced by a new frame school on
the hill at the north end of town.
According to The Huron Expositor
that school was superceded by a
$2,200, three-room, brick structure
on the same property in 1877. At that
time Mrs. Lovatt was added to a
teaching staff consisting of James
Scott and Joshua Tenant. She . was
paid the princely sum of $250 for her
work.
By 1895 the school on the hill had
become too small and it was decided
to build a new school at the site of
the old fair grounds. The old school
was later transformed into an
apartment building.
In 1910 a continuation (secondary)
school was added to the system and
Blyth students no longer left town to
continue their education.
The 1920s brought a need to
expand the faCilities and in 1923 a
two-storey addition was added to the
school with the second floor being
dedicated to the activities of the
continuation school. A room
specifically designed for science
classes was part of the new addition.
In 1946 it was decided to close the
continuation school and students
were bused to Clinton to further their
education. •
The school got a new lease on life
in 1958 when one of the downstairs
classrooms was remodeled to serve
as Blyth's first kindergarten
However, by 1965 the building was
considered beyond repair and was
condemned.
The decision to build the new
school on the same property just
north of the old building caused
some controversy as it was felt the
playground might be too small for
the number of students attending.
The new school did initially face
some crowding problems but recent
years have seen a decline in
population which had the school
examined for possible closure in the
last year. •
It is interesting to note that the
interest in, science, which caused a
science classroom to be added to the
1923 addition, has re-appeared.
Much of the fundraising that was
done at the Blyth Public School this
year was aimed at equipping a
science and technology resource
room for the students.
ViLle of Hylk
on your 125111 anniversary
The Municipality of
Morris-Turnberry
extends Best Wishes r
to all residents and
returning visitors to Blyth