Garden Island Schools

The School…

Built: first in 1844 then 1853, then 1864
Location: ?
Closed:?
At Present:?

There was only one school on Garden Island, built by D.D. Calvin in 1844.
At the height of its enrollment it had 3 teachers.

***From Ethelee Carlson***
Garden Island Schools

The following excerpts are from Anthony Malone’s unpublished Reminiscences at Queen’s Archives and permission has been granted to share them.

“School Houses”

“An old entry in the ‘School Minute Book’ in the handwriting of my late Uncle John F. Charles (who was Manager of the Company’s Store for over 20 years) reads as follows.

“School started in 1842”

1850
In 1850 the School which I attended (said to have been the first School House ever built here) was a frame building painted red and its size was 10 ft 7” by 10 ft 9” and 6 ft 9” high to the eaves all outside measurements. The structure was bungalow shaped and is still standing though unused. There were about a dozen or so pupils altogether and the teacher’s name was John Storey. As I recollect him he was a very affable gentleman, rather tall, with a very high forehead and he used to amuse both himself and his pupils after School house by playing on a bugle of some sort (I think he called it a Pomopean). We all liked him and were sorry when he went away.

“School matters”
“In 1851 (as I recollect) we pupils were nearly scared out of year’s growth by a heavy wind storm which uprooted two trees. In their fall they landed on the elegant! bungalow roof of the little School House, smashing it badly. Fortunately however nothing else about the School (except perhaps our feelings) was materially damaged. . . .

1853
In 1853 the old bungalow was found to be too small to accommodate the increasing number of pupils and a nice new frame building was erected by Mr. Dileno D. Calvin at his own expense. The building was 30 feet long and 18 feet wide and painted white. The first teacher in the new school was a Mr. Campbell who was noted principally by being a beautiful writer. The Trustees that year were George Malone (my father), John F. Charles and Joseph Dix (all of whom have passed over to the silent majority). The Government Inspector was Rev. J.A. Allen then a resident of Wolfe Island. We pupils used to look forward with pleasure to this Inspector’s visit for two reasons 1st because we liked him – 2nd Because he generally coaxed the Board (or Teacher) to give us a holiday.

1864
In 1864 the School House was once more found to be too small to accommodate the great increase of pupils and Calvin & Breck with their accustomed liberality built at their own expense a new one 90 feet long 27 feet wide, divided into 3 rooms with folding doors between two of the rooms. Modern style of seats were put in & a belfry built on the top and a large bell (also donated by the Company) was placed therein to call the pupils together. Hugh Spears was the first Principal in the new building and Dileno D. Calvin, William Marshall, and James Quinn were the Trustees. This School room is in use now. F.W. Aylsworth ??”

***

It was a frame, one story building with an open bell cupola on the roof. It had 3 classrooms and a large library of five thousand books in the 1930’s.

An account of the school was written by Henry Dugdale in 1865:
“In the fall of that same year, I accepted an offer to teach the Garden Island School. I had one hundred and fifty pupils on the Roll, a number of whom were French, who could not speak any other language… About this time the Lumber Company, under whose patronage the School owed its support, sent me to Toronto to secure Maps, a Globe and other apparatus necessary to furnish a good Public School. They also secured better accommodation for seating in the shape of furniture in the most modern style. My salary was three hundred and fifty dollars and that of the Assistant was one hundred fifty…”(County of 1000 lakes)

“An elementary school, generously subsidized by the firm, operated at a higher standard than did neighboring schools. The Islanders possessed one of the finest Mechanics’ Institutes in Canada, with a library of 1,600 volumes by 1883. The books were carefully listed in a published catalogue, a copy of which is held in the Provincial Archives of Ontario.” –The firm being the D. D. Calvin Company. (A Shipping Empire Garden Island by Donald Swanson)

Teachers listed in census

For 1871 some may be missing as only heads and strays are online.

Will all years it is not 100% that the person listed as Teacher taught on Garden Island.

1851 census
John Story, 30,M,S,I, CE,Teacher

1871 census
Dugdale, Henry, M, 46, Ire, Wesleyan Meth, Irish, School Teacher

1881 census
Naneollas, James Christopher, M, 18,Ire, Ch of Eng, Eng & Scotch, School Teacher
Bole, Duncan, M, 31, Ont, Presb, Irish, School Teacher, M
Roguer, Amanda, F, 19, Ont, C of Eng, Can, School Teacher

1891 census
Ettenyer, James, M, 25, Ont, Germany, Germany, Meth, School Teacher

Sources for ALL Garden Island school info:

--County of a Thousand Lakes, The History of the County of Frontenac 1673-1973 Chapter 14 The Island Communities

-Census

- A Shipping Empire Garden Island by Donald Swanson

-please let me know if I've missed you!

The Islands: Schools: Garden Island