Ontario Abandoned Places will be rebranded as Ominous Abandoned Places

Old Dashwood area School

Abandoned Educational in Bluewater, Ontario, Canada

Aug 14 2012

 |  1449
 |  1
Recent status Abandoned
Location # 5199

an old school [no S.S.#] that holds a lot of memories that I have yet to get. A few inside shots[ with delay and tripod through a broken window] that i didn't rotate for loss of picture. The front and only door[the other is to a shed attached] opens an inch [just a tease] but is locked.

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The following info was provided by "dashwoodhistoryproject" & I posted it for him

superss

S.S. # 8 Hay Township School / "The Tin School"

Constructed in 1872, the building is still standing as of July 2013.

"During 1859, S.S. No. 8 was formed and a half acre of land was bought from Jacob Schluchter off Lot 6, Concession 12, one and a quarter miles north of Dashwood, then known as Friedsburg, for $10, for the purpose of building a log school house.

David Bean was appointed first secretary-treasurer, and at the end of the first year there was a balance of 28 cents in the books. Five teachers taught in the log school house, 1859, Samuel Bean; 1866, Dan Bean; 1868, T. Rollins; Miss Janet McArthur; and in 1870, Richard Whiting.

The log school did duty for 13 years, when in 1872 on account of about 150 pupils, it was found necessary to build a new larger one. Another half acre of land was purchased from Jacob Weber and Sam Rannie took the contract to build a one room school and furnish it with hand made wooden benches for the sum of $600.

Pupils from Dashwood in both Hay and Stephen [Townships] attended No.8 school and all non-resident pupils were charged 25 cents a month unless Stephen council would allow them to pay their taxes to this section. In 1868 the amount collected from these non-resident pupils was $110.70. In 1888 the fee was raised to 50 cents. Nine years later a school was built in Dashwood and the section lines changed. All non-resident pupils were then excluded from the school. This section contained 3400 acres and had an assessment of $145,200.

The first secretary-treasurer of the new school was Philip Schweitzer. From 1873 to 1894 Joseph Snell was the Principal and assistant teachers were hired when needed. Often an older pupil was put in charge of the smaller classes to teach the "three R's". There were 21 assistants under Joseph Snell. After the Dashwood school was built, the attendance dropped to 30 at No. 8 Hay, so that only one teacher was necessary.

In 1923 the interior was remodelled and redecorated. In 1932, more improvements were made in the school; a school garden started and trees were plated around the grounds. The salary paid the teacher in 1900 was $225 per annum and gradually increased until 1920 when Addison Tieman received $1175 per annum. [Editors note: In 1920, $1,175 is roughly equivalent to $50,000 in today's funds. Coincidently, $225 in 1900 dollars approximates the value of about $40,000 today.] The salary gradually decreased and in 1935 the teachers received $625. The salary increased and in 1958 the teacher[s] received $3200. [Ed. note: A wage of $625.00 per annum in 1935, equals slightly more than $30,000 today; $3200 in 1958 dollars is roughly equivalent to $35,000 - $40,000 today.]

Market conditions have changed decidedly since 1865 when thirteen and three quarters of wood were bought from David Bean at 50 cents per cord and in 1935 hard maple was bought for $12 per double cord. The janitor in the early days was paid $11.50 [per year] for cleaning the school and $4 for lighting the fires. In 1935 the janitor received $65 for the care of the building and grounds. By 1958 the janitor received $200.

The instruction of music was introduced in 1936 with Lawrence Wein instructor. Other instructors were R.H. Goulding, Mrs. A.E. Oestreicher and Douglas Gill. In 1938 the school was wired for hydro and a short time later [indoor] toilets were installed. To secure wood for heat proved to be a problem with the wood lots diminishing, so oil heating was installed in 1952 at a cost of $425.

On January 1, 1947, all the school sections in the Township of Hay formed a school area, with five trustees to govern the whole township, with Whitney Brokenshire as secretary-treasurer. A separate Roman Catholic school was built in Zurich in 1959, so all the pupils of Catholic faith were transferred to that school. At the end of June 1962 the school closed its doors and the pupils were transported to Smoky Hollow School (S.S. 15 Hay). Today all the pupils are taken by bus to central schools.

The following served as secretary-treasurer of this section: David Bean, Isaac Bean, Noah Fried, Philip Schweitzer, Joseph Snell, Jacob Rader, Fred Schroeder, John Voelker, Henry Truemner, Otto Miller, Edmund Walper, Arthur Weber, Arnold Kuntz and John Rader.

The following [were] the teachers; 1859, Samuel Bean; 1866, Dan Bean; 1868, T. Rollins and Miss Janet McArthur; 1870, Richard Whiting; 1873-1894, Joseph Snell, Principal; 1877, Miss Walker; Miss Meldrum, Wm. Hendersen; 1978, Thos. Hendersen, Miss Agnes Hendersen; 1879, Miss Doby, Miss Maggie Taylor, Miss Laura Fried; 1880, Miss McMahon; 1881, Miss M. Hamilton, Miss Grace Bastard, Ben Bean; 1887, Miss Brown; 1888, Miss Jean Lovell, James Erwin, Hugh Ross; 1889, Sam Haugh, Miss McCarty, Miss Nettie Fulton, Mr. Scott; 1891, Miss Ella Halls; 1894, Thos. Snell; 1895, Miss Mary Morrison, Miss Jessie Robertson; 1900, Daniel Weber; 1903, Miss A.B. Murray; 1905, Miss Laura Jeckell, Miss Addie Jeckel (sic), Miss E.A. Seldon; 1907, Miss Theo Harleib, Miss Capling; 1908, Miss A.C. Milligen; 1910, R. Rutherford, Miss Violet Graybeil; 1912, Miss Robina Duffin; 1914, Milton D. Oestreicher; 1915, Miss Flora J. Lane; 1918, Miss Euloeen Guenther; 1920, Addison Tieman; 1923, Viola Bell; 1924, Miss Dorothy Balkwill; 1925, Whitney Brokenshire; 1931, Miss Emma Brown; 1932, Miss Agnes Robertson; 1935, Miss Mary I. Patterson; 1938, Miss Isobel Waldie; 1939, Miss Jean Cole; 1942, Miss Catherine Fraser; 1944, Miss Dorothy O'Brien; 1945, Mrs. Herbert Neeb; 1948, Mrs. Garnet Wildfong; 1952, Mrs. Katherine Becker; 1956, Chas. W. McQuillin; 1958, Mrs. Herbert Neeb."

extracted from "Friedsburg-Dashwood 1860-1985" by Mary (Patterson) Rader, 1985; pgs. 24-25, ISBN 0-9692115-0-3"

Comments

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10 years ago

The website appears to have automatically truncated all the details regarding the school that I provided. If anyone is interested in learning more about the place just ask. I've also got an early image of the school in operation.

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10 years ago

This structure is the former S.S. #8 Hay Township School building, constructed in 1872, it is also known locally by oldtimers as the "Tin School". My grandmother attended that school in the 1890s, walking back and forth from Dashwood five times a week. Thought you guys might be interested in the details regarding the place that I extracted from a fairly rare local history book that I own, called

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11 years ago

Was just there today