Settlers in the area east of Wawanesa established a school district in the spring of 1882 and, by June, a one-room school had been erected.
An early student of the school was Nellie McClung.
Nellie Letitia McClung (born Helen Letitia Mooney was born October 20, 1873 and died September 1, 1951. Nellie was a Canadian suffragette, politician, author, and social activist. She was a part of the social and moral reform movements prevalent in Western Canada in the early 1900s. In 1927, McClung and four other women, who together came to be known as “The Famous Five” (also called “The Valiant Five”),[2] launched the Persons Case contending that women could be “qualified persons” eligible to sit in the Senate. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the current law did not recognize women as such. However, the case was won upon appeal.
Nellie also taught at the school briefly, in 1896. The first Northfield School was destroyed by fire on February 16, 1933 was rebuilt according to the original design, this time with a basement.
In 1960, the school closed and the sold to the town and was designated as a municipal heritage site in May 1995.
My co-worker is a history major and LOVES this sort of stuff. When I got home and realized this little bit of history, I wished that I had paid more detail to all the finer details of the building.
The building is well cared for and holds some neat artifacts inside. I’m glad we ventured off the highway to see what the little roof in the distance was.
CRUMBLING MEMORIES 