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Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm

Frontenac County Schools Museum

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Frontenac County Schools Museum

Frontenac County Schools Museum The Schools Museum provides an authentic 1890s schoolroom experience and has a wide variety of artifacts on display, with activities for all ages.

The Frontenac County Schools Museum began as a project to celebrate Kingston's Tercentenary in 1973. A small group of retired educators spent many hours researching and photographing schools and school sites, collecting books and artefacts, and microfilming hundreds of school records. In 1977 the Museum Association was formally established, and by late 1979, the museum was ready to be unveiled to

the public. In 1993, the museum re-opened in a new site at Robert Meek Public School. However, when RMPS closed, the museum was forced to pack up for a few years before coming to its current home in Barriefield in 2005.

02/21/2025

S.S.S. No.4 Wolfe Island- Sacred Heart
The Scott Act of 1863 gave the Catholic community in Canada West the right to establish publicly-funded separate (Catholic) schools. However, some separate schools predate the Scott Act, such as Sacred Heart Separate School in the village of Marysville. Sacred Heart Separate School was established by Father Stafford of Sacred Heart Church in 1861. The brick schoolhouse was located on the northwest corner of Front Road and the Sixth Concession. Prior to the 1940s, the separate schools on Wolfe Island were operated by the local community. In 1946, the four separate schools (S.S.S. Nos. 1, 2, 4, and 7 Wolfe Island) were united under the Union Separate School Board. This allowed for greater collaboration and standardization across schools. Several years later, in 1952, the new Sacred Heart School opened to the south of the Church. The former schoolhouse is still standing as a private dwelling.

02/19/2025

Archival Excerpts

In a set of four diaries from the 1860s and 1870s, one-room school teacher Samuel Nash records some of his classroom experiences. These diaries are an amazing insight into the life of an early educator.

02/17/2025

This is a reminder that we are still accepting applications for our summer student positions. Visit our website at www.fcsmuseum.com/careers for more information! The deadline to apply is 14 March 2025 at 5PM.

02/14/2025

School Spotlight

In 1855, the school trustees for S.S. No. 13 purchased land from James Gibson on which to build a school. Soon thereafter, a small one-storey limestone school was constructed on the site. The building was dubbed Jackson’s Mill School. Several improvements were made to the school in the first half of the twentieth century, including the purchase of new windows in 1924, the extension of the schoolyard in 1926, the drilling of a well in 1930, and the installation of electric lights in 1940. The school was closed on 22 December 1960, and the students were transferred to Elginburg and District Public School. The former schoolhouse is now a private residence.

02/12/2025

Archival Excerpts

In a series of six ledgers, the Museum holds the salary records of the Kingston Board of Education. The ledgers range from 1855-1936 and provide ninety years worth of valuable research information.

02/07/2025

School Spotlight

S.S. No.3 Kingston- Palace
In 1851, an extravagant cast iron and glass structure called the Crystal Palace was erected in London, England, to house the Great Exhibition. London’s Crystal Palace was a well-known, powerful symbol of empire and a marvel of nineteenth century engineering. It is lesser-known that the Crystal Palace inspired the construction of similar buildings throughout Europe and North America, including Kingston, Ontario. Kingston’s Crystal Palace, constructed in 1856 and located at Bath and Palace Road, was designed by Henry Horsey. It was later moved to the present site of the Memorial Centre. The building was used for agricultural exhibitions, fairs, and, surprisingly, schooling. Children attended class at the Crystal Palace for several years until a proper one-room school was constructed in 1870 on the property of Artemus Wilder near the intersection of Concession and Princess Street. Despite the change of location, the school retained the name Palace School. Due to increased enrollment, a second room was added to Palace School in 1929. The school was expanded once again in 1942 with the construction of a third room. Shortly thereafter, in 1944, Palace School was closed and the students were transferred to the newly-built First Avenue School. The building was eventually demolished. Today, the LCBO on Concession and Princess Streets now stands partially in Palace School’s former location.

02/06/2025

Today, we celebrate the grand reopening of the Museum! The last year has been a tremendous journey as we have overhauled our programming and developed new exhibitions alongside. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this revitalization. We will be gathering at the Museum tonight from 5-7PM to celebrate this achievement. Opening remarks will be at 5:30. We hope to see you there.

02/05/2025

Archival Excerpts
The Museum houses many workbooks and copybooks, but this one is special. Belonging to the Craig Family, this is the Museum’s oldest copybook and dates from 1799-1803. It contains various math problems written in a beautiful cursive script using ink. Do you think you’d be able to do your math homework in pen?

02/03/2025

We’re Hiring!

The Schools Museum is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for our summer student positions. Visit our website at www.fcsmuseum.com/careers for more information! The deadline to apply is 14 March 2025 at 5PM.

02/03/2025

The Museum is now re-open to the public, Monday-Friday from 10AM-4PM. We hope you stop by soon and see all of our new exhibits.

01/31/2025

School Spotlight

S.S. No. 2 Barrie- Loon Lake
This school was constructed in 1868 on the east side of Skootamatta Road (previously known as Loon Lake Road). According to the Ontario Land Registry, the trustees purchased property for $5 from C.W. Cummings on Range B East of Addington Road Lot 21 in 1881. It is possible that a new school was constructed at this time, however, it was also common for the deed of land for school property to be transferred to the trustees several years after a school was built. In addition to their academics, students were expected to contribute to the upkeep of the school by doing chores such as sweeping or fetching water. Students were also responsible for cooking hot lunches, which typically consisted of soup or stew made with ingredients brought in by the children. Sometimes students were compensated for their labour. For example, an older student was paid 10c a day to light the fire when it was cold outside. During recess, the children played unsupervised in the schoolyard, which was full of rocks and trees to climb. A former student remembers that his teacher, Jessie Meeks, kept a chest of medical supplies in the classroom to care for minor injuries, which were a common occurrence. Loon Lake School closed in 1949 and the students were transferred to the Cloyne Public School. The former school is still in use as a cottage.

01/30/2025

We are excited to announce the Grand Reopening of the FCSM after our gallery revitalization. The event will take place on Thursday 6 February 2025 from 5-7PM. There will be opening remarks at 5:30 followed by light refreshments. We hope to see you there!

01/29/2025

Archival Excerpts
Kingston Board of Education Archival Collection- Floor Plan of Schools

Established in 1850, the Kingston Board of Education was one of the first school boards in Ontario. This document details the floor plans of the City’s first public schools. Some of these schools are still standing today. Do you know which ones?

01/24/2025

School Spotlight

U.S.S. No.3 Storrington & No.21 Kingston- Sunbury
The original Sunbury School was built circa 1890 in the southeastern corner of the present schoolyard. This building was eventually razed and a new stone schoolhouse was erected in 1901. Located in Storrington near the border of Kingston Township, Sunbury School was a union school section that served children from both townships. In the early years, attendance at this school was often very high with up to 70 pupils enrolled each year. To accommodate the high attendance levels, additions to the school were constructed in 1955 and again in 1963. The school was closed in the late 1960s or early 1970s. The schoolhouse is still standing and in use as the Storrington Lions Club.

01/22/2025

Archival Excerpts
1799 Land Grant for Cataraqui School

This land grant is one of the Museum’s oldest documents. It records the granting of land from the British Crown to William Coffin in 1799. The land on which this document refers to, would become Cataraqui School in 1848, one of Kingston’s oldest schools. The original school building still stands and it's now King’s Town School

01/17/2025

School Spotlight
S.S. No.6 Olden- Elmdale
This area was originally designated as School Section No. 8 in March 1865. Eventually, the school sections were reorganized and this section became No. 6. The first school in this area was constructed in 1868 on the edge of William Coulter’s farm. The 24’x18’ log building only cost $100 to build because the labour was donated in-kind by community members. The school was called Williamsville School in honour of the trustees William Coulter, William Meller, and William Sanderson. It eventually came to be known as Elmdale School. The classroom consisted of two rows of long desks with benches, a box stove, and a single world map hung on the wall. The first teacher to work at the school was Margaret Patterson, who earned a monthly salary of $13. Upon visiting the school, School Inspector, Dr. John Agnew, condemned the building due to the low height of the ceilings. As a result, the floor was lowered to improve the clearance and the school was kept open. The log school was only open for around fifteen more years before a new school was constructed in 1883. The new school was an 18’x30’ frame building located across the road from the previous site. Elmdale School closed in 1948 and the remaining students were transferred to Sharbot Lake Public School. The school is still standing as a private dwelling.

01/15/2025

This week’s archival excerpts is from one of the Museum’s truancy books. In the early 1900s, Truancy Officers were employed by the police and went house-to-house recording absences of students. This book is the record of Kingston’s truancy officers from 1911-1919. Many of the reasons for absence are very shocking to read from a 21st Century perspective.

01/14/2025

Our exhibit space is slowly being transformed as new panels have been installed over the last week. Artefacts are slowly being added as we work towards completing the revitalization of the Museum. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back!

Address

414 Regent Street, Barriefield
Kingston, ON
K7K5R1

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm

Website

http://www.fcsmuseum.com/

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Videos

Curator Series #2: Moving Exhibits

Check out our second video in the Curator Series where we explore the ins and outs of moving an exhibit! Remember to like and subscribe.

Welcome to the first video in our Curator Series! In today’s video, we’re taking a closer look at exhibit takedowns and how we prepare the display case for a new exhibit. Stay tuned for upcoming videos! #kingstonmuseums #ygkmuseums #ontariomuseums #kingstonontario #visitkingston #exploreon #discoveron #oneroomschool

📣 Calling all Classics fans! We have a new blog post just for you! Head over to www.fcsmuseum.com/blog to learn all about the connection between classical mythology and early education in Canada. . . . . . #ygkmuseum #kingstonmuseum #museumson #ontariomuseums #exploreon #discoveron #classicalmythology #classics #mythology #classics #classicstudies #heroes #myths #education #museumblog

We are SO EXCITED to share that we will be open for visitors on Saturday, May 21st! And guess what? You can just come in! No need to call ahead! 🤩 Following opening day on May 21st, we will be open all summer from Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 4pm. Keep an eye on our social media channels for more information on the exciting programs and activities we'll be offering! Aside from that, you can participate in a guided or self-guided gallery tour, test your knowledge in a nineteenth century school lesson, and enjoy lots of interactive activities! 🍎 ✏️ 📚 We can't wait to see you! Kingston & Area Association of Museums, Art Galleries & Historic Sites . . . . . #ygk #ygkmuseums #kingstonontario #kingstonmuseums #visitkingston #museumson #exploreon #discoveron #SouthEasternOntario #visitontario

From teaching school lessons and creating displays, to fundraising and event planning, our volunteers do it all! ✔️ Thanks to each and every one of you for all that you do for the museum! . . . . . #nationalvolunteerweek #kingston #ygk #kingstonmuseums #ygkmuseums #kingstonvolunteers #museumvolunteers #ontariomuseums

Volume up for sounds of Spring in beautiful Barriefield! 🐦 🎵 🌸 . . . . . #spring #visitkingston #explorekingston #kingstonmuseums

You are my Sunshine 🎶 ☀️

The pump organ has been played by many folks at the museum… but we’ve never heard it sound like this! 😃 ☀️ 🎵

Happy Valentine’s Day! Here is one of the beautiful Valentine’s Day cards from our collection. . . . . . . . #kingstonmuseums #ygkmuseum #ontariomuseum #ygk #kingston #schoolhouse #valentinesday

Today is #GivingTuesday, a "global generosity movement" around the globe that encourages people to give back to our communities! Did you know, if you donate online today through CanadaHelps they will add an additional $2 to your donation?! By supporting the museum, you are helping us preserve our one-of-a-kind collection to share with the public through exhibits and programs! Thank you for supporting our museum! We appreciate every donation! Click the link to make your donation now: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/7507

Did you know that Kingston’s first Fall Fair was held in 1830, making it the second oldest Fall Fair in Ontario? Watch the video to learn about the history of Fall Fairs! ⭐️ To watch on Youtube use the link below: https://youtu.be/69x0F4FdOk4 ⭐️ . . . . . . . #kingstonmuseums #ygkmuseum #ontariomuseum #ygk #kingston #schoolhouse #oneroomschool #fallfair

With back to school season starting we wanted to look back at some school supplies student’s throughout the decades would have brought with them to school!

Frontenac County Schools Museum

02/21/2025

02/19/2025

02/17/2025

02/14/2025

02/12/2025

02/07/2025

02/06/2025

02/05/2025

02/03/2025

02/03/2025

01/31/2025

01/30/2025

01/29/2025

01/24/2025

01/22/2025

01/17/2025

01/15/2025

01/14/2025

Address

Opening Hours

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Videos

Curator Series #2: Moving Exhibits

You are my Sunshine 🎶 ☀️

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