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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

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

12/13/2024

S.S. No.1 Wolfe Island- Simcoe Island

For many years, there was no school on Simcoe Island. Some historians suggest that there may have been an informal school located in the cheese factory, but the dates of operation for this school are unknown. Prior to the establishment of a school on Simcoe Island, young scholars crossed the channel to Wolfe Island everyday to attend S.S. No. 2 Old Survey (est. pre-1840). In 1860, Old Survey School was converted into a Separate (Catholic) school and redesignated as S.S.S. No. 2 Front Road. There were several more unsuccessful attempts to establish a school on Simcoe Island. The owner of Simcoe Island, William Garratt, unsuccessfully tried to form a school section several times in the 1850s. It was not until 1885 that a school was established on the island. Miss Michea was the first teacher employed in the frame schoolhouse. In addition to their academics, students enjoyed attending school fairs on Wolfe Island. Several improvements were made to the school in the 1930s, including the installation of a new stove and chimney. A tree was also planted in memory of King George V. Simcoe Island School was remodeled in 1955. The current status of this school is unknown. A new facility was constructed for the students on Simcoe Island in 1976. It was only open for five years before it closed in 1981. The remaining students were transferred to Marysville Public School on Wolfe Island.

12/13/2024

The Museum will be closed today, Friday 13 December, for school programming. We will reopen on Monday 16 December at 10 AM.

12/10/2024

The Christmas concert was a major event on the calendar of one-room schools, as well as the community. Students would not only perform for their teacher, friends, and families, they would also perform for the local school trustees. Community was a large part of life in a one-room school and the concert was just one small part of it.

12/07/2024

Victorian Christmas returns to the FCSM this afternoon, 7 December 2024 from 1-4 PM. We will decorate the tree in the Museum yard as well have vintage games, crafts, and a glass slide show. We hope to see you there!

12/06/2024

S.S. No.10 Storrington- Milburn
The first Milburn School was located on Milburn Road overlooking the creek. It is unknown when this school was constructed. The building simultaneously served as a schoolhouse, telegraph and post office. The second Milburn School was constructed in 1865, and the old school building was moved to a farm where it became a henhouse. The new Milburn School was a frame building constructed by Hugh McConnell, Thomas Sands, and George Sands on land deeded to the trustees by Captain Clark Hamilton. The first teacher at the new Milburn School was Christina Lynn (later Mrs. George Sleeth). Several improvements were made to the school in the early twentieth century, including the installation of a bell and belfry in 1900, the drilling of a well in 1929, and the replacement of the old woodshed in 1935. Milburn School closed in 1965 and the students were transferred to Storrington Public School. The school is now a private dwelling.

12/04/2024

The Museum will be closed today, Wednesday 4 December, and tomorrow, Thursday 5 December, for school programming. We will reopen on Friday 6 December at 10AM.

12/03/2024

The mission of the FCSM is to deepen understanding of how education and life intersect in Ontario’s past.

Our vision is to inspire the community by fostering connections and encouraging reflection on the social history of Ontario through the lens of rural schools.

In order to do this, we need your help! This Giving Tuesday, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the FCSM to support our work.

Donate now at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/7507

11/29/2024

School Spotlight

S.S. No.2 Olden- Long Lake
Prior to the creation of S.S. No. 2, children in this area attended school informally in an old log schoolhouse called Mossman’s School. When the school section was officially formed in the late-1860s or early-1870s, many ratepayers felt that Mossman’s School was too far away for many of the children in the area. Ultimately, the Cronk family donated land in a more central location. Rather than build a new school, Mossman’s School was dismantled and reconstructed on the new site, much to the dismay of those who lived near the former location. Unfortunately, the school records prior to 1880 were destroyed in a fire. However, the log book reveals that Carrie Nicholson was one of the first teachers in the newly relocated school. She earned a salary of $76.50 per year. Nicholson taught in a classroom with four rows of desks and additional bench seating along the walls. When school was not in session, the building served as a community meeting place and a church. In 1899, a new frame school was constructed for $500. Over the course of the early-twentieth century, improvements were made to the school, including the digging of a well in 1923 and the er****on of a fence in 1931. Long Lake School closed in the late-1960s and it is still standing as a private residence.

11/28/2024

We are excited to announce the return of Victorian Christmas to the FCSM on 7 December 2024 from 1-4 PM. This year we will be decorating the tree in the Museum yard as well setting up vintage games, crafts, and a glass slide show.

11/22/2024

School Spotlight
S.S. No.4 Storrington- Cedar Lake

Cedar Lake School is one of the oldest schools in Storrington Township still standing. Constructed in 1849, several improvements have been made to the stone schoolhouse since it was built, including the raising of the roof several feet in 1892, the digging of the first well in 1918, and the installation of electric lights in 1939. Cedar Lake School had very high numbers of enrollment. In 1876, Miss Orser taught 78 children varying in ages from 5 to 16. However, attendance in early schools was often erratic and very seldom were all students present at one time. By the school's one-hundredth anniversary in 1949, school attendance had dwindled to 23. The school closed in 1966, and the students were transferred to the new Storrington Public School. The school was slated for demolition, but it was saved and turned into a private dwelling.

11/20/2024

The Museum has many photos of one-room schools in our collection that are unidentified. We are asking for your help to identify some of these photos. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome!

11/15/2024

School Spotlight S.S.S. No.1 Howe Island- St. Mary’s
In 1894-1895, two separate schools were constructed on Howe Island: S.S.S. No. 1-St. Mary’s and S.S.S. No. 3-St. Patrick’s. Located on the north shore of the island, St. Mary’s School likely replaced two earlier unnamed common (public) schools. St. Mary’s School was a frame building with a limestone foundation. It was equipped with a wood burning stove. In 1939, the Union Separate School Board of Howe Island was established on the recommendation of the School Inspector C.P. Mathews. The new board united all the separate schools on the island and centralized their administration. St. Mary’s School was the longest operating school on Howe Island. As the other separate schools closed, the remaining students were transferred to St. Mary’s, including the junior students (grades 1-6) from S.S.S. No. 2 St. Joseph’s in 1964 and the students from S.S.S. No. 3 St. Patrick’s in 1969. Around this time, St. Mary’s School was remodeled and divided into two rooms with a cloakroom and washroom. In 1976, only nineteen students were enrolled at St. Mary’s School. That spring, the Frontenac-Lennox and Addington County Roman Catholic Separate School Board announced their intention to close St. Mary’s School in September 1976. This decision was met with widespread opposition from Howe Islanders. In response, parents formed the Howe Island Save the School Committee and petitioned the board to keep the school open. The board agreed to table the closure of the school until Spring 1977. Ultimately, the school was closed by 1980 and the former schoolhouse was converted into a fire hall. The former schoolhouse is now a private residence.

11/11/2024

Remembrance Day- The Roll of Honour of Ontario Teachers
“The Roll of Honour of the Ontario Teachers Who Served in the Great War 1914-1918” was published in 1922 to commemorate the service of Ontario teachers and the role of schools in the War effort. A total of 848 Ontario teachers served in World War I. Of these, 101 paid the ultimate sacrifice, and 210 were wounded.

11/10/2024

Remembrance Week- the Marnee Trophy
During WWI, local students were taught military drills. Drill was often explained as an effective way to teach obedience, discipline, and respect for law and order. Schools competed in annual drill competitions, and the winning school received the Marnee Trophy, named after the Chair of the Board of Education. Over the course of WWI, the trophy was won by Kingston Collegiate Institute (1914, 1916), Macdonald School (1915), and Victoria School (1917-19).

11/09/2024

Remembrance Week- The Great War in Verse and Prose

Poetry has been a significant contributor to the collective cultural memory of World War I. It was a way for soldiers to capture emotions in events that were often otherwise difficult to describe. The publication of the book “The Great War in Verse and Prose” exemplified the importance placed on soldiers’ memories and experiences when teaching students about the War as it occurred.

11/08/2024

School Spotlight- S.S. No.1 Clarendon & Miller- Ardoch (Swamp Creek)
For Remembrance Week, today's School Spotlight has a connection to the Second World War.

11/07/2024

Remembrance Week- The Children’s Story of the War.

The Children’s Story of the War was a series of military readers introduced in 1914, to keep children apprised of ongoing events in World War I. Stories in each booklet included themes like heroics and duty to the empire. Many provinces made these books part of the curricula.

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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