Low Down Articles
Echoes from the Past
Article 20 of 111
This article first appeared in the "Echoes from the Past" column of the The Low Down to Hull and Back News.
Reprinted with permission. Search complete list of Low Down Articles.
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Early Schools
A short while back schooling in Old Chelsea was the subject of one of these "Echoes". This is a piece about other early seats of learning In the southern parts of the Gatineau as identified by James Finlayson Taylor in his famous diary and by Anson Yard in his book "Humours of the Valley".
Taylor mentions both an East School and a West School. The eastern one was opposite St. James Cemetery on the Old Britannia (Aylmer) Road, now, Tache Blvd. The West School is not quite so easy to place, but Taylor's diary locates it on the Hurdman farm, just east of the Deschenes crossroad (corner of present Aylmer and Vanier Roads). Taylor wrote: "It was so cold today that we had to stop in at Olmsteads' before reaching the West Schoolhouse". This would indicate that the old school was further up from Bellevue Cemetery. The West School served as a church on Sundays.
The Tabernacle
Another of the school-cum-churches was the Tabernacle. It was a log building constructed in 1830 by a building bee, and by nightfall the last log was placed and it was ready for the finishing touches. It was situated beside the Mountain Road, just west of the Moffat brothers. This places it west of the corner of the present Vanier and Mountain Roads. Mrs. Alex Moffat furnished both dinner and supper for the "raisers". The supper was accounted especially good - a mountain of pancakes with bowls of maple syrup.
Numbered Schools
In addition to the schools above identified, Anson Yard lists some schools by number. Although Yard states their positioning, I cannot seem to find them on current maps. He says: No: 1 was the "Stewart" on the Aylmer Road, built in the early 1830's. The first school was taken down and rebuilt by a Mr. Smith in 1872. In 1906 he was still waiting to be paid. The excuse given was that the building was not secure and could fall down. As it was still standing after almost 35 years in use the excuse seems to have been invalid.
No. 2 was the "Simmons" school at the corner of the Deschenes (now Vanier) and Fifth Concession Roads. It was built in 1868, burned down and was rebuilt in 1870. The 1870 fire started near the village of Simmons and swept over the mountain getting as far as Ironside on the Gatineau River. This was written up in a previous "Echo".
No. 3 was the "Brick School", located in the Perry Settlement at the corner of the Fifth Concession Road and the side road past the Breckenridge, Maxwell and Ferris farms. The Fifth Concession Road was probably what is now the Pink Road. The three farms mentioned were probably on the Eardley Road as is the small community of Breckenridge.
No. 4 was the "Hooper ‑Wright" school and was situated on the south side of Gamelin Blvd, between what used to be the Mountain Road turn onto Gamelin and the Lac des Fees Promenade. Samuel Benedict Sr. (1744‑1820) established his farm on the Mountain Road corner with Gamelin and Benjamin Hooper Wright (1790‑1851) property was opposite the present C.H.R.O. hospital. Yard wrote that school was built in 1832 by Samuel Benedict Sr. and Hooper Wright. As Samuel Benedict Sr. died in 1820 the conclusion must be that it must have been Samuel Benedict Jr. (1778‑1869). The school was burnt in the early 1850's. In 1848, while it was still standing it was found to be too small, so Benjamin Hooper Wright and some of his sons agreed to build a new one (to replace the one burned down). "Can't afford it" said the School Board. "We'll wait for our pay," said the Wrights. The school was built and they have been waiting ever since for payment ("since" being 1906).
There were three more schools, one a Catholic school near the Simmons post office on Vanier Road and another at Deschenes Village where both English and French were taught. The third was "The Hollow School" on the Mountain Road, at the bottom of Lauriault Hill, in Hollow Glen, hence its name.