Settlers went to great lengths for schooling

 In Opinion

Stories abound coming down from our early settlers about the craving for an education, at least the ability to read and write and do a little arithmetic. They had been denied access to it England, Ireland and Scotland which is where practically all of the first people in this area came from. A quote from a Nottawasaga history, 1934, confirms this. Mr. Edward Coyle told how, “he had gotten some schooling after his family moved to Sunnidale Township by walking four miles through the forest to the Separate School on the fourth line of Nottawsaga.”
By piecing together information from Wikipedia, articles from Has the Bell Rung Yet by me, Helen Hargrave, and Agnes (Giffen) Douglas’s research in The Dowling Family History we have the story of the first separate school for the Irish Catholic settlement on the hill north of Creemore.
These early settlers, after they had built themselves homes and barns, cleared some land and established agriculture, turned their thoughts to building a school for their children. Property was obtained, a 40- by 30-foot parcel on Lot 13, Concession 5 on the very north-eastern corner. The deed is dated Oct. 28, 1848. The school was a log structure and heated by a fireplace.
The story about the building of the school is no doubt similar to the story of Creemore’s first school built on the other side of the valley which the Irish Catholics could see looking towards the south. In my imagination I see some of these Irish Catholics meeting the Protestants in early Creemore and talking about their school. The idea spread and in an article written by F. E. Webster in The Creemore Star, 1936, re the school built on the fourth line south of Creemore.
Mr. Webster wrote, “These early settlers felt it was their plain duty to make some provision to have their boys and girls taught at least primary education… The old spirit of co-operation still prevailed amongst these brave men. They got together and settled the problem by all turning out and with the help of a team of oxen and sharp axes they built a log school in one day. Within a short time a fireplace was built to keep the children warm in winter, and the other provisions provided… This all happened before a school section was organized in the Township of Nottawasaga.”
The first separate school also provided reading, writing and arithmetic. One of the first teachers was Mr. J. Gribbon reputed to be a very religious man. Another teacher was Miss Bolster. She was a daughter of Mr. Bolster who ran the first store and post office on the north side of the river. It was in the duplex at the south-east corner of Mill and Edward Streets, recently torn down to make room for the Creemore Springs expansion. Miss Bolster later became the wife of Dr. Dack, an early physician in Creemore.
The first public school on the hill north of Creemore was built on Lot 13, Concession 4. However when a new school was built it was on the north-western corner of Lot 12, the site where today we see the brick school now turned into a residence.
By 1854 the Township of Nottawasaga was given authority by the provincial government to support public schools and provide some funds from taxes. Previously the schools operated by fees provided by the families, often in the way of wood for heating.
The first separate school belonging to the Irish Catholic settlement was closed in 1865 and the children all attended the public school. This remained the situation even after Confederation when Canada’s constitution provided for the provision of separate schools wherever there were Catholics in the population.
Mrs. F. Giffen tells what happened when the Catholics joined the Protestants in one school. “There was great rivalry in those days between the Scotch and the Irish. Good natured though they were (comment by H.B. I believe the feelings were not quite so good natured, given the attitudes of the time.) They both loved a bit of a scuffle, so let it come the 12th of July or St. Patrick’s Day the fists were flying, if nothing more than to add a little colour to an otherwise dull day, or just to let the other fellow know that the old grudge was still smouldering.”
Now, of course, the children from the hills around Creemore come by bus to Nottawasaga and Creemore Public School and concern themselves with other matters other than religious denomination.

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