Churchville Public School

Joan Reid (1932-2012) was a teacher at T.L. Kennedy S.S. and later Head of the History Department at  Applewood S.S. in Mississauga. In the last decade of her life she devoted countless hours to documenting and telling the stories of the many one-room school houses that once dotted the map of Peel County. In her retirement she became involved in the Friends of the Schoolhouse; a group of volunteers dedicate to the preservation of the Old Britannia Schoolhouse.
Joan's legacy as a local historian lives on in her wonderful book, Echoes of the Past: the Rural One Room Schools of Peel County, which she had almost completed by the time of her death. The book was completed and published through the efforts of the Friends of the Schoolhouse. 

Joan's research into the history of Churchville Public School played an important role in the development of this article.  We are grateful to Joan for the tireless work that she put into preserving the history of the school. You can read her work yourself by appointment at the Peel Archives, Museum and Art Gallery.

     The earliest references to a school in Churchville happened in 1828, when the young community was only about six years old. The first teacher was Andrew Neelands, a member of the Beatty Group of Methodist pioneers who first settled the area of northern Toronto Township. He is buried in the Churchville Cemetery, along with many other members of the Neelands family. Andrew taught in the village for three years, though it is unclear where the first school would have been located, or if there indeed was one. In early settlements the school often met in a local barn, or even in the teacher's own home. As the local Methodist Episcopal congregation was meeting at this time in Church's Mill, it seems likely that there was no building yet available in the village for large groups to gather. Erastus Wiman Jr., well known businessman and author, attended the school in these years.

       On January 9th, 1847, The Streetsville Review mentions that there are two schools in the village: a common school and one all-female school. This second school was Mrs. Spence's School, which is covered in a seperate article. 

       The first mention of a wooden frame building being used as a school in the village appeared in the 1851 census. It served about 70 students. The teachers were Mr. Samuel J. True (sometimes written as Sam Thrue, or Trueman) who was 26 and single, and a Miss Corler. Mr. True was Irish and, like most of the residents of the young community, a Methodist.  John Marchment, who was a young student in the village in 1853, recalled having a teacher named Mr. Vicar, and that the school was located at the far end of the village. It is possible that the school at this time stood on the site where the white frame church building stands now. Like most 19th century rural schools, attendance was spotty during the warmer planting and harvesting months, but increased dramatically when the cold weather arrived. Marchment recalled that many local adults attended the school during the winter months. 

          An article in the Brampton Times in April, 1868 reported that the school teacher, Miss Miller, had held public examinations for students and a number of prizes were awarded. Parents were commended for attending, though the article was critical of the trustees. Only one trustee, Mr. Sharpe, was in attendance. 

         At some point in the early 1870s, the trustees made the decision to move the school to the most northern part of the village, next to the river on the flats, where the original Lower Road, or Mill Road, intersected with Baseline / Steeles Avenue. At this time there was no bridge across the Credit River on Baseline. There was a "sideways T" shaped intersection, leading west, north and south. On September 2nd, 1874, the Trustees purchased 3/4 of an acre at the northwest corner of George Murray's property for $130.00. George Murray owned much of the flats at that time and lived in the beautiful home at 7895 Creditview Road. This may seem at first to be a strange decision, as it made traveling to school inconvenient for almost everyone in the village; particularly for those living south of Hallstone Road. It is possible that the trustees had worked out an informal agreement with the residents of School Section No. 21 Chinguacousy Township (north of Baseline / Steeles Avenue) and chose a situation that served both communities.  Skipping ahead to 1888, this arrangement was eventually formalized and Churchville Public School officially became United School Section Chinguacousy Township No. 21 and Toronto Township No. 14.

       The nearness of the new school to the Credit River was always a concern. In March 1878 a ceremony was held in the village Temperance Hall (which stood behind the church) in honour of Thomas Reeve. He had recently saved the life of Matthais Ingram's son, who had fallen into the water. Thomas was presented a bible as a reward by his teacher, William P. McClure. Later in life, Thomas Reeve served as president of the Churchville Cemetery Board of Trustees.

        In that era, teachers didn't seem to stay in one place for very long. Mr. McClure left the school in December of 1878 to take on teaching duties at S.S. No. 12 (Britannia Public School). The Churchville community must have been especially fond of him. At the school Christmas Concert he was presented with a new writing desk as a going away gift and received the praise of the students and parents in attendance. 

        In 1881 the trustees agreed to build an entirely new schoolhouse on the site along Baseline / Steeles Avenue. Many years later, Louise Turpin (nee Letty) recalled the experience of walking along the banks of the river, through the flats, to the brand new school that year. Indeed, the path across from the Mansers and up through the flats was still being used by students who lived south of the river in the 1960s, when the school eventually closed. Louise recalled that many students were transported to school by sleigh, and that children always had to be wary of running into wild animals along the way. The school was heated by a single stove. Students were responsible for carrying in the wood and keeping the fire going through the colder days. In the summer time, students often fished in the nearby river at lunch. In the winter they would skate on it. 

         In November 1884, Mr. McPhail announced that he was leaving the school to take over teaching duties at Meadowvale P.S. The following month the trustees announced that they had hired a Miss McKenzie to replace him. The next May was noted for two things that occurred at the school: an unusually high number of students in the village were taking ill (this was attributed to the unusually cold weather that year), and the Miss McKenzie had made good use of a holiday that had been decreed by the Minister of Education and had planted trees and gardens around the new property. 

        September 1885 saw the school population increase to the point that a second teacher was hired on for the first time since the 1850s. Economic optimism may have stemmed from the CPR having recently taken control of the Credit Valley Railway, which had a stop just outside of Churchville. However, on April 16th the following year, the Brampton Conservator noted that school attendance had dropped significantly because the road to the school was so muddy as to be impassable. They recommended the construction of a sidewalk, though this was never built.

        As was mentioned previously, the relationship between School Sections 14 (Toronto Township) and 21 (Chinguacousy) was formalized in 1888, and the trustees met to discuss the state of the school. It was agreed to build a brand new building on the site, and in May a contractor was hired. At that time the population of the village was only about 170, well into its long years of economic decline. In 1894 the teacher, Mr. R.G. Agnew, was highly regarded by the community.

        Between 1897 and 1899 Miss Emma McClure took over teaching duties at the school. She received a salary of $290 for her first two years and $300 in her final year. In his 1899 annual report for the state of schools, Allan Embury, the Public School Inspector for Peel County, states that the schools in Toronto Township are generally well-kept, but still expressed concern about how close Churchville P.S. is located to the Credit River. Miss McClure left Churchville Public School in 1899 to attend Ottawa Normal School, and was replaced by M.C. Hollis. Remarkably, Miss McClure came back to visit Churchville Public School for a community event in 1955. 

        The population of the village reached its lowest levels in the early 1900s, and at one point it was reported that there were barely 50 people still living in the vicinity. Records for the 1910s and 1920s are scarce, though it is known that a Miss Ethel McCauley was the teacher between 1912 and 1913. M.S. George was the teacher in 1917.  In 1912 the Township approved a new design for the Lower Road, which would run on the west side of the river up to Baseline / Steeles Avenue. This is the current route of Creditview Road northwest of the bridge. As a result, the school was no longer located at a north-south intersection, and the awkward jog in Creditview Road at Steeles was created. 

       Among the many teachers who served the students of Churchville, Miss Nesbitt stands out for her commitment to bettering the community. She led projects to beautify the property, she connected with the Community League for local projects (especially celebrations and shows), she sent regular updates about student achievements to local papers and led successful school teams at the Brampton School Fairs. In March of her final year, a serious epidemic of measles passed through the school was closed for the duration. In June 1922 the community, under the leadership of trustee W. Turpin, organized a going-away party for her. She received a box of carnations and an umbrella as gifts of appreciation. Miss Nebitt raised the profile of the school considerably, and over 30 teachers applied to take over on her departure. The position ultimately went to Miss Evelyn Edwards, who took over the following September. 

       On September 19th of that year, the school custodian (also a student!) Harry Marchment badly fractured his arm while playing ball outside. The other students took over his duties during his recovery. Harry was treated by Dr. Heggie, whose name appears in so many stories about the history of Brampton.

         In 1928 it was reported that the bridge crossing the river north of Baseline (Steeles) had fallen into such disrepair as to be impassable, forcing the students living in the north School Section to cross the river all the way down in the village. It made for more than a two-mile walk to school. Residents of the School Section petitioned both the Chinguacousy and Toronto Township councils to have it repaired. In 1930 chemical toilets replaced the old-fashioned outhouses. 

        Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Churchville Public School was still an “ungraded rural school”. There is not much information available about the goings on at the school during the Second World War, though V.E. Day was celebrated at the school. School Fairs in Brampton ended during this period and were never revived. Schools filled the gap by participating in local Fall Fairs, like those in Brampton, Streetsville and Cooksville. 

        There were serious health concerns in the village during the 1930s. An outbreak of Infantile Paralysis, or Polio, broke out in the village in September 1937, forcing the school to close. The following May, another serious outbreak of measles gripped Churchville and forced the school to close again. 

         In 1950 the trustees voted to install ventilators in the windows and an electric fan. The following year a phone was installed (that could not receive calls, only make outgoing ones). At that time in 1951 the school was overpopulated, squeezing 46 students into its single room. It was decided that a second classroom was required, and the trustees approved the construction of a new room with oil heat, flushing toilets, drinking fountains and new electrical work. Bruce Laidlaw was hired to install the new septic tank for the school. 

          In 1952 the school received some aesthetic improvements, as the grounds were graded and cleaned up and the school was painted. Mrs. Leon took over the teaching of the senior students, in the original, older classroom, and the trustees hired Miss N. Epp to teach the junior students in the new room. Also in that same year, the school choir took first place in its category at the Peel Music Festival, under the direction of the school music instructor, Mr. Campbell.

         In 1953 the trustees approved the construction of a storeroom and new shelves for the school library. The following year the trustees purchased an acre of land on the flats in order to expand the property. Spring of 1954 was a terrible time for flooding in the village, and Hurricane Hazel struck that Autumn. There is no mention of how this impacted the school, though its location along the banks of the river would seem to guarantee that these events had a major impact on it. 

       The school population kept on growing, and in March, 1955, 85 students attended the school regularly. That June a newly-formed Home & School Association was formed for the first time. Mrs. Kee was elected the first president. By September there were 93 students in attendance, and a third classroom, plus a furnace room and teachers' room were built and opened by that December. This new expansion cost $24,000. Suddenly the school required a staff to operate, and four new teachers were hired to take over the running of the building: Mr. Hank Hurson, Miss Joyce Madden, Miss Carol Holgate and D. Baughman. Mr. Hurson, an officer with the Toronto Scottish Regiment, became principal in this new configuration.

          The population of the school in 1957 was 92 students, and the teachers that year were Mr. Hurson, Miss Madden, L.K. Murray and D. Bush. In 1958 the teachers were Mr. Hurson, Marilyn Duncan, Helen Oksanen and Betty Axeman. That year a boy was suspended for six days for bringing a revolver to school. 

          At 11:15 AM on February 20th, 1959, Churchville Public School’s fate was sealed. Prime Minister Diefenbaker announced to Parliament that the AVRO Arrow project was canceled. This unexpected decision pulled the rug out from under many communities in Ontario, but most particularly those in northern Toronto Township where A.V. Roe employed a significant amount of the population. It is estimated that 16,000 direct and indirectly-connected  jobs may have disappeared. Older residents who lived in the village during this awful time have said that up to 50% of the village population was left unemployed. This set in motion an exodus from Churchville and the surrounding areas, in a similar vein to when the local Mormon population left to the U.S. in the 1830s, to when the Crimean War ended in the 1850s, when the GTR bypassed the village in the 1855 and when Brampton was named County Seat in 1867.