HomeMy WebLinkAboutX2023-013-041BASELINE
SCHOOL
1854 — j?eorteapzeae — 1954
Photo by W. Murkar
HISTORY OF BASE LINE SCHOOL
Although school record- lio w that the present Base Line School
was built, in 1852, the <,t t lenient of the area began in the early
1800's. Pupils walked frotu Simcoe Point and Pickering Village to
a school on the Brock Road just north of Kingston Road. This
building was also used by the congregation of the Disciples as their
church. A frame school, traces of which have long since disappeared,
stood on the Brock Road south of the present railway right-of-way.
on what is now the Sleep farm. It is possible that the coming of the
railway in the early 1850's encouraged the trustees to locate their
new brick school a little farther from the railway line, at"the exact
centre of the school section. t
This brick school was renovated in 1938 when the brick walls
were entirely rebuilt and stuccoed, and the old Gothic windows
replaced by the present square -topped ones. In 1953 a second class-
room was added and new heating, lighting and water systems were
installed.
After the school had been established on the present site, addi-
tional parcels of land were added in 1858, 1873 and 1952 to bring
the playground up to its present size.
The first inspector or superintendent of schools for the township
was Mr. Geo. Barclay, who reported in 1844 that Pickering had 15
school districts with 893 school pupils and that there were 1,703
children in the Township. In that year the government grant was
R.39.6.3 and the school tax realized £ 364.11.10.
Early teachers were Mr. J. W. Palmer, who taught in 1846,
Mr. J. D. O'Sullivan, 1849, and Mr. B. Bunting, who received £ 50
for his services in 1851-52. From that day to this there has been a
succession of teachers who remained for shorter or longer periods.
The present teachers, Mrs. T. Hartford and Mrs. M. Squires, have
staffed the school now for three and seven years respectively.
In earliest times the teacher was paid by his pupils and
"boarded round" with district families. Blackboards and other
equipment were absent and teacher and pupils sat before the roar-
ing log fire in winter or did "sums" on a desk constructed by driving
pegs between the logs and laying the plank across them. Schooling
became "free" in 1871 at which time trustees were compelled to
provide adequate accommodation and the first County School In-
spector, Mr. McBrien, was appointed.
The passage of a township By-law in 1954 to form a school area
composed of present school sections which lie along the lakefront
between Ajax and the Scarborough Town Line will see the dis-
appearance of old S.S. No. 2, Pickering. Within its boundaries at
Frenchman's Bay the school in Ontario was conducted by two
Sulpician Fathers for the Indians in the area, in 1669-1670. In its
one hundred and two years of formal existence, S.S. 2 has provided
continuous educational facilities for all the pupils in the section,
both at our Base Line School and the "Bay" School built ih 1950.
PROGRAMME
10:00 A.M.—Sports
MORNING
•
AFTERNOON
2:00 Y.M.—Official Opening (Chairman Mr. McCay)
Dedication of the Flag and Flag Raising
Speaker: Mr. Gregory Clark,
Introduced by Mr. W. Murkar
Greetings
Song ... The School Children
O, Canada
3:30 P.M. —Moving Pictures
5:00 P.M. —Lunch
Games
Renewing Old Acquaintances
8:00 P.M. —Variety Show
9:00 P.M. —Dancing
10:00 P.M. —Fireworks
Community Singing
11:45 P.M. —Closing
Page 2 Page 3
Compliments of
THE PICKERING NEWS
Telephone 192W
ARTHUR MITCHELL LIMITED
Fuels and Building Supplies
Phone 74 and 75 Pickering
LAURIE'S GROCERY
Gasoline and Oils
Brock Road and No. 2 Highway Pickering
LAW MOTOR SALES
New and Used Cars
Towing and Repairs — Goodyear Tires
Phone 29W Pickering
Ai-cFR Pftrss LTD. 8 ❑sr{AWA, ❑NT.