http://www.fepl.ca/localhistory/files/original/921203f272a0b19bc02099a3b15b63bb.pdf e5f0fd9eabcfd00333b1e696f7377549 PDF Text Text - ~eittte of'!'<~ MEMORIAL SCHOOL . S. S . NO. 10. BERTIE I RIDGEWAY . ONTARIO BATTLE OF RIDGEWAY SCHOOL - FORMERLY SCHOOL SECTION #10 Researched and written by Margaret E. Teal First records of this school are dated 188?. Miss M. Di~her was the first teacher in 1880 - 1881, Ed Burgoyne taught in ·1885 and Miss Graham was one of the first teachers in 188?. First trustees were E. H. Ellsworth and Isaac Pound. The first Auditor was Michael Miller. Receipts for taxes $652.00 Legislative Grant 16.53 Expenditures 363.00 including $5.00 for repairs to the roof Evidently the damage came about due to blasting from the quarry, when a large rock ca7e through. This rather startling, and frightening event occurred again between 1917 and 1922. That occasion is vividly recollected by at least one pupil of the day - who felt the enormity of the situation, for, as she remarked - had someone been standing up at the front reciting, it could have been far more serious than just a big hole in the roof. ~ !11he record book been mislaid. It is 110th Anniversary of modern structure, on for these earliest days in the life of the school has hoped it may be found before the celebration of the the old red brick schoolhouse, and the present day Saturday, June 6th, 1981, in the schoolhouse. Fortunately notes were taken by this writer of this article in 1967 or 1968 during a class in the Bertie Senior Elementary School in Ridgeway, where she taught a class on Bertie Township History. The guest speaker on one occasion was James Sibbald, and he quoted from this old record book. The earliest record books other than this are dated 1901. In 1903 we find that Charles Reinhart had tried for three years to have a wooden fence erected as a barrier between the boys and girls outhouses, and he finally succeeded. In 1923 Percy Teal repai~ed the fence, the outhouses, and the woodsned to which it was joined, at a charge of $28.00 plus $25.00, both including materials and labour. ~ The teachers salary in 1904 was $300.00 for the year. In 19.J4 the salary was $340.00 for the year. In 1908 we find the signatures of Jesse Finch and A" W. Athoe who were the Auditors. In this same year we find a motion by H. Lee & E. Doan that we drop the idea of the bus question, which had to do with paying the High School bus for the Entrance Class. Auditors in 1914 were Ruben Winger and Clarence Weaver. It was customary to meet just once a year for an annual meeting of theSchool Board, unless somethiI'-g very important came up during the year. Such as the question of the School bus. The Annual Meetings consisted of electing a chairman and secretary, adopting trustees and auditors reports, and electing new trustees, and new auditors for the next year. In 1921 we find a motion by C. Roadhouse, seconded by M. Miller that H. Benner be Sections Auditor. Also moved by R. Winger and seconded by . F. Fretz that M. Athoe ct as auditor. A vote was taken and H. Benner was Elected It was motioned that F. Fretz be trustee, motioned by R. Winger and H. Benner. B. Sherk and B. Weaver motioned thP~ �.Eo Johnston be trustee Ea Johnston and J ~ Litchenberger motioned that Bo Sherk be trusteeo A•ote was taken and F., Fretz was elected At this meeting it was decided to repair the old floor for the present time~ and Nro CeM@ Teal gave an interesting report of his visit to the Trustees Convention held in Torontoo At this meeting Clarence Weaver signed as Chairman and CoMo Taal as Secretary, the latter having acted as Secretary for several year:o.;.. In the early years Jake ReiTu>-iart was Secretary for many years, and reading the reports one can understand why, as his penmanship was excellent., Norley Athoe and Wilson Teal were trustees for many years,, In 1903 $1e52 was paid for scrubbing the floor and approximately $5000 a month for bringing the wood, probably delivering it to the attached woodshed - as usually the boys would have to carry it into the schoolo The old one room schools were heated by a large wood burning stove in the ce~tre of the roomo. It was also used for the hot ·lunch in wintertime; usually consisting of a very large kettle of soup. If the fire burned too high it meant burned or scorched soup for lunch., Some pupils stoically drank the stuff to please the teacher and others, at least where I attended school quietly opened a window and poured it outside" Actually the idea of a hot lunch at noon was ~ great blessing to sudents who had .to walk several miles each day to school through very cold weather, snow and rain,, ti 6 In 1891 we find a report by School Inspector, Isaac Ball on December 3rd: school is in a fair way progressing, pupils seem to be interested in lessons of the dayo Arbor Day in May was a real occasion, according to teacher, J:'L. Disher o Family names mentioned in the early records as serving on the school board are Hanes, Litchenberger, Reinhart, Teal, Sherk, Weaver, Athoes, House, Johnston, Lee, Anmrews, Tom Baxter, Sam Baxter, Doan, Learn, House, Burse Roadhouse, Fretx, Benner, Miller, White, Shisler, Huffman, Fincho Many teachars have carred on the task of educating the offspring of the families in the areao Many are remembered with great affection, and ma~ tales can be related by teacher and pupilo One unfortunate teacher lost his position when the Inspector, Norman Whiteffian caught the children playing croquinole rather than learning their lessons., Back in 1954 and 1955 bubble gum was all the rage and one poor teacher, 1'1ra Earl Plato, had to strap all the girls to make them stop blowing those great big bubbleso The park across the road was a favourite spot to eat lunch in the warm weathero One day, the teacher, Ernie Bowen, a very gentle, kindly person, fell asleep after luncho The children playfully covered him with dry leaveso When he awakened at two o 1 clock, he was very surprise.d and the children were delightec'l to have an extra hour for playingo • ·. · The old, red brick schoolhouse was built in 1870 in the same saltbm~ architectural style as other one-room schools in Bertie Township, of whic~ there were 14~ This schoolhouse replaced an older log schoolhouse on the opposite side of the roado This building was located west of the present day cairn in the Ridgeway Battlefield Park, where a large maple tree now standso Whether the log schoolhouse burned down - a common occurrence in the early days - or whether it was pulled down to erect a larger, more permanent structure is not known,, Why the memebers of the Board decided to build on the opposite side of the road, instead of the original site, which was so much safer (away from the auarr;y) and more -pictu.resauP �• is puzzlingo In 1916, a new flag pole was put up on the location of the former school in honour of a proposed C$lebration on the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Ridgeway, or the Battle of the Fenian Raiders, June 2nd, 18660 Regiment 176 were camped overnight in a field, as told by Bill A~hoe, a rainstorm came up and the soldiers came to his father's home on the Ridge seeking for shelter there, and in other homes nearbyo Next day there was a parade and a ceremony in the park, the latter was interrupted when a second rainstorm came up and blew the new flagpole to the groundo Everyone was drenched and left for home, ending the celebrationo Later on, Dycks from Welland came and blasted a hole in the rock and a new flagpole was put up and is probably still standingo Because of its proximity to this historic site and battle the name of the school was changed in 1954, to the Battle of Ridgeway Schoolo It does seem sad that the Niagara South Board should decide to close such an old and historic school, a. place that means so much to the community and to all o~ the former Bertie Townshipo School days were times of strict discipline, but they were happy days, and the little one-room schools produced a whole generation of good, for the most part, God-fearing citizens, ready to serve their country and their communityo Those who received the strap as punishment never seemed to be bitter, lnowing well that to break the rules, or be impudent, was to be punished severelyo No. 10 school always took first priz-a in the marching and drill parades at the Bertie Fair, held first at the Bertie Townhall grounds, then at tt.c old brick school in Ridgeway, and later at the racetrack in Fort Erieo What an exciting time it was for all the schools in Bertieo Drilling in the schoolyard became a daily practise. Always striving for perfection, 9Tery student tried to do his or her best to win the prize. Competition was keen and excitement high as each school, after being led onto the parade ground by a brass band went through their school drill with much appre.ciatioP rrom the audience of proud parents and friends. Elation or bitter disappointment always followed the announcement by the judges. One school was so small in pupil numbers, that they were told they would never win against the larger schools, who made a much better showing. It is to their everlasting credit that they always kept on trying, regardless, always worked hard to win, hoping, ~~shing to win just once. Many stories are related about the high jinks at school, such as the time a football was being kicked about the schoolroom one morning, prior to the teacher's arrival, and how one swift kick hit the stovepipe and knocked all thrity feet of it down and all full of soot. Another apo•t was riding down the steep quarry on a piece of tin, which came to a sudden end when one girl suffered a severe gash in the leg and walked all the -way home so the teacher would not know. · • No group of students were ever more li~ely nor more given to sibling rivalry than those at No. 10, but along with the fighting and fun they learned their lessons and from their wonderful teachers how to live good lives. We would like to mention all the teachers but much limit our remarks to a few whose families were kind enough to relate something of their activities while taaching at NO. 10. �• Miss Anna Murphy was born .in St. Catharines, of Irish descent. In her twenties she came as a teacher.from 1905-1907. She boarded at Wilson Teals and it was here she met her future husband .. Oscar Teal. She wore a J:1i.ghnecked shirtwaist with gathered sleeves and a gored ankle length tailored skirt, with a wide fabric belt with a rather ornate buckleo Suspended from her neck was a gold watch tucked into a small pocket under her belt. Her lovely red hair was worn high on her head •. Petits in stature, 5'2", she nevertheless cowered before no one, least of all the large older boys who came to school only in the winter. Hidden within her shirtwaist, or belt, she carried a handrr:.1d8 lee·".her strap and never failed to whack a pupil who aroused her anger.. Leaving in 1908, she went to St. Catharines High Schoolo Brilliant in mathematics!' she was a wizard in algebra, trigonometry and geometryo Foliowing her marriage she came to Fort Erie and continued her interest in education by coaching grade 13 students in math and also for those interested in elocution.. She was the first woman ever elected to the Fort Erie School Board. To encourage students to go on to higher educationr for many years she gave two go1d medals to outstanding students. This practise will re continued on by her son Jack :\nd his heirs in her memory. On August 24~ 1959 she was given an award of merit by the Fort Erie Chamber of Conmerce, the only such award ever to be given. Mentally alet and still active she passed away in 1977 at the age of 97. Another outstanding and beloved teacher (1919-1922) was Miss Georgia Burse. She lived with her parents on the Nigh Road, just exactly south of the school. Because she had grown up in the neighbourhood the pupils used . .to walk to school with her and addressed her with her nickname "Toots 1 ~ .. After 9'a time, Lloyd Sherk arose in class one day and snj.d he felt this was undignified, and henceforth anyone addressing her as previously would be fined a penny. The penny fine would go toward the hot lunch fund, however this scheme died aborning, as Lloyd was the first one to break the new rule and so changed his mind. She would allow the firls to take down her beautiful long rei hair and comb and arrange it in the high and elaborate style of the time. After backcombing it, the girls would arr·::>nge it in three rolls, over forms called rats, one roll oh top and two in the back and a small curl at the front on either sideo Her attire was a.n ankle length skirt, often in a fine twill in green and lavender check on whiteo With this she would wear a different shade of organdy shirtwaist to blend w:Lth the skirt. Every year before Christmas she would invite the whole school, sometimes as many as thirtyfive to her home for a sitdcwn dinnero Afterward the Christmas Concert would be put on for her parents, as a dress rehearsale A gift was also given to each pupilo One evening she and a friend, Gladys Cauthard stood in the road when young Eber Cutler was coming along in his sports roadstero He stopped and offered to take them for a spin, which they were hop~ng for, and thus began a romance that ended in G~orgia, named for her father, becoming Eber•s brideo 'Tum of the older girls were asked LO serve at the home weddin? and were very excited and nervous in their new dresses and elaborate hairdos. • Ernie Bowen grew up on the family homestead in a stone house along the North Ridge at Split Rocka He was born in 1889 and died in 1961.. He was a kind and understanding teachero Leaving No. 10 he taught for awhile at No. 13 and then later returrv~d .. �• .l\lbert W. Reavley was another outstanding teacher. He was quite strict but according to Florence Reavley, Nee Teal, a pupil, he was a very nice man. Sher later married his son Frank, who was Chief of Police'· at Crystal Beach for many yearso He was an authority on the Battle of Ridgeway and often told the children stories. He is the author of an article "Personal Experiences in the Fenian Raid~ Welland County Records, Vol. 11, 1926. Through the years changes have come about, in 1945 this school, with No. 5, No. 6, Noo 2 and No. 7 joined together to form the East Bertie School Board. In 1955 this was dissolved with the passing of bill 51 in the Ontario Legislature whereby all School Boards were dissolved and the Bertie Township School Board was formed. Jim Sibblad was chairman of this board and Frank Lejeaune was Secretary-Treasurer of the High School Board. In 1969 the Niagara South Board of Education was formed, which Board will now close this beautiful school built in 1954. In 1956 two more rooms were added. Beside Mr. Sibblad, other members of the East Bertie School Board were Joe Winger, Vic Teal and Ron Noyes. In 1967 Frank Lejeaune was aksed by the Home & School to give a history of the school and was given a beautiful pair of Centennial cuff links. With the closing of the school, will pass an era, which meant a great deal to parents, teachers and pupils who were privileged to live through it~ �~attte ol '7<~ MEMORIAL SCHOOL S . S . NO. 10, BERTIE I RIDGEWA Y. O NTARIO BATTLE OF RIDGEWAY MEMORIAL SCHOOL, RIDGEWAY STAFF LIST 1$80 - 1981 Miss M. E. Disher Ed Burgoyne Miss Graham Anna Murphy Elsie Greason Sol Climenhaga E. N. Phillips A. W. Reavely P. Graham Ernest Bowen Miss Georgia Burse JVIiss Bell Marjorie Kingdon Florence Nicholson Nancy Buchanan Gla~lys Mc Crea Lillian Duke Irene Pietz E o W. Dunning Mrs. W. Winger Mrs. V. Baker M. Eli:Ja.beth Lei:~ch Norma Blackwood David Winger Earl Plato Ila Nigh Claude Sauder Joanne Winger Roy Hardie Wilma Booker Ethel Woehl Abigail (Winger) Sider Fred Disher Brenda Niznik Harold Hampel Marilyn Fretz Frank Savage Andrea Winslow Lois (Benner) Griffiths Tonia Cunningham Marlene Beach Mary Hesser Cathy Haslinger Daryl Bradnam Mrs. M. Ort Jo Anne (Gianfrancesco) Black Sandra (Chiki) Smelsky Rita Thomson Doug Taylor Bruce Green 1$80 and 1891 1885 1887 1907 1908 . 1909 1910 1911 1912 1917 - 1918, 1923, 1930 - 1937 1919- 1922 1923 - 1924 1925 19267 1927, 1929 1937 - 1940 1940 - 1941 1941 - 1943 1943 - 1947 1948 1948 - 1950 1950 1950 1950 - 1951 1951 - 1952 1953 - 1954 1954 - 1956 1955 - 1956 1956 - 1960 1957 - 1964 1958 - 1959 1960 - 1967 1960 - 1972 1964 - 1965 1965 - 1966 1955 - 1978 1966 - 1967 1967 1967 - 1969 1967 - 1974 1969 - 1975 1972 - 1981 1974 - 1975 1974 - 1977 .1975 - 1976 1975 - 1976 1976 - 1979 1977 - 1978 1978 - 1981 1978 - 1981 1979 - 1981 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Louis McDermott Collection Subject The topic of the resource Local history, Fort Erie and surrounding area. Description An account of the resource A collection of historical documents, photos, news clippings, letters, and writings, assembled by local historian, Louis McDermott, and donated to the Fort Erie Public Library. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Louis McDermott Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived FEPL-LH -Louis McDermott Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Included in this collection are writings, historical documents, news clippings, images, maps, and more. They were written and compiled by Louis McDermott into a series of binders. The digital collection has been scanned from these physical copies. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fort Erie Public Library and Louis McDermott Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Battle of Ridgeway Memorial School Historical Overview Description An account of the resource Listed here Is a six page text reflecting upon the history and the many stories that came out of the Battle of Ridgeway Memorial School. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Louis McDermott Collection 1800s 1900s Battle of Ridgeway Louis Mcdermott Collection school schools