By Kelly Burgess, Bruce Peninsula Press
If you have ever watched episodes of “Little House on the Prairie” you will recall the one room schoolhouse with the slate boards (blackboards as we now call them) covered with Miss Beadle’s beautiful cursive writing. An amazing discovery was made recently at the Pike Bay Community Centre when they began renovations. When they removed the current blackboards from the walls, a treasure of original slate boards was found.
The Community Centre, built in 1886 on land donated by Robert McMaster, was originally a one-room schoolhouse. The school board completed Eastnor Township School USS #5 with an attached shed for outhouses and shelter for the teacher’s horse. It is hard to believe that in 1964 the building was sold for only $500 to be used as a centre within the Pike Bay Community.
It was discovered by the Pike Bay Community Association (PBCA) (established in 1947) when applying for a grant that the purchase of the building was never filed with the province and therefore they do not actually own it. They have hired a lawyer to verify and confirm ownership and also become incorporated so they can apply for a wider range of grants.
The building was in need of some renovations in order to continue to house the many activities that the PBCA provides to the community. Within the past several years they have put on a new steel roof, updated the siding, upgraded the septic system, capped the well and built a new entry and deck. However, the interior of the building still needed some work in order to be functional for PBCA events.
A Breathtaking Discovery
After some successful online auctions, community donations, grants from the Municipality and a Trillium Mutual Insurance Roots Grant for $10,000, the PBCA was able to begin some much needed renovations. “The PBCA is very grateful to the community for supporting us and our ongoing fundraising efforts. We had a very generous anonymous donation of $5,000 towards our priority electrical inspection and follow up work”, explained Debbie Dover, President of the PBCA.
It was when they began the renovation to move the electrical panel from the outside shed to the inside cupboard that they discovered the slate boards with pristine cursive written lessons by the teacher still intact. “They were probably imported by paddlewheel up the Great Lakes from Vermont and are similar to those in a school in Southampton, according the members of the Bruce County Historical Society,” Dover explained.
Since it is too difficult to take down the boards without damaging them, they are going to cover them up again with the outer boards to preserve them. Dover explained their additional plans, “We have taken photos of the boards. These will be printed and framed for display in the main hall as a tribute to the building’s journey.”
A Work in Progress
With the expertise of staff from Steve Tackaberry Electrical and Jim McNair Construction, it is hoped that the building will be able to be put back into use by the May long weekend. The major projects of updating the electrical, repairing the washrooms, updating the water system (including a new UV purification system) will complete phase one. The next phase will consist of replacing carpet with vinyl, replacing windows and doors and installing a wall-mounted unit to remove moisture.
They PBCA hopes to finally open back up in the spring with many activities including euchres, Tai Chi, creative and education workshops, meetings, fundraising activities and according to Dover, “Whatever else we can fit in!”
With significant growth in the Pike Bay area over the past few years, membership now consists of over 200 households. If you would like to learn of upcoming events visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PikeBayCommunityAssociation/about/?ref=page_internal
