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Museum Musings
are an attempt to keep Texadans up to date on what is happening with
the museum including current plans, new acquisitions and snippets of
island history illustrated with photographs if possible.
The musings are
published in the Express Lines, Texada’s Calendar Of Events, which is
distributed monthly by the Texada Island Community Society. Space is
very restricted hence the abbreviated nature of these reports.
The author would
appreciate receiving comments or information on any matter covered
here.
HISTORIC SCHOOL EXHIBIT OPENS AT MUSEUM
Saturday, January 26 (1Oam - 2pm) All Welcome
If anyone has ever reminisced about the old one-room school
house, our Texada Museum's newest display will bring those
days to life! Thanks to Dave and Brenda Rairie, our former
storage rooms have been transformed into a vintage classroom
with attached teacherage.
Are you old enough to remember the flip-seat desks? coal oil
lamps? pot-bellied heater? firewood box? the Union Jack?
inkwells? Dick and Jane?
The first school built on Texada was in Van Anda (1904) at
the end of Copper Queen Street (later, Elks Hall). The
students were responsible for cleaning and maintaining the
one-room school, hauling in firewood and bucketing pails of
water up the trail from the creek below.
Winter mornings were often frigid with the inkwells freezing
overnight. The entire class would huddle next to the
woodstove for the first lesson.
ln Blubber Bay the original one-room school burned down but
was replaced by one of an even
grander design, complete with bell tower! The brass bell,
obtained from the Empress of Japan in 1922, summoned the
students to class twice a day.
On Central (High) Road the McElroys provided land for the
Gillies Bay District School (1910-1928). The community-built
log cabin served the area's farm children. Many old-timers
recall getting to school by horse and sleigh on snowbound
days.
The Marshall School (see photo) at Paxton Road (1913-1924)
opened with 7 children attending, mostly from the Paxton
Mine community and farms nearby.
The first Gillies Bay (beach) school started as a one-room
school for logging families at Davie Bay and was barged
northward onto the present site in 1952. An attached
teacherage provided accommodation.
ln rural areas teachers were often single young women,
sometimes in their first job, restricted by community
expectations and severe school board rules. The new museum
teacherage evokes the life of a rural teacher. We see her
neatly-made bed, washbowl set, her books and diary at
bedside.
Our new exhibit opens for inaugural viewing on January 26
(10am-2pm). Thanks again to Brenda and Dave for their
creative efforts and hard work in bringing this era to life!
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Musings Archive Page
2019:
January
2018:
January
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May
June
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2017:
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