This ongoing series from Barrie Historical Archive curator Deb Exel shows old photos from the collection and one from the present day, as well as the story behind them.
S.S. No. 4, Craighurst
S.S. No. 4 sits near the corner of County Road 93 and Horseshoe Valley Road at the heart of what was once a thriving early settlement.
It was originally known as Morrison’s Corners, named for innkeeper James Morrison, who owned a hotel, the Ordinance Arms, sometimes referred to as the British Arms, on Penetanguishene Road (County Road 93). Pioneers began to arrive in the area about 1819. About 1834, Morrison’s Corners was renamed Flos (like in the township), the name said to be derived from one of Lady Sarah Maitland’s three lap dogs, according to local lore. Sarah was the wife of Peregrine Maitland, lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada from 1818 to 1828.
The village was renamed again in 1858, for the first postmaster, John Craig. Along with operating the post office from 1840, Craig served as justice of the peace, magistrate of the Fifth Division Court and warden of the county in 1857.
The small community grew and prospered over time, with several sawmills, a blacksmith, a store, hotels, churches, stockyards, a grain elevator and, eventually, the railway stopped in the village.
These families settling in Craighurst needed education for their children and, in 1844, the first school was built, just east of the village, on land donated by John Craig. School Section 4 served four townships — Oro, Vespra, Flos and Medonte — and covered about 15.5 square kilometres.
Thomas Williams, the first teacher in the 22-by-22-foot log building, went on to become a minister and missionary of the Methodist Church.
By 1851, the school was still a crude one-room building with no outhouse or playground. Records indicate the teacher at that time, John Johnstone, holder of a second-class certificate, was employed by the school at the lofty salary of 20 pounds. Although registration listed 80 school-age children in S.S. No. 4, the class roll showed only 32. Eighteen of the children were from Oro and two were older than 16.
A second school was built in the 1850s, near the early log structure. The new school was said to resemble a barn, not surprisingly, as it was constructed like a barn, using 12-by-12-inch barn timbers. Situations at that time were still quite humble. Patrick Donoghue, the school teacher in 1855, was known to cut a hole in the ice on Morrison’s Creek if he needed to bathe in the winter. In 1867, S.S. No. 4 was divided, creating a new S.S. No. 14 near the village of Coulson, east of Craighurst.
In 1886, the school board applied to township council for funding to purchase a larger lot and build a new school. The new brick school opened that same year, with Edward Palk as principal and Carrie Caston as the assistant.
Edward was one of nine children born to Samuel Palk and his wife. The Palks came to Canada from England in 1860, settling in Oro. The entire family was well educated. The Palk children walked nearly five kilometres to attend high school in Barrie.
Some of Edward’s siblings became teachers as well. Carrie was the granddaughter of 19th-century house builder Aaron Caston. Caston, previously a naval officer from Suffolk, England, brought his family to Canada in 1825, travelling up Penetanguishene Road and settling in Craighurst. It’s said he once received a cow as payment for building a home for one of the Drurys. Both of these young teachers were second-class certificate holders with a combined salary of $850.
The barn-style school building, no longer needed, was sold for $14 and hauled away with the help of a capstan and team of horses. Like many old schools, it was converted to a residence.
This third schoolhouse flourished. In 1936, agriculture was added to the curriculum, leading to the planting of trees on the property and an impressive school garden. Just in time for the coronation of King George VI on May 12, 1937, a flag pole was erected at the school and a new flag was raised. Electric lights were installed in the senior room of the school the following year, 1938. In 1939, the Junior Red Cross formed and would later make a significant war effort during the Second World War.
The school’s current stucco cladding was added sometime after 1949.
Students continued to attend S.S. No. 4 until 1963, when it was closed. This well-remembered country school house, later an artist’s studio for a period of time, now stands empty.
