Frontenac County Schools Museum

St. George’s Parochial School House opened in January as a Common Public School and was not actually run by the Church of England. The school eventually became known as the Queen Street School. The building had living quarters on the ground floor likely for the headmaster but the board also rented the space to teachers of the school over the years. The salaries of the male teachers ranged from £85-100 per year and £55-70 per year for female teachers. The original building was partially destroyed by a fire in 1863 and a new school was built on the same site in 1864. The new school was designed by architect William Coverdale and built by contractors George Newlands and Andrew Davidson. When the school reopened there were 426 pupils enrolled at the beginning of the school year. The front yard of the school featured a water pump covered by a lattice shelter due to no waterworks system existing in that part of the city until 1881. Queen Street School came to a close in 1896 with the opening of the New Frontenac School due to “never being entirely satisfactory,” partly due to poor ventilation. The property was sold in 1900 to J.B. McKay for $1200 to be used as the Kingston Business College. The building is still standing and is now used as the Something Special Daycare.

This is an 1875 report written and submitted by William G. Kidd, the Principal of Wellington St. School. The report details the attendance of teachers from mid-October to mid-November with the times teachers entered and left the school each day. The report also records the numbers of minutes late, how many times each teacher was late and the number of absences.

We will be closed THIS MORNING for a class visit. We will reopen at 1pm, and we will be back to regular hours tomorrow!

R.M Horsey was a Kingston socialite and businessman in the 1800s. He was well-known in the community for his business in sheet metal, hardware and stove fittings, and these services were used heavily by the schools. In 1850 he took over the local hose/fire company and remained in charge of the company for many years before shifting his attention to public education. Horsey served as a trustee of the school board for many years before becoming Chairman of the Board in 1881. R.M. Horsey also helped with the founding of the Kingston Historical Society in November of 1893.

Louise school was built in 1858 at the corner of Division Street and Johnson Street. This was the first building owned by the School Board, and they purchased the lot for £350 ($100,000CAD today) in 1857. The two-storey stone was constructed for £1430 ($427,915) and opened on 8 February of 1858. Thomas Gordon served as the first Principal of the school from 1859-1862 until he took a different position at the Grammar School. Louise School became a central school for “more advanced pupils” in 1869. The original name of the school was Johnson Street school but was renamed Louise School in 1879 to honour Her Royal Highness Princess Louise’s visit to the City of Kingston. An addition was made to the school in 1889. Louise School closed in 1931 and then became the offices of the Board of Education, and may have also been used for manual training courses throughout the 1930s. The building is still standing and is now used as a Starbucks at the corner of Johnson Street and Division Street.

This is a letter written by Marion Livingston addressed to the Trustees of the Kingston Common School Board regarding her displeasure with her dismissal from teaching. She expresses dissatisfaction in her treatment from the Board. She states that she was ill and unable to properly communicate her situation and concludes the letter by begging the Board to reconsider her dismissal.

The Museum will be closed THIS MORNING Wednesday 10 June for a class visit. We will reopen at 1pm and will be back to regular hours tomorrow.

John Macdonald was one of the longest serving Secretary-Treasurers for the Kingston Common School Board, holding the office for 22 years. He was a member of the Board for so long he oversaw the transition from the Kingston Common School Board to the Kingston Board of Education. He was replaced by W.J.C. Allen.

We will be closed TOMORROW 6 June. We will be open on Tuesday at 10am with our regular hours. See you then!

The Museum will be closed TOMORROW MORNING for private filming. We will open at 1pm once filming is complete!