Description of Historic Place

Meuse School is a Municipal Heritage Property occupying .75 hectares in the Rural Municipality of McCraney No. 282, about 30 kilometres east of the Town of Kenaston. Surrounded by a shelterbelt of trees, the property features a one-room schoolhouse that was built in 1917.

Heritage Value

A symbol of community spirit, Meuse School is valued for its association with the area's early settlers who built this structure. Like many rural school districts in Saskatchewan, the Meuse School District No. 3869 obtained a standard one-room design from the Waterman and Waterbury Manufacturing Company, a Minneapolis-based company that provided designs and equipment plans for smaller school districts across the Great Plains. Constructed in 1917, the building exemplifies typical one-room school features, including its wood-frame construction, hip roof, and a south-side window wall, which provided natural light and fresh air to the classroom space. At some point, the building was enlarged with two additional rooms, which altered the original Waterman-Waterbury design. Like many rural schools, the school house was also an important gathering place for social activities, such as dances and socials, as well as worship services before the construction of a church. In the 1960s, rural school districts were amalgamated and many schools closed, including Meuse School in 1967. Students were then bussed to nearby Young and Kenaston. The building continues to be used by area residents for community functions, thus continuing its role as a gathering place for social activities in the community.

Located on a slight rise and surrounded by a shelterbelt of trees, Meuse School is a landmark in the community.

Source:
Rural Municipality of McCraney No. 282 Bylaw No. 5/91.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of Meuse School resides in the following character-defining elements:
-elements that reflect its use as a school house and gathering place, including its standard form and massing, wood-frame construction, hip roof, south-side window wall, open classroom space, cloak rooms, and "Meuse SD 3869" signage;
-its location on its original site.