Description of Historic Place

The Tall Spruce School is a Municipal Heritage Property located approximately seven kilometres east of Porcupine Plain in the Rural Municipality of Porcupine Plain No. 395. The designation applies to a one-room, log schoolhouse situated on a small parcel of land.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Tall Spruce School lies in its association with the establishment of education in School District No. 4902. The school district was created to provide basic education to families who settled the Porcupine Plain-Carragana region in the early-twentieth century. Built between 1928 and 1931, the school operated until 1956 when one-room schools started to close as larger schools were constructed in communities with more established infrastructure.

The heritage value of the school also resides in its architecture. The building is typical of many one-room schools built in the early-twentieth century. These schools featured large windows placed on one side of the building for optimal lighting, hip roofs, and were usually made with local building materials.

Situated on its original site, the building remains a landmark in the district.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Porcupine Plain No. 395 Bylaw No. 5-01

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Tall Spruce School resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those features associated with the establishment of educational institutions in School District No. 4902, such as the building’s existence on its original location;
-those architectural features typical of many one-room schools built during this period, including the hipped roof, large windows evenly situated on the east side of the building,
-those elements reflecting the use of local materials, such as the log frame construction; and
-interior elements typically found in one-room schools, including plastered walls, tongue-and-groove wainscoting and chalkboards.