Description of Historic Place

The site of the former Nerepis School is located in a gully on the lower side of the Nerepis Road. The property, which overlooks the Nerepis River, has reverted to forest since the demolition of the building in the 1960s.

Heritage Value

The significance of the former Nerepis School Site resides in its association with the population of the farming communities comprised by the Nerepis, Sagwa, and Brittain Road area. Beginning in the mid-1800s, grades 1-8 were taught in the one-room building, a structure typical of rural schools of the era. The school which was situated in close proximity to the former “Post Road,” a route which the local children would have taken daily to school.

The Nerepis School served the community until 1961, when several local schools were consolidated in a modern building in nearby Hillandale. The historic building fell into disrepair and was, eventually, demolished.

In spite of the loss of the school building, the property is still regarded as an important part of the community, particularly to those residents who remember the schoolhouse.

Source: Grand Bay Westfield Historic Places Files: Nerepis School Site

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the site include:
- its location within the communities known to local residents as Nerepis, Sagwa, and Brittain Road;
- the undisturbed context of the site with potential archaeological resources of the original school building.