Description of Historic Place

The former Union Corner School House is a one and a half storey wood shingle clad, single gable, vernacular school house located in the rural community of Union Corner, Prince Edward Island.

Heritage Value

The historic value of the former Union Corner School House lies in its association with the educational history of the community as an example of small schools built on Prince Edward Island. The school was built sometime between 1860-1863 following the 1852 Free Education Act passed by the Government of Prince Edward Island enabling all children to attend school for free. The act ensured that no child should have to walk more than two miles to reach a school house.

The Union Corner School House was built with a simple gabled roof, storey and a half, gable end facing structure situated at the midpoint of the district with windows and doors placed to garner the most heat and light and the lease cold and wind. The district was first called Union Lot 15 and by 1895 was known as Union Corner. Children would gather in one main room, heated by a woodstove where one teacher taught grades one through ten in English. Union Corner School served a community which included a blend of residents of British and French extraction which was typical of early schools. Important to its community, the schoolhouse was also used as a community hall on the second floor for meetings, variety concerts, plays, and fundraising dinners. The building was unique in that the upper storey was arranged as a theatre. Prior to 1875 the school was used for church services before to the Union Corner United Church was built.

The Union Corner School House closed in 1961 as the consolidation of schools overtook the era of small, one room district schools and children were bussed to larger schools.

In 1994, Grant Brooks and his family, who had attended the Union Corner School House, acquired the school and restored it as a museum interpretating its history and community life which operated until 2008. The school house has since been converted to a private residence. The owners have added a dormer to the east elevation to increase living space in the upper storey and installed metal roofing. The former Union School House continues to be a landmark in its community as a reminder of its past educational history.

Heritage Places files : Department of Education, Early Learning and Culture, Charlottetown, PE
File #: 4310-20/U3

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Union Corner School House is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the vernacular, single gable one and a half story architecture
- the gable end facing building
- the steeply pitched roof
- the original site of a large, 1.7 acre school yard on Route 11
- the unpainted, aged, wood shingled walls
- the narrow corner boards
- the size and placement of the first storey windows
- the fascia board under eaves