Description of Historic Place

The Glenaladale School is a large wood shingle clad, two room school house with Dutch or clipped gables, located on the Glenaladale Estate property in Tracadie Cross, Prince Edward Island.

Heritage Value

The Glenaladale School is valued for its associations with the community of Tracadie Cross and educational history in the province as well as its connections to the MacKinnon and MacDonald families, and its contribution to the landscape of its community.

The first school in the area was built in 1838 on Captain John MacDonald's Glenaladale Estate on the Blooming Point Road, across the lane which leads to the brick MacDonald Estate home, Glenaladale. The 529 acre Glenaladale Estate included 7 school divisions or districts. In 1899, a new one-room school was built nearby at the intersection of the Donaldston and Blooming Point Roads. Known as School No. 151, it was built for a cost o $476.05. In 1942, two Sisters of St. Martha began teaching at the school. In 1946 the 1899 Glenaladale school house was moved behind St. Bonaventure's Roman Catholic Parish Hall on Station Road and, in order to accommodate more students, a second classroom was added. It was at this time, the Dutch or clipped gables were added. By 1952, in addition to the two classrooms in use, additional space in was required in the adjacent Convent Hall in response to the growing number of students. At the end of the 1952-1953 school year, the name of the school was changed to Tracadie Cross. In 1960 a new Tracadie Cross School was constructed with five classrooms - a consolidated school serving the communities of Tracadie Cross, Afton Road, Blooming Point, Glenroy, Ten Mile House, and part of Donaldston, leaving this building vacant. In 1973, the school building was moved by the MacKinnon family, owners of Glenaladale Estate at the time, to its current location.

Glenaladale House was built in 1883-1884 by Sir William Macdonald (1831-1917) for his brother, John Archibald MacDonald and his family on the Glenaladale Estate first settled by the MacDonald family in 1772. Sir William Macdonald established the Macdonald Consolidated Schools and was the founder of McGill University's Macdonald College. In 1904, the house and property were purchased by Major Charles MacKinnon who in turn sold it to his brother Arthur W. MacKinnon who operated Glenaladale Silver Black Fox Ranch.

The Glenaladale School continues to be an integral component of the Glenaladale Estate which is now owned and operated by the Glenaladale Heritage Trust who have plans to rehabilitate the building.

Source: Heritage Places files, Department of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File # : 4310-20/G16

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Glenaladale School is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the overall massing of the structure
- the slope and pitch of the roof
- the "clipped" or "Dutch" gables at either end of the roof
- the wood shingle cladding
- the size and placement of the six-over-six windows on the south elevation
- the narrow corner boards with decorative trim where corner boards meet the small overhang and fascia boards
- the centred main entrance door with transom window