Description of Historic Place

Eddy School No. 1846 is a Municipal Heritage Property occupying approximately 63 hectares in the Rural Municipality of Longlaketon No. 219, near the Town of Earl Grey. Situated prominently at a gravel crossroad, the property features a one-room, wood-frame schoolhouse constructed in 1922.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of Eddy School No. 1846 resides in the important role it played in the educational and social life of the surrounding area. Classes commenced in 1922 and continued until 1936, when the school was temporarily closed. The school was a gathering place for a youth club until 1941, when members enlisted in the armed forces. It reopened in 1943 toward the end of World War II and remained in active use as a school until 1957. From an architectural perspective, this well-proportioned one-room school was purpose-built to support the teaching style of its era. The rectangular floor plan accommodated the teacher and blackboard at the front of the room opposite symmetrically placed rows of desks. This functional interior design directly influences the building’s exterior appearance to create and identify an unmistakable school architecture that is characterized by a windowless wall behind the blackboard, a window wall in the teaching area to illuminate the interior, and additional window placement to illuminate a functional entry space with pit toilet facilities separated from the teaching area. Windows located on the opposite east and west walls of the building enabled cross-ventilation that provided fresh air to the classroom space. In response to site considerations, the solid north wall enclosing the basement stair provided shelter from the north winter wind, and the expansive window wall is oriented eastward to take advantage of the morning sun. These design considerations, together with the structure's prominent placement at a crossroad and its status as one of the few schools built in the area, speak to the importance of this property, which is a landmark in the community.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Longlaketon No. 219 Bylaw No. 1/2000.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of Eddy School No. 1846 resides in the following character-defining elements:
-elements that reflect the typical schoolhouse architecture, such as the building's layout and massing, the bell/vent dormer, symmetrical window and door placement, hip roof with flagpole, and original pit toilet plumbing fitments;
-elements that reflect its use as a schoolhouse, including the rectangular building form, floor plan, and interior ceiling height, and blackboards;
-its location on its original site at a prairie crossroad.