Mount Hanley Schoolhouse Museum
Encyclopedia
The Mount Hanley Schoolhouse Museum is a community museum
located in a historic one-room school
in Mount Hanley
, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia
. The Museum focuses on the history of Mount Hanley and surrounding communities as well as rural school life and the famous mariner Joshua Slocum
who attended the school in the 1850s.
. An early famous student was Joshua Slocum who was born on a farm just to the west of the school. Slocum learned to read and write at the school, attending until he was eight years old when his family moved to Brier Island in 1854. Another significant student was Clara Belle Marshall, who in 1884 became the first woman to graduate from Acadia University
. A Mount Hanley student who followed in her footsteps was Ora Blossom Elliott who graduated from Acadia University in 1906 and wrote a valuable history of early Mount Hanley in 1909. A small community library was established in the school in the 1930s. The school taught all grades until 1949 when students who passed Grade Six began to attend the newly-built Middleton Regional High School
. The Mount Hanley School closed in 1963 when rural schools were consolidated into larger schools in town. Henceforth, Mount Hanley children were bused to a new elementary school in Lawrencetown
.
. The provincial education pioneer, who later became a noted geologist and president of McGill University
, carefully researched school design. Dawson was influenced by the American educator and reformer Henry Barnard
's, 1842 book "School Architecture" In 1850 Dawson published a pamphlet entitled, "School Architecture; abridged from Barnard's School Architecture". The Mount Hanley school faithfully reflects Dawson’s principles and stands as a little-changed early example of a design which was later built in countless other Maritime communities. The school’s exterior has remained almost unchanged since 1850, with the only significant alteration being a small woodshed added in 1892. Even the carved initials of many generations of Mount Hanley students can still be seen in the wooden shingles. Gradual changes took place in the interior as new blackboards were installed and cast iron desks were added. However three of the original handmade wooden desks were retained at the school, known as “Dawson Desks” as they were made to Dawson’s specifications. One of the original slate blackboards has also survived.
Road facing Brown Road about nine kilometers northwest of the town of Middleton
. It is today a quiet country corner on the North Mountain
but was a busy and prominent location in 1850. A store and two mills operated close to the school drawing on a Mill Pond where local tradition holds that Joshua Slocum made his first sea voyage paddling a wash tub.
, CHIN
, and Virtual Museum of Canada
.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
located in a historic one-room school
One-room school
One-room schools were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In most rural and small town schools, all of the students met in a single room...
in Mount Hanley
Mount Hanley, Nova Scotia
Mount Hanley is a Canadian rural community in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. It is the birthplace of the famous mariner Joshua Slocum.- Geography :Mount Hanley is located about nine kilometers northwest of the town of Middleton...
, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia
Annapolis County, Nova Scotia
Annapolis County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia located in the western part of the province on the Bay of Fundy. The county seat is Annapolis Royal.-History:...
. The Museum focuses on the history of Mount Hanley and surrounding communities as well as rural school life and the famous mariner Joshua Slocum
Joshua Slocum
Joshua Slocum was the first man to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Canadian born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he told the story of this in Sailing Alone Around the World...
who attended the school in the 1850s.
Rural School: 1850-1963
The school was built in 1850. It replaced an earlier log schoolhouse and became officially known as “The Mount Hanley School Section No. 10”. The school house was part of a large-scale expansion of rural schools in Nova Scotia in the 1850s led by the province’s first Superintendent of Schools, William DawsonJohn William Dawson
Sir John William Dawson, CMG, FRS, FRSC , was a Canadian geologist and university administrator.- Life and work :...
. An early famous student was Joshua Slocum who was born on a farm just to the west of the school. Slocum learned to read and write at the school, attending until he was eight years old when his family moved to Brier Island in 1854. Another significant student was Clara Belle Marshall, who in 1884 became the first woman to graduate from Acadia University
Acadia University
Acadia University is a predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level...
. A Mount Hanley student who followed in her footsteps was Ora Blossom Elliott who graduated from Acadia University in 1906 and wrote a valuable history of early Mount Hanley in 1909. A small community library was established in the school in the 1930s. The school taught all grades until 1949 when students who passed Grade Six began to attend the newly-built Middleton Regional High School
Middleton Regional High School
Middleton Regional High School is located in Middleton, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was founded in 1948 and includes grades 6-12. Current and new principal is Jim Gushue.-Notable alumni:*Tom Forrestall, painter*John Waterman, newscaster...
. The Mount Hanley School closed in 1963 when rural schools were consolidated into larger schools in town. Henceforth, Mount Hanley children were bused to a new elementary school in Lawrencetown
Lawrencetown, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia
Lawrencetown is a village within Annapolis County in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, Canada. As of 2006, the population was 668. Every year at the Lawrencetown Exhibition Grounds, the Annapolis Valley Exhibition is held, which is typically a very large gathering...
.
Barteaux Family Museum: 1963-2006
Alton and Laurette Barteaux, who lived beside the school, bought the building and all its contents when it closed in 1963. They established a private museum named the Mount Hanley Schoolhouse Museum. As the school’s contents were never dispersed, the Barteaux family was able to preserve all the books, desks, maps and fittings of 124 years of schooling including school registers dating back to 1894. They added artifacts from other school houses in the area as well as artifacts from Mount Hanley families. The Museum was open by appointment and over the years was featured in several books about Joshua Slocum. In 1995 the school was registered as a provincial heritage property, earning provincial significance as an especially well preserved early schoolhouse in addition to the association with Joshua Slocum and Clara Belle Marshall.Community Museum: 2006 to present
On June 1, 2005 the Mount Hanley and District Schoolhouse Museum Society was formed to continue to preserve the building and keep it open to the public. Alton and Laurette Barteaux donated the school to the society in 2006. The Museum is open to the public in the summer, staffed by volunteers. Plans are being made to upgrade museum displays and further catalogue the school’s collection.Significance
The building is regarded as one of the earliest and best preserved examples of the standard school design developed by William DawsonJohn William Dawson
Sir John William Dawson, CMG, FRS, FRSC , was a Canadian geologist and university administrator.- Life and work :...
. The provincial education pioneer, who later became a noted geologist and president of McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, carefully researched school design. Dawson was influenced by the American educator and reformer Henry Barnard
Henry Barnard
Henry Barnard was an American educationalist and reformer.-Biography:...
's, 1842 book "School Architecture" In 1850 Dawson published a pamphlet entitled, "School Architecture; abridged from Barnard's School Architecture". The Mount Hanley school faithfully reflects Dawson’s principles and stands as a little-changed early example of a design which was later built in countless other Maritime communities. The school’s exterior has remained almost unchanged since 1850, with the only significant alteration being a small woodshed added in 1892. Even the carved initials of many generations of Mount Hanley students can still be seen in the wooden shingles. Gradual changes took place in the interior as new blackboards were installed and cast iron desks were added. However three of the original handmade wooden desks were retained at the school, known as “Dawson Desks” as they were made to Dawson’s specifications. One of the original slate blackboards has also survived.
Location
The schoolhouse is located is located on its original site, on the east side of the Mount HanleyMount Hanley, Nova Scotia
Mount Hanley is a Canadian rural community in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. It is the birthplace of the famous mariner Joshua Slocum.- Geography :Mount Hanley is located about nine kilometers northwest of the town of Middleton...
Road facing Brown Road about nine kilometers northwest of the town of Middleton
Middleton, Nova Scotia
Middleton is a Canadian town in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia.It is situated on the north bank of the Annapolis River. Incorporated in 1909, it is located near the centre of the Annapolis Valley, from which it gets its nickname, "The Heart of the Valley".-Economy:Founded by New England Planters,...
. It is today a quiet country corner on the North Mountain
North Mountain (Nova Scotia)
North Mountain is a narrow southwest-northeast trending volcanic mountain range on the mainland portion of southwestern Nova Scotia, stretching from Brier Island to Cape Split...
but was a busy and prominent location in 1850. A store and two mills operated close to the school drawing on a Mill Pond where local tradition holds that Joshua Slocum made his first sea voyage paddling a wash tub.
Affiliations
The Museum is affiliated with: CMACanadian Museums Association
The Canadian Museums Association is a national organization for the promotion of museums in Canada.The Canadian Museums Association is the national organization for the advancement of the Canadian museum sector, representing Canadian museum professionals both within Canada and internationally. The...
, CHIN
Canadian Heritage Information Network
The Canadian Heritage Information Network is a Canadian government-supported organization that provides a networked interface to Canada's heritage, largely through the World Wide Web. It aims to give access to Canada's heritage for both Canadians and a worldwide audience, by supporting the...
, and Virtual Museum of Canada
Virtual Museum of Canada
The Virtual Museum of Canada is Canada's national virtual museum. With a directory of over 3,000 Canadian heritage institutions and a database of over 600 virtual exhibits, the VMC brings together Canada's museums regardless of size or geographical location.The VMC includes virtual exhibits,...
.