The Classroom

"The new Keswick Ridge Superior School of two departments was built about a half-mile above McKeen's Corner. It was a proud moment for the people of the Ridge when it opened in 1885 under the principalship of a Mr. Fairley. A license of either superior or Grammar School level was required for the principal. Among those who laboured unceasingly to establish this school were Dr. B. Coburn, Messrs. James, Thomas, Robert, and Nathaniel Jewett, and Mr. Fred Long, who donated the land on which the school was built. In about six months the new building burned. Although burdened by what was then a large debt the determined people would settle for nothing less than a new school-house which they built and opened in 1887."

- From “On The Ridge” by Evelyn Gordon and Harry Grant

Restoring and preserving the Keswick Ridge Superior School was the impetus behind the forming of the KRHS, and it is now both a museum, and the headquarters for the Society, housing much of our research and equipment, and acting as meeting room, office, storage, and venue for our yearly “History Speaks” lecture series, and other community events. Both the entranceway and the classroom are open to the public, displaying a wide variety of local artifacts and information about the community in general, and the schoolhouse in particular. On its original site and foundation, and maintaining almost all of its original structure and woodwork, the school is literally bursting with memories. You can have a look around the classroom below.