Addison a One Room School House in Elizabethtown

Addison School

 (School Section No. 21)

There have been four schools in Addison. The first was built of logs and burned. Both the second and third schools[1] in Addison doubled as Episcopal and Methodist Churches. The second school was a stone building which stood beside the third, framed school. This school was moved to Benjamin Scott’s property and used as a horse stable. It was torn down in the early 1950’s. The third school is a frame building which was constructed in the early 1870’s. It continued to be the Addison School until the 1960’s. The building is now privately owned.

In the 1820’s a log school was erected to replace the one room educational centre in the smithy. This building gave way to a stone school which served Addison for 90 years.

Charles O. Stowell, who married the two daughters of John Ketchum, was born in Massechusetts February 17, 1797. Educated in the United States he came to Canada as a young man with a teaching certificate. In 1832 he took a teaching job at the old Addison school about 200 yards south of the old Perth Trail. This pioneer log school was later torn down and the school moved into the Methodist Church. When the Methodists build a new stone church on the other side of the road, now the Addison United Church, the old house of worship became a permanent school. This school served the community for 90 years until it became unfit for school purposes. It ended its days as a stable on the Scott Farm, where it eventually gave way to decay and collapsed.

A wooden frame school replaced the stone structure and in the late 1960’s it was closed. The Addison School was listed as S.S.no. 21

School Superintendents Report (Ontario Archives)

Shows the following information, which in some cases contradicts what we have already researched, and contradicts other filed School Superintendents Reports:

1850: Log building, 20×26 in size, constructed in 1850, condition: Good

1854: Stone building first opened in 1832

^{[1] Greenbush and Addison Villages a look at the history and homes by Karen Clout BA pub 1994}

The building is now privately owned and is located at 9210 Addison-Greenbush Road.

The Athens Reporter and County of Leeds Advertiser

Tuesday May 21, 1895 issue–

Addison School House (Elizabethtown SS #21) – The appearance of our school yard has been much improved by the levelling and planting of more trees. Also the windows of the house are adorned with nice plants, all of which will have a beneficial part in the education of the pupils in attendance.