Mott’s Mills – A One Room Schoolhouse in Kitley

Mott’s Mills School

 (School Section No. 3)

Concession #3, Lot 21, built c1833 (see map)

Generations of Mott’s Mills children were educated at the community’s old one room school, which closed around 1950. The original log school was built on Lot 21 of the 3^rd Concession of Kitley. It was succeed by a frame building, which in turn was demolished to make room for a stone school built in 1906.

In its heyday, the school accommodated up to 80 pupils. When Mott’s Mills went into decline and the population dropped, school enrollment was greatly reduced. After the Second World War, the decline was much more noticeable. All schools in the north of Leeds suffered setbacks and many were closed.

Further down the Town Line Road, Blanchard’s School suffered reverses and was closed in 1956. Pupils from Blanchard’s were then transferred to Mott’s Mills.

Pioneer Sam Hough was the original owner of the land on which Mott’s Mills School stood. The Lot no 21 in the 3^rd Concession of Kitley was deeded to Hough on December 18, 1803. In 1816, the lot was sold to Sam’s son, Brewin Hough who in turn disposed of it in the following year to Micajah Purdy. It was probably in Purdy’s time that the first school was erected on the lot. George S. Scovil bought the lot in 1833, and that portion on which the school stood was deeded over to the area school board.

Mott’s Mills School also closed in the early 1960’s. Students from these two schools were then bused to Jasper Public School.