Spring Valley – A One Room School House in Elizabethtown
Spring Valley School
(School Section #11)
Spring Valley School was first located at the corner of W.E. Stewart’s field to the left of Ruben Davis’ driveway. The original school was an unpainted frame building that got so old, it could no longer be kept warm in winter. In 1878 the present school was completed further down the road and opened in September of that year. The foundation for this school was laid in 1877. The land was donated by Frank McCrae on condition that the building be used for both school and church purposes. The first contract to build the new school was not completed and later Harvey Hayes took the contract and hired James Davidson to do the work. The school opened in September 1878 with Miss Jennie Grant the first teacher. The first gathering in the school was a church service on Sunday conducted by Rev. Mr. Blair who was the Pastor of the Lyn Circuit, prior to classes starting. The enrollment of the school in 1902 was 27 pupils and in 1950 was 18 pupils. (The original name of Spring Valley was Niblock’s Corners)
The school had its last class on June 29, 1965, after which students were bused to the new school at New Dublin.
The building is now the New Dublin Library and Town hall located at 4103 County Road 29
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: Stone building, 22×28 in size, constructed in 1843, condition: Not Good
1854: Frame building first opened in 1816
The following information was extracted from the motion papers of the Elizabethtown Council 1855-1873: (Lyn Museum Archives)
| That the sum of 20 pounds clear of all expenses be levied and collected on the rateable property of school section No 11.- 1862 |
| Tax levies for School section No 11- 1862 |
Spring Valley School Expense Ledgers
Receipts for 1888
| Feb 18th | Received Gov. Grant | $20.64 |
| Aug 2nd | Received Municipal Grant | $20.78 |
| Dec 20th | Received from John Holliday by direct tax | $200.18 |
| Balance on Hand since ‘87 | $29.32 | |
| $270.92 |
Expenses for 1888
| Paid Teacher | $225.00 | |
| Paid for wood | $22.00 | |
| Paid for making fires and burying stove ashes | $5.00 | |
| Paid to Amos Disdmer [sic] for cleaning school | $3.00 | |
| Jan 2nd | to one broom | $0.25 |
| 2nd | to Postage | $0.02 |
| 2nd | To Repairs on Door | $1.00 |
| 7th | Part of a box of crayons | $0.25 |
| Mar 9th | Two lights of glass | $1.00 |
| Apr 9th | To one light of glass | $0.50 |
| May 2nd | To repairs on fence | $0.25 |
| Nov 24th | Two lights of glass | $1.00 |
| Dec 24th | To one gate and trimmings | $11.00 |
| $270.27 |
On the bottom of the 1888 Ledger:
Dec 21, 1888
Received in payment the sum of One Hundred and Eight Three Dollars and 33/100
signed: Laura Clow
1893 School Expenses
| Date | Item | Amount |
| Jan 6th | One Casting for seat | $0.50 |
| 7th | One Zinc | $0.85 |
| 12th | Got from Samuel Nash 10 cords @ $1.60 a cord | $16.00 |
| 23rd | Paid Harvey Hayes for work | $1.80 |
| 30th | Paid Morton Kendrick for wood | $2.50 |
| Mar 4th | One box chalk | $0.25 |
| 4th | One Broom | $0.26 |
| 10th | Paid Truman Hayes for teaching | $41.72 |
| 10th | Paid for lumber | $1.98 |
| 13th | Paid Samual Aldrich for 10 cords of wood @ 1.45 a cord | $14.50 |
| Apr 6th | Advertising for teacher | $0.50 |
| 6th | For black board paint | $2.50 |
| May 5th | Paid William Stafford for the renewal of the Insurance Company | $4.25 |
| Jun 9th | One paine of glass | $0.25 |
| 30th | Paid Emery Smith for teaching | $95.83 |
| Aug 12th | Two paines of glass | $0.50 |
| 17th | Paid Terrence Glasier for work | $9.50 |
| 17th | Paid for work and scanthing [sic] | $1.00 |
| 23rd | One box of chalk | $0.25 |
| Sep 12th | Paid MrBall for pointing up | $1.00 |
| 14th | Paid Smarts for paints, oils | $6.25 |
| Oct 12th | Paid Miss Patent for teaching | $100.00 |
| Nov 24th | One Broom | $0.25 |
| 24th | One box of chalk | $0.25 |
| Dec 18th | One pain of glass | $0.25 |
| 20th | Paid Freddie Hayes | $6.75 |
| 20th | For interest on money | $7.00 |
| $316.69 | ||
| Dec 20th | Paid Miss Beturl [sic] | $70.00 |
Back Row: Mamie Deir, Newton Pettem, Bernard Stewart, Percy Tackaberry, Miss Leacock (Teacher), Arthur Tackaberry, Jerome Deir, Artinsa Pettem, Ian Stewart (photo #4)
Back Row: Vera Murray, Adella Anderson, Agnes McCrae (Teacher), Arthur Tackaberry, Mamie Deir, Geraldine Deir (photo #5)
Back Row: Miss Beryl Snider (Teacher), Harold Murray, Clarence Darling, Alan Darling (photo #8)
Back Row: Sydney Bolton, William Taggart, Albert Mulder, Donna Tristram, Shirley Cooke, Richard Goodfellow, Robert Ellis, William Gilroy (photo #10)
Middle Row: Albert Mulder, Bill Taggart, Dick Deir, Gail Quinn, Robert Ellis, Rosemary Beach, Geraldine Mulder
Back Row: Maria Bax, Donna Tristram, Shirley Cooke, Jeannette Bax, Leota Perkins (photo #12)
Teachers at Spring Valley
1884-1885 Miss Ida Conners
1903 Miss Miriam McConkey (24 pupils in her class)
1904-1907 Miss Lena Davis
1907-1908 Miss Elizabeth Sheldon (pupils averaged 14 to 20)
1878 Miss Jennie Grant
1879 Miss Jennie Barrington
1900 Miss M. Grant
1900 Miss Kendall
1901-1902 Miss Kennedy (27 pupils in her class)
1910 Miss Ethel Brown
1910-1911 Miss Grace Stewart
1911-1912 Miss Grace Bolin
1911-1913 Miss Anna Elliott
1911-1913 Miss Carrie Covey
1911-1913 Miss Alma Stevens
1916-1917 Miss Eleda Beach
1919 Miss Leah Hough
1920 Miss Marion Davidson
1921 Miss Mildred Leacock
1921-1922 Miss Marjorie Godkin
1923-1925 Miss Agnes McCrea
1925-1934 Miss Irene Moore
1934 Miss Melba Dilworth
1935-1937 Miss Elma Weatherhead
1937 Miss Edne Snider
1949-1953 Mrs. Helen Male
1953-1954 Mrs. Elma Barrington
1954-1956 Mrs. Ruth Foster
1956 Mrs. Helen Kilborn (Sep-Nov)
1956-Mrs. Margaret Miller
Other Teachers for who the dates they taught are unknown are:
Miss Ethel Olds
Miss E. Tennant
Mr. A. Davidson
Miss Anderson
Mr. Truman Hayes
Miss Maria McDonald
Miss Eliza Galbraith
Miss Grace McConkey (lived at New Dublin and rode her bicycle to school every day morning and night a distance of 4 miles)
Miss Laura Clow
Miss Hough
Miss M. Godkin
1862 School Tax Roll
| Name | Conn | Lot | Amount £ |
| Ianus Cameron | 4 | RS 26 | £75.00 |
| John & Richard Taylor | 4 | Pt 26 | £100.00 |
| John & Richard Taylor | 4 | Pt 22 | £25.00 |
| Russell Darling | 4 | FPT 29 | £125.00 |
| Russell Darling | 4 | Pt 25 | £100.00 |
| Joseph Fletcher | 4 | RP 24,25 | £175.00 |
| Avery Wright | 4 | Pt 21,22 | £200.00 |
| Abraham Nibblets & Lang | 4 | Pt of 21,22 | £100.00 |
| Patrick Kugan | 5 | Pt 20 | £50.00 |
| John Rigby | 5 | Pt 20 | £50.00 |
| William Lamb | 5 | Pt 22,23 | £350.00 |
| William Rogers | 5 | PT 22,23,21 | £425.00 |
| Gabriel Worden | 4&5 | 21,22,25 | £1,500.00 |
| John Boyd | 5 | Pt 22,23 | £350.00 |
| James Bryan & Son | 5 | Pt 24 | £125.00 |
| Eli Cole | 5 | F 24 | £300.00 |
| Joseph & ?? Bath | 5 | F 1/2 25 | £200.00 |
| James Anderson | 5 | Pt 24 | £100.00 |
| Thomas Achison | 5 | Lot 26 | £350.00 |
| Frederick Moore | 4 | REP 25 | £250.00 |
| Samuel Flint | 5 | Pt 24 | £300.00 |
| ?? Moore | 4 | Pt 21, 22 | £250.00 |
| James Campbell | 4 | R 27 | £100.00 |
If anyone has any information or photographs of the Spring Valley School and would like to add to our history, please contact us.