Kinch St. School – A One Room Schoolhouse in Kitley

Kinch St. School

 (School Section No. 8)

Concession #6, Lot 9, built 1840’s (see map)

present address 735 Kitley Line 5

The first log school house here was built in the early 1840’s on the west corner of the farm of pioneer Isaac Foster. Known as S.S. #8, the log school burned down a few years after it was built.

The community replaced it with a wooden frame structure sheeted in galvanized iron and painted white. For around 100 years it educated generations of Kinch Street children, until it was phased out by the school consolidation in the 1950’s.

The teacher in 1876 was John Mackay, a veteran educationalist who taught in Newbliss for 20 years before coming to this school.

School trustees in 1876 were Isaac Foster who had donated the plot on which the school stood, James Love and James Morrissey, who was also the board’s secretary treasurer. A Dr. Kinney was the school inspector.

“The sturdy log structure served as a school for over 100 years. It ceased functioning as a school in 1950. The pupils of the Kinch Street area were transported to Crystal School and later to the new Jasper Public School.”-from Kitley 1795-1975 by Dr. Glenn Lockwood