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A gift
I’m not a gift buying kinda gal, but I’ve got a gift idea for those of you who do buy gifts. It’s a book. It was written by local authors and it’s the kind of book a “good old days” person would love. But first, here’s a bit of background information. The Quinte Educational Museum and Archives (QEMA) was established in 1977, right here in good old Prince Edward County. QEMA was an idea brought about by a dedicated group of educators and likeminded people who wanted to tell the story of the evolution of public education in Ontario. The Museum and Archives, now located in Ameliasburgh, is home to countless historical artifacts, records and anecdotal material. Additionally, the Museum and Archives has a digital database. Imagine that, a digital database housed in a building which happens to be an artifact! More about the building in a sentence or three. So, what’s my point? Well, I do have one. My friends, Dan Rainey and Kathy Reed, have asked me to invite you to a book launch. Normally I don’t do press releases in my column, but hey, I’m a museum and archives kinda gal, and this is about raising money for QEMA. It’s also a “wink, wink” opportunity for you to purchase a book written by local education historians and, who knows, you might buy more than one book. One book for yourself and one for someone on your Christmas/Holiday list. I think I mentioned it could be a possible gift.
The building that is now the home to QEMA was once, really and truly, a one-room schoolhouse. The interesting thing is, it was only in the 1960s that Ontario’s one-room schoolhouses became a bit of history. When we talk about one-room schoolhouses, most of us can’t help but think Little House on the Prairie days. Many of those structures fell into ruin, as so often happens to vacant buildings. Some of them were repurposed and have become residential properties. Some are kitschy business locations. And at least one of them is now a Museum and Archives. Aren’t we fortunate? Believe it or not, at one time there were over 70 rural schools in Prince Edward County. With the advent of improved access to transportation and the need to ensure rural children had access to the same opportunities as urban students, the one-room schoolhouse became a thing of the past. The so-called, good old days of education ended when educators recognized the need for more specialized programs. Until the early 2000s, the QEMA collection was housed in Bloomfield SS #7. And then? Well, and then the Montgomery family offered QEMA the Victoria Schoolhouse for use as a new site for the collection. By 2006, QEMA members had raised enough money to move the schoolhouse from its original location, on the Montgomery property, to its permanent home at the Ameliasburgh Pioneer Museum site.
Oh! My point. I do have one, and a festive one at that. The authors of the book, Dan Rainey and Helen Tompkins, invite you to the launch of The Educational Tapestry on December 4 at the Bloomfield Town Hall between 1 and 5 p.m. This book is filled with photographs, firsthand accounts and documents “capturing the development of the educational system in Upper Canada”. The Educational Tapestry focuses on public education in Athol and in North and South Marysburgh from 1800 to 1966. All monies raised will go directly to the continued preservation, accessioning, researching and documentation of QEMA’s unique collection. Additionally, funds will also be used to provide programming to County residents and students. It’s a book, kids. It won’t fit into a stocking. It’s so much better than a lump of coal. Go on. This Friday. Bloomfield Town Hall, from 1 until 5 p.m. Ho, Ho, Ho!
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