Historic Sites of Manitoba: Castleavery School No. 416 (RM of Riding Mountain West)

The Castleavery School District was organized formally in August 1885, named by the Dugan family for the Irish county from which they had emigrated. The original log school operated until 1905 at SW20-24-29W in what is now the Rural Municipality of Riding Mountain West. In 1905, a wood frame school building was erected at this site, at SE28-24-29W. It was replaced in 1952 by the present structure which closed in June 1965, after which local students were bused to schools in Roblin. The former school building was used for a time as a community centre. A commemorative monument, erected in 1990 by the Castleavery Community Club, stands near the building, which was turned into a summer cottage in 1986.

Among the teachers of Castleavery school were Jane Dugan Hunt, Nat Minnish, Mrs. Clara Watson (1896), Nellie Skinner Richardson (1897-1898), Mr. MacDonald (1901-1902), Florence Yeates Stewart (1903), Miss Mabel Evans (1906), Miss Lydia Simpson (1907), Miss Millicent Hodgson (1908), Miss Mitchell (1910-1911), Miss S. E. Longden (1912-1913), Hattie MacDonald (1913), Anna J. McLean (1914-1915), N. Singleton (1915), Jessie Margaret Mowat (1916-1918), Stella M. White (1919), Margaret E. Cochrane (1921), Alice Dodge (1922), Marion Reid Ferriss (1922-1924), Helen J. Lind (1925), Agnes Spencer (1925), E. M. Hedley (1926), George R. Pearson (1927-1929), Fred McCauley (1930), A. B. Thom (1931-1932), Florence Kirkpatrick (1933-1934), Isobel Stewart (1935-1937), Joan Glover (1938-1939), Mary E. Patterson (1940-1941), Ivy Soderstrom (1942), Donalda M. Bell (1943), Doreen Day (1944), Lillian Ellerington (1945), Mary B. Budz (1947), Alice M. Trickett (1948-1949), Mrs. Annetta C. Lett (1950), Lillian Gabrielson (1950), Don Webb (1951-1952), Elizabeth Taylor (1953-1954), Marlene Laliberte (1955-1956), Michael Kozinski (1957-1958), Marlene Websdale (1959), Elaine Trakalo (1960-1961), Hollie Andrew (1962-1963), and Jean Stovin (1964-1965).

The second Castleavery School (no date) by H. L. Albright Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-1, page 48. Castleavery School commemorative monument and building (August 2007) Source: Ed Arndt The former Castleavery School building (August 2007) Source: Ed Arndt Site Coordinates (lat/long): N51.09580, W101.46911 denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

One Hundred Years in the History of the Rural Schools of Manitoba: Their Formation, Reorganization and Dissolution (1871-1971) by Mary B. Perfect, MEd thesis, University of Manitoba, April 1978.

A Study of Public School Buildings in Manitoba by David Butterfield, Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 1994, 230 pages.

Then and Now: Dropmore, Castleavery, Grainsby, Rochedale by Betty Bauereiss, 1995. [Manitoba Legislative Library, F5648.S44 Bau]

We thank Kyla Kelly for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Ed Arndt and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 28 December 2020

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