Historic Sites of Manitoba: Exeter School No. 1994 (Neuhorst, RM of Rhineland)

Link to:
Principals | Vice-Principals | Teachers | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

The Exeter School District was established in February 1920 and a one-room schoolhouse was built about one-half mile northwest of the village of Neuhorst (NW1-1-3W) in the Rural Municipality of Rhineland. In 1927, the building was moved into Neuhorst to the site of a former private school that had operated in the community. During periods of high student enrollment, the public and private buildings were both used as classrooms. In 1958, the district was consolidated with Kronsthal School District No. 2133 to form the Kronsthal Consolidated School District No. 1994. Classroom operations continued here until the summer of 1959. The former public school building was used for a time as a granary and, as of 2014, is still standing at the site along with the teacherage, which serves as a private residence.

Principals

Period	Principal
1942-1943	Frank Peter Giesbrecht

Teachers

Among the early teachers of Exeter School were no classroom operated (Spring 1920 - Spring 1921), Justine Dyck (Fall 1921 - Spring 1922), D. D. Loeppky (Fall 1922 - Spring 1923), John B. Falk (Fall 1923 - Spring 1924), A. D. Friesen (Fall 1924 - Spring 1925), J. J. Funk (Fall 1925 - Spring 1926), Peter Jacob Dyck (Fall 1926 - Spring 1933), school closed due to scarlet fever (26 September - 7 October 1932), William S. Buhr (Fall 1933 - Spring 1935), school closed due to diphtheria and measels (27 November 1934 - 11 January 1935), Isaac A. Enns (Fall 1935 - Spring 1937), and William Peter Hoeppner (Fall 1937 - Spring 1942).

School Year	Teachers
1942-1943	Frank Peter Giesbrecht (August-February, grades 4-10), Annie Leona Ediger (grades 1-3, August-February; grades 1-10, February-June)

Among the later teachers of Exeter School were Annie Leona Ediger (Fall 1943 - Spring 1945), Nettie Friesen (Fall 1945 - Spring 1947), Peter Loewen (Fall 1947 - Spring 1948), Peter Sawatsky (Fall 1948 - Spring 1950), Helen Petkau (Fall 1950 - Spring 1952), Helen Enns (August-September 1952), Menno Schulz (October 1952 - June 1953), Frank Henry Sawatzky (Fall 1953 - Spring 1955), Arthur Bernard “Art” Wiebe (Fall 1955 - Spring 1958), and Helen Janzen (Fall 1958 - Spring 1959).

Photos & Coordinates

Exeter School (no date) by T. G. Finn Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 74. Exeter School (no date) by G. G. Neufeld Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 74. Exeter School (1968) Source: Archives of Manitoba, Architectural Survey - Neuhorst 3. The former Exeter School building (May 2014) Source: Frank Kehler The former Exeter School building (November 2020) Source: Rose Kuzina The former Exeter School building (June 2024) Source: Rose Kuzina The former Exeter School teacherage (May 2014) Source: Frank Kehler The former Exeter School teacherage (November 2020) Source: Rose Kuzina The former Exeter School teacherage (June 2024) Source: Rose Kuzina Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.00721, W97.74017 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Kronsthal School No. 2133 (RM of Rhineland)

Sources:

School division half-yearly attendance reports (E 0757), Archives of Manitoba.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Exeter School District No. 1994 - Daily Registers, GR2656, Archives of Manitoba.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Exeter School District No. 1994 - Account Books, GR2656, Archives of Manitoba.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Exeter School District No. 1994 - Minute Book, GR2656, Archives of Manitoba.

Altona East topographic map, 62H/4 East, Edition 1 ASE, Series A743 [UFS Reference Collection].

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.

We thank Al Schmidt (Altona and District Heritage Research Centre), Frank Kehler, and Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 29 March 2026

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