Historic Sites of Manitoba: Governor Semple School (Jefferon Avenue, Winnipeg)

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

Named for colonial official Robert Semple, who was killed at the Battle of Seven Oaks in 1816, a two-storey brick school was built in 1913 on a design by local architect Edgar Prain. It eventually became part of the Seven Oaks School Division. The site was on the north side of Jefferson Avenue east of McPhillips Street in West Kildonan. The school closed in 1941 and, in 1943, after an advertised period of several months to sell off any desired building components, the structure was demolished by Billinkoff’s Building Wreckers. The site is now occupied by a residential development.

In 1950, the Governor Semple name was reused on a school located east of Main Street.

Principals

Period	Principal
1916-1917	Margaret Robertson (1891-?)
1917-1929	Earl Innes Fritch (1891-1983)
1929-1931	Eldon Franklin Simms (1907-1964)
1931-1935	John Leamen (1908-1967)
1936-1939	Arthur Harold Lawson (1907-1964)
1939-1941	John Leamen (1908-1967)

Teachers

No information.

Photos & Coordinates

The original Governor Semple School building, constructed in 1913 and demolished in 1943. A bridge in the foregound spanned a ditch on Jefferson Avenue (no date) Source: A Historical Study of Public Education in West Kildonan to 1959 by Raymond Ronald Bailey, 1966, Collection of Mrs. A. E. Derham The original Governor Semple School building being demolished (1943) Source: A Historical Study of Public Education in West Kildonan to 1959 by Raymond Ronald Bailey, 1966, Collection of Mrs. A. E. Derham Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.93521, W97.11596 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Events in Manitoba History: Battle of Seven Oaks (19 June 1816)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Seven Oaks Monument (Main Street, Winnipeg)

Memorable Manitobans: Robert Semple (1776-1816)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Governor Semple School (150 Hartford Avenue, Winnipeg)

Sources:

“Takes back Seven Oaks School,” Manitoba Free Press, 26 June 1916, page 5.

“Church observes Education Week,” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 February 1937, page 18.

“Churches observe Education Week,” Winnipeg Free Press, 8 February 1938, page 11.

“Education Week to be observed,” Winnipeg Tribune, 4 February 1939, page 14.

“Now wrecking - Governor Semple School,” Winnipeg Free Press, 15 February 1943, page 17.

Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 3 August 2020

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