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Photograph of Pinkerton Schoolhouse students. Exact date of photograph unknown.

The article accompanying this photograph gives a quick history of Bemrose Co. General Store, owned by the Bemrose brothers John and James. Their father, John, was a contractor and was well known in the town, a reputation which was passed down to the brothers. This store in the photograph was run by James Bemrose alone after his return to Bradford in 1901 in the former store of J.S. Boddy, and was in the same block as the Edmanson businesses on Holland Street (near 71 Holland St. East).
James Bemrose was a member of the Masonic Order. This photograph was taken because he was part of Bradford's Model School Board, along with other board members.

Photograph students in Form I standing on the steps outside of Bradford High School on November 5, 1919.

Teachers (L-R): Mr. Charles W. Harrison, Miss E. Henry, Miss Jessie Curry

First Row (L-R): Cedric Hipwell, Norman Plant, Lyland Sturgeon, Emmerson Spence, Russel Bowles, Max Morris

Second Row (L-R): Vivian Bowles, Alberta Stoddart, Elizabeth Evans, Laura Kneeshaw, Pearl Metcalfe, Kathleen MacLean

Third Row (L-R): Kathleen Collings, Ruby Metcalfe, Dorothy Bell, Joyce Miller, Constance Nolan

Fourth Row (L-R): Kenneth Cummings, Charlie Brown, Howard Bowser (also written as Bowsher), Jim Webb

Thomas Wells Opens School

The new Bradford District High School was officially opened by Education Minister Thomas Wells last Tuesday in a ceremony involving dignitaries from the province, the county, and the town of Bradford.

About 400 people braved the cold and blowing snow to attend the event, highlighted by a policy statement from the education minister, a tribute to Bradford resident Tom Gardner, and a key presentation from architects Adamson Associates and contractor C.A. Smith to principal Alex Taylor.

A moment of silence was also observed for Simcoe County Board of Education superintendent of planning Syd Owens who died the previous Sunday of a heart attack.

Trustee Sam Neilly said of Mr. Owens, "He was one of the most important men in the planning and design of this school. His sudden passing leaves us saddened."

Addresses followed by MPP George McCague (Dufferin-Simcoe), West Gwillimbury Reeve John Fennell, Bradford Mayor Roy Gordon, and York-Simcoe MPP Arthur Evans who introduced Mr. Wells.

Principal Alex Taylor gave a brief history of education in the Bradford area, which began in 1852 with the opening of a grammar school in Bond Head.

After the railway was opened to Bradford in 1859, Mr. Taylor said, the growth of Bradford warranted the establishment of a school there, and the grammar school was loaded onto wagons and moved to Bradford.

He joked that it was the first portable in the county.

Another school was built in 1890 which burned two years later, and a new brick school was built in 1893, but it too was destroyed by fire in 1923.

In 1923 Bradford District High School was constructed (now the Fred C. Cook Senior Public School) which served as the high school until last year.

Bradford's 1976 citizen of the year Tom Gardner, a long-time member of the school board before his retirement, was honored by the chairman of the Simcoe County Board of Education, C.W. Brown.

Mr. Brown called Tom Gardner "Mr. Education," and described his life-long efforts on behalf of education in the country.

He then presented Mr. Gardner with a plaque naming the resource centre in the school "The T.H. Gardner Resource Centre."

Mr. Gardner received a standing ovation from the assembly, and called the tribute "the highlight of my life."

Director of Education Jack Ramsay pointed out to Mr. Wells that the pressure would soon be on for the go-ahead to an extension for the new school next year.

He laughed, "We are optimistic that there will be no delay for that since Mr. Wells is present here."

Trustee Sam Neilly told the audience that today was Mr. Ramsay's birthday, and everyone promptly broke into a rendition of Happy Birthday.

The program concluded with a guided tour of the new high school.

"The styles have changed, but high school students haven't changed all that much from the days this photo was taken at Bradford High School in 1934. Front row, Mildred Faris, Orma Wilcox. Second row, Norma Walker, Vira Sutherland, Mildred Feaver, Etta Hunter, Irene Brown, Eileen Church, Mary Webb. Third row, Frank Edney, Edward Dunn, Harvey Jeffries, George Stoddart, Lorne West, Don Wilson."

An old time postcard featuring Bradford Public School. This photo is from the Bradford Womens Institute Scrapbooks.

S. S. # 12, Coulson's Hill, 1953.
Back Row (l-r): Paul Kneeshaw, Don Wood, Jack Hambly, (Teacher) Miss. Lois Menery, Doug Devall, Ron Kneeshaw, Larry Edney.
Front Row: Beverly Kneeshaw, Mary Lou Kneeshaw, Jean Sturgeon, David Hambly, Bob Devall, Bob Hambly, James Kneeshaw, Laurie Wood.

S.S. #7 School

Iva Jeffery and Marion English in front of S.S. #3 in West Gwillimbury.

The old Hollows schoolhouse on the Middletown Sideroad of West Gwillimbury. In 1863, this school was built by John Garbutt on his lot (Con. 12, lot 11) so his children would not need to walk as far. The school burned down in 1888 and a new, brick one was erected very soon after by William Bingham (pictured here), with William Tindall as the first teacher, later minister in the Methodist church. The new school opened September 29, 1888 with celebration and games. Like many around it, this school was closed and sold in 1960, though the building later became the Hollow Community Centre. The renovated school house is currently the home of Mr. and Mrs. George Skitteral. The mature maple trees on the property were planted by the students in the photo.