Musée Morinville Museum Attendant Donna Garrett poses in the museum’s replica of a one-room schoolhouse beside a recently added map and photos of the various schools in the area. – Stephen Dafoe Photo
by Stephen Dafoe
One of the many historical exhibits at The Musée Morinville Museum is the one-room schoolhouse typical in Rural Alberta until the 1950s.
There—students of various ages and academic abilities were taught in one room by one teacher. The exhibit includes rows of desks and slates used by students long before electronics were commonplace. There are also numerous books that children would use to learn to read and understand mathematics, music, art and the history and geography of their country and province.
One interesting item to help children learn about geography is a map of The Dominion of Canada produced by Neilsen in 1956 and given to schools for free under the condition that the lettering and images on the map would not “be removed or obliterated in any way.” Neilsen also made free maps of the world with similar branding and product placement back in the 1930s.
Dolls, alphabet blocks and games like jacks were commonplace in the schoolyard for students who were attentive in their studies.
Of course, not all children were eager to learn or behave in class. For such occasions, a dunce cap could wind up on that student’s head while sitting in the corner as an example to other students. The Dunce cap takes its name from a 13th-century Scottish theological academic named John Duns, although no record of one was mentioned before the nineteenth century.
Other items in the museum’s replica classroom include the Union Jack, Canada’s flag until the adoption of the Maple Leaf in 1965, and a handmade clock built to help students learn to tell time.
The most recent addition to the display is a map and photos of the various country one-room schoolhouses that existed around Morinville.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, several small school districts operated many schools in the area. These included Roseridge School District No. 45, Frontenac School, Riopel School No. 1488, Telleier School District No. 1490, and L’Abbe School District No. 1842.
Sturgeon School Division phased out the five one-room schools, and by the 1950s, multi-room schools were in operation.
The Morinville Museum is open Wednesday to Saturday from noon until 5 p.m. It is located in the back of St. Jean Baptiste Park on 100 Avenue.
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