The Avonlea School District was organized formally in February 1912. It operated a one-room wood frame school building on the northeast quarter of 7-37-26 west of the Principal Meridian in what is now the Municipality of Minitonas-Bowsman. At some point, the original building was replaced by one with a full basement, heated by an oil-fueled furnace. It closed in June 1964. The school building is no longer present at the site but a stone cairn, erected in 1978, commemorates it.
Teachers who worked at Avonlea School through the years included: Mamie Jordan (1914), Miss Macraw, Miss Stewart, Miss Eldred, Elsie Gowanlock, Miss Robinson, Stella Fraser, Miss Motherall, Florence Grant (1924), Ilene Evendon (1928), Beatrice Fletcher (1933-1934), Mildred Haackland (1934-1935), Lucy Brown (1935-1936), Dorothy Baskerville (1936-1940), Muriel Wilson (1940-1941), Gwen Gohl (1942), Elizabeth Joan Twilley (1944-1946, daughter of Frederick Arthur Twilley), Sally Lussier (1946-1947), Evelyn Clarke (1947-1948), Leona Dixon (1948-1949), Olga Lund, Georgina Krone, Isabella Hill (1953-1954), Pat Harkins (1953-1954), Cecil Cox (1953-1954), Belva Allen (1954-1955), Shirley Madill (1955-1957), Clara Watson (1957-1958), Elizabeth Snelgrove (1958-1959), Euphemia Dunnett (1959-1961), and Alice Stozak (1961-1964).
The first Avonlea School (no date) by J. S. Peach
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 1.
The second Avonlea School (no date) by J. S. Peach
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 1.
Avonlea School commemorative monument (July 2012)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N52.17237, W101.15650
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Avon School No. 1989 (RM of DeSalaberry)
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.
Boots, Buggies & Buses: Swan Valley Schools in Quest of Education, Swan Valley School Division No. 35, circa 1998.
We thank Pat Miles for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 27 May 2020
Historic Sites of Manitoba
This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.
Browse lists of:
Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | OtherInclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.
Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes.
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the MHS Webmaster at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.Help us keep history alive!
