The Brown Lea School District was established formally in August 1886 and the first classes were held in 1887. The school was situated in the northwest quarter of 20-4-19 west of the Principal Meridian, in what is now the Municipality of Boissevain-Morton. The original building was replaced by a wood frame structure built in 1902 by contractor A. King. The school closed in January 1967 but, as of 2010, the vacant building remains at the site. A stone monument dedicated on 7 July 1968 stands nearby.
Among the teachers of Brown Lea School were Miss Lucy Cockburn (1887), Miss Eliza (1888), Miss Ross (1898), Miss Edith Young (1902), and Mrs. Eva Gouldie.
Brown Lea School (no date) by W. J. Parr
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-1, page 66.
The former Brown Lea School building (circa 1986)
Source: Historic Resources Branch, Public School Buildings Inventory, slide 785.
The former Brown Lea School building (August 2010)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Brown Lea School commemorative monument (August 2010)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.32538, W99.99184
denoted by symbol on the map above
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.
Beckoning Hills Revisited: Ours is a Goodly Heritage, Morton-Boissevain, 1881-1981 by Boissevain History Committee, c1981, page 184.
A Study of Public School Buildings in Manitoba by David Butterfield, Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 1994, 230 pages.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 20 September 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!
