The Edenburg School District (known as Neuanlage School District in early days) was established in 1883 by By-Law No. 13 of the Douglas Municipality and was formalized in October 1884. A one-room schoolhouse operated along the Post Road (now highway 243) at SE11-1-1W in what is now the Municipality of Rhineland. It is believed to have been the first public school district formed in the Mennonite West Reserve. At one point, enrollment reached a high of 48 students. By 1953, with dwindling numbers of students, the district was amalgamated with the Edenthal School District No. 756 and all students attended the Edenburg facility.
In 1965, as enrollment dropped to a low of 16 students, the school was closed for one year, with students bused to Gretna School. It was closed permanently in January 1967. The district was dissolved and its area, along with that of Silberfeld School District No. 1590 and Strassberg School District No. 757, became part of the Gretna Consolidated School District. In 1972, they joined the Rhineland School Division. The former school building was moved to Altona where it was renovated into a private residence.
The teachers who worked at Edenburg School through the years included Jacob Enns (1883-1886), Klaas Peters (1886-1888), Heinrich Wiebe (1887-1888), Heinrich Enns (1888-1898), Benjamin Ewert (1891-1901), Mr. P. Dueck (1898-1899), Mr. P. H. Siemens (1899-1900), Mr. P. M. Friesen (1900-1901), Mr. P. M. Siemens (1900-1905), Mr. A. Gerbrandt (1904-1905), Peter R. Siemens (1905-1906), Marg M. Friesen (1905-1906), Mr. P. H. Siemens (1906-1907), Peter Klassen (1907-1908), Peter A. Schellenberg (1907-1908), Gustav Penner (1908-1911), Susan Neufeld (1911-1912), John R. Friesen (1912-1916), Jacob Kornelsen (1916-1917), Frank U. Dueck (1917-1919), John R. Friesen (1919-1923), Agnes Wiebe (1923-1924), Mr. P. J. Unrau (1924-1929), Jacob G. Siemens (1929-1934), Mr. H. H. Rempel (1934-1937), Mr. P. H. Schellenberg (1937-1940), John F. Wiebe (1940-1942), Helen Wiebe (1942-1944), Helen Toews (1944-1945), Mr. L. E. Toews (1945-1946), Henry Klassen (1946-1947), Jack Thiessen (1947-1950), Alma Thiessen (1950-1952), David Thiessen (1952-1953), Gerhard Peter Neufeld (1953-1954), Mr. E. A. Kroeger (1954-1957), Anne Hildebrand (1957-1958), Jim Friesen (1958-1959), Art Peters (1959-1960), Opal Kliewer (1960-1961), and Mr. J. J. Enns (1961-1965).
Edenburg School, built in 1910, with the lower portion at right a teacherage (no date)
Source: Altona and District Heritage Research Centre
Aerial view of the Edenburg School site, showing a larger teacherage moved to the site following the 1953 amalgamation with Edenthal School. Also visible is the barn used to house horses ridden to school by students, and a pair of outhouses for boys and girls. (no date)
Source: Altona and District Heritage Research Centre
The former Edenburg School site (November 2020)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.01595, W97.49291
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Edenburg Monument (Municipality of Rhineland)
“The Indian famine fund,” Winnipeg Tribune, 4 March 1897, page 4.
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.
We thank Nathan Kramer, Rose Kuzina, Sarah Hughes, and Melanie Pedersen for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Al Schmidt (Altona and District Heritage Research Centre) and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 3 November 2023
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