Historic Sites of Manitoba: Kensington School District No. 787 (RM of Rosser)

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The Kensington School District was established in January 1894 in the Rural Municipality of Rosser. Classes were held at the residence of Walter James before a schoolhouse was built. This first school was located at 25-12-1W on land donated by James, who served was a long-time school trustee and chairman. By 1910, the school was thought to be poorly situated and, in July, a tender was issued to move the school and outbuildings to a more central site almost two miles away. It is unknown if that move was actually undertaken. In the summer of 1911, land at NW30-12-1E for a more centrally-located school was purchased from Robert Simpson. A one-room, wood frame schoolhouse was erected over the summer by Stonewall contractor D. A. Campbell at a cost of $2082.69. Classes began there in the fall, with finishing elements and added features installed in the spring of 1912. The district was consolidated with the Grosse Isle School District No. 689 in May 1919, then forming the new Grosse Isle Consolidated School District No. 1975. After consolidation, this Kensington school building was remodeled into a private residence. It was destroyed by fire in 1991.

The teachers of Kensington School included Miss Taylor (1895), Jean Russell (1895), Miss Cleland (1898), Miss McCullough (1907-1908), Miss Briggs (1911), Josephine E. A. Paterson (1915-1916), Lily M. Pogue (1916), Edna M. Cross (1917), Mattie C. Halliday (1918), Claribel Rice (1918), and Kathleen Mary Matheson (1918-1919).

Kensington School (no date) Source: The First Hundred Years: 1893-1993 - Rural Municipality of Rosser, page 105. Site Location (lat/long): N50.04735, W97.45886 denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

“Rosser,” Manitoba Free Press, 28 November 1894, page 7.

“Rosser,” Winnipeg Tribune, 29 June 1895, page 4.

“Rosser,” Winnipeg Tribune, 10 February 1898, page 4.

“Threatened by prairie fire,” Winnipeg Tribune, 23 November 1904, page 2.

“Tenders [Kensington School District; former school building],” Manitoba Free Press, 9 July 1910, page 2.

“School site dispute,” Winnipeg Tribune, 20 April 1911, page 5.

“Tenders [Kensington School District, new school],” Manitoba Free Press, 2 May 1911, page 2.

The First Hundred Years: 1893-1993 - Rural Municipality of Rosser, Rural Municipality of Rosser Centennial History Book Committee.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Kensington School District #787 - Minute Books, GR2043, Archives of Manitoba.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Kensington School District #787 - Daily Register, GR0474, Archives of Manitoba.

School division half-yearly attendance reports (E 0757), Archives of Manitoba.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 18 March 2017

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