Historic Sites of Manitoba: Oxford School No. 257 (Municipality of Prairie View)

A monument marks the former site of Oxford School at NE19-16-27W in what is now the Municipality of Prairie View. Established formally in September 1882, a log school building operated at SE19-16-27W from 1883 to 1901. In the latter year, a new school was constructed a half miles north of the original site, and it remained open until June 1960. The district was dissolved in 1961, and its remaining students went to Birtle Consolidated School No. 132. The former school building was moved to another site where it was renovated into a private residence.

The teachers of Oxford School were Mr. Muir, Mr. Sherrin, Mr. Campbell (1890), Mr. Cartmell, Mr. Brien (1892), Mr. Wyatt (1896), Mrs. Glass, Miss Bessie Huggins (1900), Miss Kinley (1903-1904), Mr. A. E. Barteaux (1905), Miss Sylvia Markle (1906), J. Branscombe (1906-1907), Miss Christina Grant (1908-1909), Miss Mary Dutton (1909), Mr. J. K. Purdiel (1909-1910), Miss Kate Robertson (1911-1912), Mr. Leighton (1913-1914), Miss Ella Stewart (1915-1918), Miss M. Shillington (1918-1919, 1920-1923), Miss Agnes Dudley, Miss Irvinel (1924-1925), Miss V. Buchanan (1925-1926), Miss Doris McQuarrie (1926), Miss Thelma Barber (1927-1928), Miss Laurie Johnston (1928-1929), Miss Maude Bradley (1929-1930), Miss Myrtle Hamilton (1930-1932, Miss Clara Crew (1932-1936, 1937-1938), Miss Verna Lunday (1936), Mr. M. E. Mayes (1937), Miss Nellie Finch (1938-1940), Miss Eileen Pratt (1940-1941), Mrs. Pascoe (1941-1944), Miss E. Quelch (1945-1946), Mr. L. H. Bonner (1946-1948), Miss C. Gartner (1948-1949), Miss M. Austin (1949-1950), Miss Beverley Shier (1950-1951), Miss Eshelby (1951-1952), Miss Hamburg (1952-1953), Mrs. McLarin (1953-1955), Ellen Veronica Whelan Bickford (1956-1959), and Mrs. Doherty (1959-1960).

The second Oxford School

The second Oxford School (no date) by G. W. Bartlett
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-1, page 10.

The former Oxford School building

The former Oxford School building (circa 1986)
Source: Historic Resources Branch, Public School Buildings Inventory, slide 151.

Oxford School commemorative monument

Oxford School commemorative monument (October 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.37369, W101.17715
denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

Wandering in Wattsview: Wattsview History, 1879-1967 by Wattsview Centennial Club, 1967. [Manitoba Legislative Library, F5649.W28 Wan]

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.

A Study of Public School Buildings in Manitoba by David Butterfield, Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 1994, 230 pages.

We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 19 May 2024

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