Historic Sites of Manitoba: Stephenfield School No. 518 (Stephenfield, RM of Dufferin)

Stephenfield School District No. 518 was established formally in March 1887, in the northwest quarter of 18-6-6 west of the Principal Meridian, in the Rural Municipality of Dufferin. It was named for local settler John Stevenson, on whose land the school was situated.

The first school building opened in 1889, being replaced in 1906 by a structure designed by Carman architect Edmund Watson, and located at NW19-6-6W. The school operated until November 1920 when it joined with Lusk School No. 2048 to become Stephenfield Consolidated School No. 2048 at NW20-6-6W. In 1948, high student enrollment necessitated the construction of a second room and the hiring of a second teacher. Grades 1 to 4 were held in one room, and grades 5 to 10 in the other. A closeable partition between the rooms could be opened to provide a larger space for community events.

The school closed in April 1961 and the district was dissolved that July. The building and site were used for school purposes by the Graysville School District until, in 1966, they were sold to local farmer Jacob Bergen, who moved the building to his farmyard (about N49.49445, W98.25508). As of 2013, the building was standing abandoned. A monument was dedicated at its former site during a reunion held on 4-5 August 1990.

Teachers

Teacher	Year(s)
Nellie B. Armson	1931-1935
Mrs. A. E. Baldwin	1924-1925
Evelena Bell	1889
Anne Evalin Black	1943-1944
Fern Bottrell	1956-1957
Lilian Bready	1913
Mrs. A. Brockman	1925-1926
Miss M. Bulstein	1941
Mrs. Cecil Mary Burton	1945-1946
Catherine M. Byrne	1944-1945
Beatrice Campbell	1906-1907
Susie Carrigan	1893
Elizabeth Closs	1912
Wilhelmine I. Cochran	1954-1956
Jean E. Coutts	1910
R. W. Cumming	1895
Grace Dunlop	1908
Thelma Ellerington	1938-1940
Olive G. Findlay	1930
Eleanor French	1918-1919
Maude H. Grant	1899-1900
Mrs. Ruby Gray	1960-1966
Cliff Gunn	1917-1918
Gertrude Hamblin	1919-1921
Miriam Helman	1916
Robert Hobbs	1957-1959
Ethel Johnson	1909
Cynthia Keith	1959-1960
Alex Klimchuk	1953-1954
Mabel Leslie	1909
Rita M. Lynch	1935-1938
Annette Marchand	1942-1943
Isabelle May	1915-1916
E. M. McFarlane	1898
Joan McIntosh	1960-1965
Dougald McIntyre	1906
Donald McLeod	1908
R. McNevin	1897
Archibald Alexander McPhail	1890-1892
Myrtle Munday	1949-1950
Anne Neufeld (Mrs. John A. Unrau)	1949-1953
Roland H. B. North	1908
Rosalie Orchard	1953-1954
Miss B. Oxley	1941-1942
Hazel L. Poyser	1940-1941
A. T. Purcell	1921-1923
Archie Purcell	1913-1914
James Refvik	1959-1960
V. Ross	1948-1949
Lillian Shackleton	1951-1953
G. W. Staples	1894
Margaret Bruce Stark	1911
Nellie Hamblin Stevenson	1927-1930, 1954-1957
Harry F. Tiessen	1965-1966
J. E. Tisdale	1894
Jenny M. Waldie	1896
Robert C. Warden	1901
Anne B. Wiens	1946-1949
Katherine I. Wuschenny	1957-1958
Miss E. York	1912
Edith A. Young	1905

Photos & Coordinates

Stephenfield School before addition of a second classroom (no date) by A. J. Manning Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 84. Some former Stephenfield School students and trustees during the unveiling of the school monument (August 1990) Source: Len Goldsborough Stephenfield School commemorative monument (August 2010) Source: Gordon Goldsborough The former Stephenfield School building (June 2013) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Interior of the former Stephenfield School building (June 2013) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.50081, W98.25037 denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

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.

“Stephenfield School District, No. 518 and No. 2048, 1889-1966,” Reunion and Dedication, August 4 & 5, 1990, unpublished pamphlet held by Gordon Goldsborough.

Roseisle School: 1892-1992, A Century of Service to the Community, compiled by Ina Leary Bramadat, 2006.

Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.

We thank Joan Hodgson Goldsborough for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 13 June 2021

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. SEARCH the collection Browse lists of: Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | Other Inclusion 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. Search Tips | Suggest an Historic Site | FAQ Help us keep history alive!