Built in 1858 by stonemason Duncan McRae, this house overlooking the Red River in the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews was the residence for a private girl’s school run by Matilda Davis until 1873. The school was supported by families of the Red River Settlement and by officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company from across western Canada who sent their daughters here to be educated as English ladies on a variety of subjects such as French, music, drawing, dancing, needlework, and deportment. After the Davis family vacated it in the late 19th century, the building was sold. In 1936, it was purchased by businessman John Curtis Harrington Edy (1885-1972) who named it Twin Oaks for a pair of oak trees on the property. A plaque was erected near the site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Twin Oaks (May 1965)
Source: Archives of Manitoba, George Harris Fonds, Acc. 1979-141, P7448, Album 2, Page 3.
Twin Oaks (1970)
Source: Archives of Manitoba, Architectural Survey - St. Andrews.
Twin Oaks (September 2017)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Twin Oaks commemorative plaque (September 2017)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N50.05599, W96.98806
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Early Red River Homes by Lillian Gibbons
MHS Transactions, Series 3, 1945-46 SeasonHistoric Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Plaques for Persons, Events and Sites of National Historic Significance
Memorable Manitobans: Matilda Davis (c1820-1873)
Death registration [John Curtis Harrington Edy], British Columbia Vital Statistics.
We thank Don Edy for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Tim Worth.
Page revised: 15 August 2019
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