Historic Sites of Manitoba: Falmouth School No. 1856 (RM of Alonsa)

This location in the Rural Municipality of Alonsa was the site of Falmouth School. The school district was organized formally in February 1917 and the one-room schoolhouse became part of the Glenella municipal school system in 1936. The school closed in June 1962 and students were bussed to Amaranth School.

Among the former teachers of Falmouth School were Catherine Wiens (1917-1919, wife of novelist Frederick Philip Grove, who referred to the facility in his writing as “Plymouth School”), Sidney Crook (1919-1920), M. McCoughlin (1921-1922), Ed Moffat, Bill Johnston (1922-1923), R. A. Ruthledge, A. A. Sanford (1923-1924), G. S. Guest, L. S. Dumeresq (1924-1925), Margaret Marshall (1925-1927), A. McConnell (1927-1928), F. M. Westwood (1928-1929), Ella Humphrey, W. Baty (1929-1930), E. M. Henders, L. A. Hamilton (1930-1933), Jean Henderson, Charles Morden (1933-1934), Thomas McKay (1934-1938), Mrs. E. Gemmill (1941-1945), Mrs. Graffin (1945-1948), Philip Herchak (1948-1949), Mrs. Abrey (1949-1950), L. E. Schmidt, Dona Johnson (1950-1953), Beatrice Fulton, Agnes Single, James Norris (1953-1954), Joan Finnbogason (1954-1955), Mrs. Hilf Thompson (1955-1957), Leila Duffin (1957-1959), Helen Skrabek (1959-1960), Mrs. Oliver (1960-1961), and Mrs. Meikle (1961-1962).

A monument in Glenella commemorates Falmouth School. The former school building and its associated teacherage remained at the site for many years and were used by a local farmer for equipment storage and as a vehicle garage. In deteriorating condition, the school was finally burned down around 2010, the teacherage having been removed years earlier.

Falmouth School (no date) by C. K. Rogers Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 46. Falmouth School building (1960s) Source: Historic Resources Branch, 1856, HRR734. Falmouth School building and teacherage (1960s) Source: Historic Resources Branch, 1856, HRR424. Falmouth School building (2003) Source: Alvin Suderman Falmouth School teacherage (2003) Source: Alvin Suderman Site of the former Falmouth School building (August 2012) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Members of the Dumanske family who saved the sign from the former Falmouth School building (August 2012) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.59436, W98.89670 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Amaranth War Memorial, Schools, and Churches (Amaranth, RM of Alonsa)

Memorable Manitobans: Frederick Philip Grove (1871-1948)

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.

Tracks of Time: Glenella and Districts by Glenella History Committee, 1990, pages 136-137. [Manitoba Legislative Library, F5648.G65 Tra]

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

“Author left some red faces” by Bill Redekop, Winnipeg Free Press, 26 August 2003, page B2.

We thank Logan Dumanske, who lives near the former site of Falmouth School, and Darryl Toews and Alvin Suderman for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 9 August 2023

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