Historic Sites of Manitoba: Thames School No. 1991 (Municipality of Rhineland)

Link to:
Principals | Vice-Principals | Teachers | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

The Thames School District was established in February 1920 and a one-room schoolhouse operated at SE20-2-2W in what is now the Municipality of Rhineland. Increasing student enrollment necessitated the construction of a second school building at the site. In 1938, as enrollment increased even more, the original school was renamed Thames South and a second building, called Thames North, was constructed about two miles north at NW29-2-2W (about N49.16238, W97.69736). The two buildings at the Thames South site were replaced in 1946 by a single, two-classroom structure. A third classroom in its basement was opened in 1959, to accommodate students in grades 9 to 11.

The Thames North School closed in 1964 and was moved to another site for use as a granary. Its former site reverted to agricultural land. In 1971, the district became part of the Rhineland School Division. The two-classroom Thames South School building continued in operation until 1976 when it closed. The building was dismantled in 1977 but the schoolyard continued to be used for community activities. A monument at the site erected in August 2004 commemorates the pioneers, teachers, trustees, and students of Thames School.

Principals

Period	Principal
1960-1961	John B. Wiebe

Teachers

School Year	Teachers
1960-1961	Miss Helen Giesbrecht (grades 5-8), Miss Margaret Harder (grades 1-4), Victor Enns (Thames North, grades 1-8)

Among the other teachers of Thames School was Mary Reimer.

Photos & Coordinates

The first Thames South School building (no date) by G. G. Neufeld Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 73. Thames North School building (no date) by G. G. Neufeld Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 73. The two-classroom Thames South School built in 1946 (no date) Source: Irene & Walter Giesbrecht Thames School commemorative monument (November 2020) Source: Rose Kuzina Plaque on the Thames School commemorative monument (no date) Source: Al Schmidt Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.13359, W97.68448 denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

Altona East topographic map, 62H/4 East, Edition 1 ASE, Series A743 [UFS Reference Collection].

Thames High School [Yearbook], 1961. [Copy in possession of Gordon Goldsborough]

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.

We thank Al Schmidt (Altona and District Heritage Research Centre), Henry Unger, J. C. Fehr, Irene & Walter Giesbrecht, Ed Giesbrecht, Marie Dueck, and Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 30 April 2021

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