The Red Brick School

Photo by July 8, 2007

Plaque Location

The County of Leeds and Grenville
The Township of Rideau Lakes
In front of the Red Brick School, which is located at the junction of Halladay and Church streets in Elgin, off Highway 15.

Plaque Text

Opened in 1887, this charming two-room brick school, built by local contractor Fred Taber, replaced a smaller wood-frame building. School Section No. 5 in South Crosby is a very early example of the late 19th century campaign to improve Ontario's system of public education through the construction of better buildings. Committed to fostering social, moral and economic progress through formal classroom instruction, the province's Department of Education encouraged late Victorian era school boards to erect larger, more sophisticated schools. Although local officials were often reluctant to raise the taxes necessary to finance such expensive departmental initiatives, some forward-looking communities, such as Elgin, sponsored the construction of architecturally elaborate schools, which showcased their local pride and commitment to progress through education.

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