Location: 513 Upper Scotch Line, at the corner of Allans Mills Road
Legal Description: Lot 12, Concession 10, North Burgess Ward
This former schoolhouse is recognized for its age of over 150 years, the quality of its rough-course stone masonry construction typical of this region in the mid-1800s, and its role in early community life.
Built in 1856 on a one-half acre (0.2 hectare) lot, sold by the Allan family of nearby Allans Mills, the stone school building is the third school at this location to serve the area’s children. It was preceded by a log building, dating back to 1825, and, later, a frame building. The three played a significant role in the development of the local community, extending over 140 years. The school, which eventually combined Burgess No. 1 and No. 2 schools, closed in 1968, when the township’s one-room, rural schools were centralized with the construction of Glen Tay Public School, on the Harper Road.
The building’s original interior and exterior have been largely maintained, providing a rare view of a late 19th/early 20th century rural schoolhouse, a credit to the trustees of the Upper Scotch Line Cemetery, of which it is a part.