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Maxstone School

Stonehenge RM 73, Saskatchewan, S0H, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2004/07/12

View northwest at front elevation of school, 2005.; Government of Saskatchewan, Marvin Thomas, 2005.
School and Grounds
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Other Name(s)

Maxstone School
Stonehenge School

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1925/01/01 to 1925/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2006/06/26

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Maxstone School is a Municipal Heritage Property located in the Rural Municipality of Stonehenge No. 73, approximately 15 km south of the Town of Assiniboia and .5 km north of the Hamlet of Maxstone. Occupying a grassy .85-ha parcel of rural land, the property features a one-room, wood-frame schoolhouse built in 1925 and a commemorative cairn that was erected in 1986. A lean-to shelter attached to the south side of the school, a baseball backstop, and a beer garden enclosure are non-contributing resources.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of Maxstone School lies in its contribution to education in the Maxstone area. Homesteading in this part of Saskatchewan began in 1909 and, typical of pioneer communities, one of the first priorities of the settlers was the establishment of educational facilities. The homesteaders organized Stonehenge School District No. 2436 in 1909, and built a small one-room school the following year. By 1925, the community had outgrown this first facility and a larger school was built one mile to the south on a site next to St. Mary’s Catholic church and the route of an anticipated CPR rail line. In 1927, the name of the school district and the new school was changed to “Maxstone,” after the nearby Hamlet of Maxstone, which had been quickly established after the arrival of the rail line in 1926.

The new school was built by local contractor Peder Thompson using plans obtained from the Waterman-Waterbury Company, a school supply company that provided designs and equipment for many of Saskatchewan’s smaller schools during this period. The large one-room Maxstone School, which could accommodate nearly 100 pupils, sat on a full basement and included such amenities as indoor toilets and a basement furnace. The school’s design allowed for installation of a removable partition to create two rooms when enrolment increased and space for separate elementary and high school instruction was needed. The school served its community’s educational needs until 1963, when declining enrolment prompted its closure.

Heritage value also resides in the school’s long-standing role as a community gathering place. Throughout the years, the school provided a venue for social events, and was used by the area’s Protestant denominations for their church services. Today, it still hosts an annual Father’s Day picnic and ball game. The school is also valued as one of the few surviving structures associated with the Hamlet of Maxstone. A cairn and plaque erected in 1986 commemorate the school’s important role in the life of the community.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Stonehenge No. 73 Bylaw No. 6/04.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of Maxstone School resides in the following character-defining elements:
-elements that identify the building as an early-twentieth century country schoolhouse, including its simple massing and form; hip roof; shake shingles; clapboard siding; the pattern of the window openings, including the “window wall” on the west side of the building; multi-pane windows in wood casings; central entrance with double wood doors; the interior classroom space; and the wood flooring and mouldings, v-joint wainscot and plaster-and-lath walls;
-elements that speak to the property’s connection to the community and its role as a gathering place, including the school’s location on its original site, the open grounds, and the commemorative cairn and plaque.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Saskatchewan

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (SK)

Recognition Statute

Heritage Property Act, s. 11(1)(a)

Recognition Type

Municipal Heritage Property

Recognition Date

2004/07/12

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1925/01/01 to 1963/12/31

Theme - Category and Type

Building Social and Community Life
Education and Social Well-Being

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Education
One-Room School

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

Peder Thompson

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Department of Culture Youth and Recreation Heritage Resources Branch 1919 Saskatchewan Drive Regina, SK File: MHP 2273

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

MHP 2273

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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