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E8TABLI8HING CQEDIBILITY
Early Hislory - by John oneyd
ColhnBwood. a new Lown incorporaled in 1858. was formerly a swampy
piece of real eslale known in Lhe area as Hen 0 Chickens Harbour_ By a slroke of luck. a liLUe polilical manoeuvrinB and Lhe proper Be- OBraphical Brede elevalions. a railway link was eslablished in 1855 and Lhe fulure Browlh of Lhis GeorBian Bay Communily seemed secure. En- Lrepreneurs rushed Lo Lhe area and many visionaries crealed numerous Lown plans. fUied in swampy lands. buill a beauliful railway slalion. crealed a business area and Lhus. Lhe beBinninBs of an orderly residenlial de- velopment. evolved. In Lhis busLiinB environment. Lhe rools ofearly com munily educalion were derived. Upper Cnada (Onlario) borrowed from EnBland Lhe Lerm "Grammar & hool". This Lerm referred Lo a hiBher educalion or as we know il. a HiBh & hool educalion. No allowances were Biven Lo "common.. or elemenlary school because Lhe leaders of Lhe day. in Lheir wisdom. expecled Lhis early educalion Lobe pri- valely financed as il was in EnBiand. Upper Canada (laler OnLario) was oriBinally divided mlo dislricls before counlries were eslablished. The Govemmenl. m 1807. "allowed for Lhe eslablished and financial sup- porl of a Brammer or hiBh school m each dislricl. .. In Lhe elilisl Lra d1Lion Lhe ho me dislricl. known as o imcoe Counly in 184'3. proclaimed Lruslees for a Brammar school board in Barrie. Lhe firsl and only one in Lhe counly. By 185'3 dislricl Brammar schools became an inleBral parl of Lhe educalional syslem in Lhe Province. The acl of 185'3 ··QeBulaled Lhe course ofsludies and aulhorized municipal councils Lo levy Laxes for Lhe buildinB. mainlenance and equipment. of Brammer schools and Lhe paymenl ofleacher·s salaries" . Counly councils were empowered Lo reBulale Lhe leBislal1on. They were Lo appoinl school Lruslees and Lhese Lruslees were allowed l o appoint. Lhe Leachers. who were re - quired lo be universily Braduales. In 1857. one year before Lhe Town of CollinBwood was mcorporaled. Lhe Counly O f oimcoe crealed a SlandinB Commillee Lo mvesliBale educalional needs in Lhe Counly. In reporl No. '2 On June '20. 1857. Lhe commillee recommended Lhe
eslablishmenl of Lwo addilional Brammar schools in Lhe Counly. one in Bradford and Lhe olher in CollinBwood. The dislance lo Lhe nearesl Brammer school (33 miles) necessilaled Lhe CollinBwood decision. Al Lhe same meelinB. Lhe Counly passed By-La~· LXXV eslablishinB Lhe "CollinBwood Grammar & hool.. and Lruslees were appoinled. Thus Lhe early beBinninBs of CollinBwood ColleBiale were leBally in place. The Qev. John LanBlry orBanized and ran Lhe firsl Brammar schooL He was Lhe firsl headmaster. 6ix olher headmasters followed durinB Lhe 1860's and early 1870's. No municipal laxes were levied Lo supporl Lhe school as Lhis was nol compulsory accordinB Lo Lhe Grammar 6chool Acl. Aboul one-half of Lhe Onlario Grammar schools had Lo survive Lhis way. Therefore. wilh money liBhl and no public buildinBS in exis- lence. Lhe school moved Lo several Lemporary quarlers. ll was housed in Lhe lnlernalional HoleL where lhe Bank of Monlreal is presenlly silu-aled. IL Lhen moved Lo Lhe 6.E. comer of Onlario and Huronlario 6Lreel m lhe lrue Blue House Hole!. presenl sile of the Gayely Thea lre. From Lhere il was housed in a Pine slreel home and Lhen in Qev. LanBLry's home. Qockcourl. before il found a home in Lhe lown Hall in 1866. This buildinB. presenlly a home on 6L. Paul o lreel across from Lhe CollinBwood Museum. was oriBinally silualed on lhe MuseumProp- erly.By1867.ourYearofConfederalion.CollinBwoodhadapopu lalion of 1500 and could boasl of runninB a Brammer (hiBh) school and a common (elemenlary) schooL The Uniled 6Lales and Brilain were in- nuencinB Onlario wilh Lheir Browlh of democracy. By Lhe mid 1860's Onlario Grammar schools. moslly lhe reserves of well "lo do" sons. were beBinninB l o open t.o Birls By 1870 an adverLisemenl in Lhe Col linBwood paper sel oul Lhe Boals of Lhe schooL QEV. C. .)EMMETT. MA HEADMA6TEQ - COLLINGWOOD GQAMMAQ oCHOOL A FIQ6T CLA66 6EMINAQY AIMING AT MOQAL AND INTELI,ECTUAL IMPQOVE- MENT OF PUP11..6. IT Hi\6 BEN ENABLED TO MAKE AQQANGEMENTo FOQ ADMI6610N OF CIQLO. -BOAQDING OUT AQQANGEMENT6 CAN BE MADE - W.B. HAMII,TON - TQUoTEE. YounB women beBan lo apply for