Enoch Turner School facts for kids
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| Established | 1848 |
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| Location | 106 Trinity Street, Toronto, Ontario Canada |
| Type | Ontario Heritage Trust historic site and museum |
| Type: | Part IV - Property of cultural heritage value or interest |
| Designated: | 2000 |
The Enoch Turner Schoolhouse is a special historic place and museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It used to be a school. Now, the Ontario Heritage Trust owns it. This building was first built in 1848. Back then, people called it the Ward School. You can find it at 106 Trinity Street. This school is the oldest one still standing in Toronto!
Contents
History of the Schoolhouse
How the School Started
A rich brewer named Enoch Turner (1792–1866) built this school in 1848. He was a kind person who wanted to help others. He built the school to teach children in a poor area near his brewery. Many families there had moved from County Cork in Ireland. Because of this, the area became known as Corktown. It still has that nickname today!
Enoch Turner paid for the schoolhouse to be built. The land was given by the nearby Little Trinity Church. The school opened in 1849. It had room for 240 students. Mr. Turner paid for the school to run for three years. It was the first free school in Toronto.
Free Education for Everyone
Enoch Turner started his free school after a law was passed in 1846. This law, called the Common Schools Act, allowed cities to collect money for public education. But city leaders did not want to collect these taxes. So, all schools that got public money closed for a year. This made Enoch Turner want to open his school. His school helped start the idea of free public schools in the province.
In 1850, people voted for school trustees. These trustees would manage money for education. Free public education officially began at the Trinity Street School in 1851. Each day, there were 80 to 90 students in one class. They were all at different learning levels. Many teachers worked there. One famous teacher was Mrs. Jane Henderson. She taught from 1858 to 1859.
Changes Over the Years
In 1859, classes moved to the Palace Street School. This school was nearby. The Trinity Street School building went back to Little Trinity Church. From the 1860s to the 1960s, the school building was used for other things. It became a parish hall and a Sunday school for the church.
The building also helped during important times. It was a place where soldiers signed up during the Second Boer War and World War I. During the Great Depression, it was a soup kitchen. A big fire happened at Little Trinity Church in 1961. After the fire, the church could not afford to take care of the school building. It started to fall apart. By the late 1960s, people planned to tear it down.
Saving the Schoolhouse
A group of citizens and church members wanted to save the building. They started the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse Foundation on October 8, 1970. The old Trinity Street School was renamed Enoch Turner Schoolhouse. The building was fixed up inside and out. It then opened as a living history site. It also became a place for meetings and parties.
In March 2008, the Ontario Heritage Trust took over the schoolhouse. The Foundation still works with the Trust. They help support the schoolhouse's programs. Today, the museum offers education programs by appointment. You can also visit during regular hours.
Some movies have been filmed at the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse. One example is Down the Road Again (2011).
Building Design
Style and Features
The schoolhouse is a one-story brick building. It is built in the Gothic Revival style. An English architect named Henry Bowyer Lane likely designed it. He worked in Canada from about 1841 to 1847. He also designed the Little Trinity Church nearby in 1845.
The schoolhouse has unusual windows. They look like exclamation marks! These windows are on either side of the front door. In 1869, the building got bigger. A part was added to the west side. This new part was designed by Henry Langley. He became a very important architect in Ontario.
Museum Connections
The Enoch Turner Schoolhouse is connected with other groups. These include the CMA, the CHIN, and the Virtual Museum of Canada.
See also
