East Baltic school was built by members of the community as a community project with everyone helping to build the structure. The land for the school was donated by Eugene Murphy. The school district took in the area from the center of the East Baltic Road to the Father James Road. Grades 1 to 8 were taught at the East Baltic school. The school was built on land that had a brook right below it and the students would use the brook to keep their milk and kool-aide cold, by putting a string on their bottle and tying it to a branch. At this school there were two 15 minute recesses during the day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon and an hour break for lunch at noon. Students would play outside games at recess and noon hour when the weather was good and when it was stormy they would play inside for the breaks.

The local Women’s Institute was an invaluable support to the school. The women would take part in the fundraising and support of the school. They would help out where they could and took care of many of the things that needed to be done at the school.

In 1967 one of the teachers remembers being paid in part by the government, about $200 a month, and also receiving an annual supplement from the community that was about $350.

Some former teachers at the East Baltic School were Jerome MacDonald, Mary Ellen Power, John J. Campbell, Nellie E. Lannan, John D. MacAulay, Erma (MacGregor) Stewart, Margaret Murphy, Annabelle (Ryan) Mossey, Estelle (Campbell) Conway, Mildred (Rose) Goldin, James (Paddy) MacInnis, Hilda MacEachern, Kenneth Doucette, Martha (Robertson) MacGregor, Marguerite MacMahon, Florence MacLean, Jean (MacGregor) Hender, Inex Dixon, Kenneth Campbell, Margaret (MacIsaac) MacPhee, and Lynn Ann Dixon.

Community History

The name East Baltic dates from the Napolenic Wars when there was timber export from the Maritimes to Britain because the Baltic ports were closed to Britain. The area was settled in 1842 and was named Baltic. It was later called East Baltic when the West Baltic area was set up in Glencorradale.

Early settlers included names such as: Bruce, Campbell, Curry, Dunphy, Griffin, Holland, Humphrey, Leet, MacAulay, Mooney, Morrow, Nicholson, Ryan, Stewart, and Wilson.

There was a post office in East Baltic from 1877 until 1970.

Two forges were located in East Baltic, one owned by Nicholson and another owned by Isadore and Hubert Murphy.

There was a railway station in East Baltic beginning in 1912 with Edward Mossey as the station agent.

A starch factory was built in 1907, by Harvey MacEwen of St. Peters, across from the school. Potatoes were ground into starch and shipped by rail to Montreal.

A grist mill was located near the starch factory. It was owned and operated by John MacNeil.

Copyright
Waldron H. Leard