East Point school was first build in the early 1900's by the residents of the area, with an addition added around 1938. East Point school was home to grades one to ten where students studied the "3 R's" (Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic), Spelling, British and Canadian History, Geography, and Nature Studies. The school was located at the end of the Lighthouse Road, where Laura and Joe MacDonald's house is now located. Students would have an hour at noon for lunch and two ten minute breaks during the day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. At recess they would play baseball and other outdoor games in the spring and fall, skating and sledding in the winter and on stormy days they would play cards indoors.

In 1933 the superintendent was Mr. Herb Murphy who was from Panamure Island and he later was replaced by Mr. Harold Hynes. When the superintendent would visit he would ask the students questions that they would have to answer and he would also look over the students’ scribblers and work.

The Women’s Institute formed a branch at East Point in 1917. The needs of the school for supplies and such were taken care of by the members of the local Women’s Institute. Usually two members of the Institute would come about once a month to see if there was anything that the school needed or if there was anything that needed to be done at the school.

Red Cross meetings were held at the school every second week.

Former teachers at East Point included : 1916-18 Marjorie Campbell, 1919-20 closed because there was no teacher, June 1920 Helen Stewart, 1920-22 Cecilia MacDonald, 1922-23 Edna MacDonald and Eva Mooney, 1923-24 Eva Mooney, 1924-25 Helen MacDonald, 1925 -28 Russell St. John, 1928-29 Aug and Sept Russell St. John and Oct to June Matilda St. John, 1929-30 Matilda St. John, 1930-31 Mary J. Mullally, 1931-33 Marion I. MacDonald, 1933-37 Laurena Shreenan, 1937-38 Isobel MacAulay, 1938-40 Rita (Stephen) MacDonald (who later became a nun), 1940-43 Frances (Fran) Cheverie (later Rose).

Community History

The East Point community was first settled by the French. It was known as Pointe de’Est in 1686 on a map of the Ile-Sainte Jean and Isle de Breton. In 1750 it was known as Point Rouge. Surveyor Samuel Holland named it East Point in 1765. Some of the shipwrecks include: Betsy in August 1792, True Friend in 1824, Santo Domingo in 1832, The Planter in 1833, Yankee Gale in 1851, George S. Fegg in 1873, Lydia A Heno in 1873, Quebec in 1879, Phoenix in 1882, Mary F. Pyke in 1902, Assiniboine in 1945, Arthena M. in 1950, Lentna in 1950, The Caraland in 1962.

Francois Douville and Matthieu Turin were the first settlers recorded in the 1728 French Census. The French Settlement was destroyed by fire in 1738.

The East Point Lighthouse was built in 1867, about one mile west of the present location. Alexandra Beaton was the first lighthouse keeper. The lighthouse was moved to it present location in 1908. A fog horn was installed in 1885. Lighthouse keepers included: Alexander Beaton, Lauchlin MacDonald, Angus MacIntyre, Stewart MacIntyre (Angus’s son), Harry Harris.

Lobster factories were built on the Beaton property with another factory built at Diligent Pond.

The first post office was at the home of Alexander Beaton.

Early English settlers to East Point include Lauchlin MacDonald from Scotland in 1790, the Beatons, Fords and Peebles.

Copyright
Waldron H. Leard