The Elmira schools taught students in grades 1-10, they were taught subjects in Reading, Writing, Arthimetic, History, Spelling, Grammar, Geography, History, Science and French. Some of the teachers at the Elmira school were: Winifred MacInnis, Margaret Campbell, Marguerite Machon, Elizabeth Grant, Marion Harris, Noelle Holland, Florence MacLean, Betty Ching (Bruce), Leah Kennedy, Joanne MacAulay, Bernard Mooney, Elizabeth Harris, Joan Murphy (Duffy) & Michael Harris. The school district covered the area from Percy Murphy’s to Ernest Morrow’s.

The students attended school from September until June with two weeks of in the fall so the students could dig potatoes. The Christmas break was from Christmas Eve until the day after New Years. The students didn’t get a March Break and they didn’t have storm days like the students have now.

Most of the students walked to and from school each day and many that lived close to the school would walk home for their lunch hour and come back in the afternoon for classes. Those students who lived farther away would bring their lunches with them. In the winter if the weather was really bad the students who usual went home for lunch would bring their lunches with them and have lunch with their friends.

The children had a 15 minutes for recess which they enjoyed playing games such as baseball, tag and game where there would be two teams and they would throw the ball over the roof of the school to the ones waiting on the other side to see if they could catch it. In the winter the kids loved to go coasting on the school property.

To keep the school clean the students all had chores that they were responsible for doing. Everyone had to take turns taking in the water. It would be hand pumped into a bucket at the hand pump and taken into the school. The floor also had to be swept after school, the students would take turns, a week at a time. The students also had to take turns going to school early to light the wood stove.

The students did not have field trips back then but sometimes in the summer the class would go on a picnic to the southwest corner of the school yard.

Most of the teachers that taught at Elmira were able to live in their own homes except for a few who would board at houses in the area. Teachers often boarded for free in the community in exchange they would do chores at the boarding house. The community collected money which was called a school tax, that was used to help pay the teachers.

Students received a report card from their teachers which they would take home to their show their parents how they were doing at school. The superintendent, Mr. Harold Hynes, came to the school two or three times a year. Mr. Hynes would ask the teacher and students questions as a evaluation on to see how everyone was doing.

Meeting places in the community were the Elmira Train Station, Elmria Post Office, and the Elmira Store. The Elmira Hall was built in the 1920's for the Women’s Institute by the men in the community. The hall was used for meetings, local concerts, dances, silent movies and ice cream socials.

History

The Elmira district was first known as the Portage because of portage from North to South Lake. The name was changed to Elmira in 1872, by George B. MacEachern who was a school teacher at the time.

The first settlers here included people by the names of Pierce, Murphy, Campian, Price, MacMahon, Harris, Druhan, Bailey and Hackett. They were of the Scottish descent.

Elmira had two forges in the area, one was operated by a Collins, and the other owned by Elijah Pierce.

In the early days the Elmira mail was left at Daniel MacDonald’s in South Lake. From here it was taken to Elmira by Leo and Wallace MacDonald. Later, the post office was in some house in the district and when the mail came by train it was always taken home by the post master and made ready for delivery the next day, by the carrier. Some near neighbour’s quite often picked up their mail at night after it was sorted.

Some of Elmira’s Past Postmaster were; Franklin Morrow, William Harris, Johnnie Mellick, Louis Mellick, William Pierce, Charles MacMahon & Joe Conway.

Mail Couriers for the area were: Colin Campbell, A. George Campbell, William Pierce, Walter Fisher, Neil Cheverie & Pius Cheverie.

Later on the mail was then delivered to Joe Conway’s in Elmira by Daniel & Peggy Conway of Souris.

The Elmira Rail Road

On October 26, 1912 the Elmira Railway Station was opened. There were two fares on the train and anyone wishing to go to Souris from Elmira paid 70 cents return ticket for a first class car, a car with plush seats. The fare on the second class car, which had leather seats, was 45 cents return.

There were many tea parties in the early years, and a special train would be hired. A deposit of $15.00 was needed for a train from Souris and $60.00 for a train from Charlottetown.

Gradually the train service eased off and in the early 1960’s it quit. After that a train continued to come to Elmira only when necessary to haul freight.

Copyright
Waldron H. Leard