Maxstone School

The heritage value of Maxstone School lies in its contribution to education in the Maxstone area. Homesteading in this part of Saskatchewan began in 1909 and, typical of pioneer communities, one of the first priorities of the settlers was the establishment of educational facilities. The homesteaders organized Stonehenge School District No. 2436 in 1909, and built a small one-room school the following year. By 1925, the community had outgrown this first facility and a larger school was built one mile to the south on a site next to St. Mary’s Catholic church and the route of an anticipated CPR rail line. In 1927, the name of the school district and the new school was changed to “Maxstone,” after the nearby Hamlet of Maxstone, which had been quickly established after the arrival of the rail line in 1926.

The new school was built by local contractor Peder Thompson using plans obtained from the Waterman-Waterbury Company, a school supply company that provided designs and equipment for many of Saskatchewan’s smaller schools during this period. The large one-room Maxstone School, which could accommodate nearly 100 pupils, sat on a full basement and included such amenities as indoor toilets and a basement furnace. The school’s design allowed for installation of a removable partition to create two rooms when enrolment increased and space for separate elementary and high school instruction was needed. The school served its community’s educational needs until 1963, when declining enrolment prompted its closure.

Heritage value also resides in the school’s long-standing role as a community gathering place. Throughout the years, the school provided a venue for social events, and was used by the area’s Protestant denominations for their church services. Today, it still hosts an annual Father’s Day picnic and ball game. The school is also valued as one of the few surviving structures associated with the Hamlet of Maxstone. A cairn and plaque erected in 1986 commemorate the school’s important role in the life of the community.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Stonehenge No. 73 Bylaw No. 6/04.