Old Schoolhouse

The Old Schoolhouse has significant heritage value as the embodiment of Hornby Island community heritage, particularly as it relates to education and the transmission of local cultural knowledge. It is Hornby Island's second oldest standing building and has served as a community education and social centre since its doors opened in 1892. Constructed in 1891 at the corner of Central and Sollans Roads and relocated to its present location at the New Horizons Centre in 1984, the structure has sequentially housed an elementary school (1892-1973), a preschool (1973-84), and a weaving centre (1988-present). Since 1984 the Old Schoolhouse building has been owned and managed by the Hornby Island New Horizons Society, which provides social and educational opportunities for people 50 and older. In 1988, New Horizons named the relocated building the Betty Smith Centre in memory of Hornby Island historian, New Horizons member, schoolteacher, and weaver Elizabeth (Betty) Smith (1901-89). Today the Old Schoolhouse is home to the Fabricators, a weaving and spinning collective.