Local Register
Tankville School
Moncton, New Brunswick
Also known as Ritchie School No. 8, École Ritchie, No 8, Irishtown Road School
The restored Tankville School sits adjacent to the Irishtown Nature Park. It is an example of the Common School House No. 2 design as legislated by the Common Schools Act of New Brunswick.
Photo: Moncton Museum
- Recognized
- 2004
- By
- Local government
The register’s text, word for word
Description
Tankville School is a 19th century schoolhouse built in the New England meetinghouse style. This wooden, one-room, schoolhouse is located adjacent to the Irishtown Nature Park near Moncton’s northeastern most boundary.
Heritage value
Tankville School was designated as a local historic place because it is a rare example of the one-room common school house design mandated by the Province in 1871.
The rectangular, single room, pitched roof style of the New England meetinghouse was a prevalent school design until a province wide consolidation in 1967 saw to the closure of most of the remaining rural schools of this type. In 1957, an extension was added to the east, nearly doubling the size of the school. The fact that it is the only one-room school house in the Province to have been restored on its original site makes it all the more rare.
Tankville School was also designated for its significance in the educational and social history of the communities of Tankville and Irishtown.
In the early years of Tankville, this school was the only public building in the area. It remained an active schoolhouse for this region until the consolidation of schools in 1967.
SourceMoncton Museum, Moncton, New Brunswick - second floor files – “1665 Elmwood”.
Character‑defining elements
The character-defining elements relating to Tankville School’s designation for its common school house design include:
- Common School House No. 2 design (New England meetinghouse) layout with features such as rectangular massing, a steeply pitch roof, symmetrical fenestration;
- detailing such as returned moulded eaves, wide fascia boards and entablatures over door and window openings, and clapboard siding with corner boards;
- 4/4 windows and 2/2 windows and plain wooden sills;
- interior elements such as plain door trim, lath wainscoting on walls and ceiling, the restored/replicated wide plank wood floor, moulded window aprons with continuous chair rail.
Character-defining elements relating to Tankville School’s designation because of its significance in the educational and social history of Tankville and Irishtown include:
- original location;
- the pedal organ from local church;
- original exterior “Tankville” sign;
- vintage chalkboard with moulded ledge;
- period central wood stove;
- period teacher’s desk, bell, pupil benches and desks.
End of the register’s text
Location
1665 Elmwood Drive, Moncton, New Brunswick, E1H, Canada
46.15790° N, 64.77953° W
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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.