Current News

Welcome to our website!

The Friends of the Schoolhouse web site will keep you informed about The Old Britannia Schoolhouse and the activities and events planned by the Friends' organization. We encourage you to check this site often. New information will be added monthly.

October Celebrations

Thanksgiving and Hallowe'en

The first holiday after Labour Day in Canada is Thanksgiving. In Canada this holiday comes much earlier than the American Thanksgiving which occurs at the end of November. Most of us believe that celebrating Thanksgiving began in the United States when the pilgrims of the Plymouth settlement held a feast to celebrate their harvest and invited the local indigenous people to share the harvest. This date is accepted to be 1621

Few people realize that the celebration of Thanksgiving in Canada began much earlier, in 1578 when explorer, Martin Frobisher, held a ceremony in present day Nunavut to give thanks for the safe passage of his fleet. The tradition of giving thanks continued in different forms and at different times until Parliament established a national day on November 6, 1879. Since 1957 Thanksgiving Day in Canada has been celebrated on the second Monday of October.

Both early celebrations were prompted by survival. survival from losses at sea and from starvation in an unfamiliar and dangerous place. Today we still give thanks for safety, family, good harvests and good friends.

The Friends of the Schoolhouse are thankful for the support of good friends that help to ensure the survival of our treasured historic schoolhouse.

Hallowe'en is a very old festival that began with Celtic pagan traditions of honoring the dead. Their festival of Samhaim celebrated the beginning of winter and gave thanks for a successful harvest. It was also believed that at this time the spirits of the dead would return for one night. People lit bonfires and wore costumes and disguises to keep them safe from the spirits. In the 8th Century the Catholic church designated November 1 as All Saints Day, and November 2 as All Souls Day., October 31 became known as All Hallows Eve before the two special days. Some of the Celtic traditions were continued in the religious celebration of All Hallows Eve.

Immigrants brought the All Hallows Eve tradition to America. Today it is a highly commercial event that generates billions of dollars. For a few years we held a Hallowe'en event at the schoolhouse. Children came in costume in the evening and enjoyed the spooky activities.

Coming Events

Open Sundays are the second Sunday of the month from 1 until 4 pm in December, April, May and June.

Time to Renew Your Membership

Our membership year runs from January to December. Membership forms for renewal or new membership are on this website. Click here to get the form.

Echoes of the Past

This book, written and published by Friends of the Schoolhouse, documents the history of all of the rural one room schools that existed in Peel County.
Full colour, 208 pages, $30
It is available at all our events or from any member of the Friends of the Schoolhouse Executive.
There is a $10 charge for mailing.

Book Talks

Since the book, Echoes of The Past, was published in May 2016, the writers have been giving illustrated talks to historical societies and other interested groups. We talk about the book and tailor each presentation to suit the audience and the one room schools that were in their local area.
If your group would be interested in having a presentation, please contact Daryl Cook dlcook@rogers.com for further information.

Come and Join Us

If you have a couple of hours a month or only a few hours once or twice a year you could help us support the schoolhouse and its programs. The executive committee meets on the second Tuesday of the month from September to June to conduct the business of the Friends of the Schoolhouse and to plan programs and events. Our meetings are from 4 to 6 in the afternoon at the schoolhouse. Volunteers help on an occasional basis with our events and in the gardens. Not only do we support a worthwhile cause, we have a lot of fun doing it. Email our Executive Director Shirley Hoad at shoad@bell.net, if you have a few hours to spare and an interest in helping preserve a community treasure for future generations of children.

Mark Your Calendar

To see a list of our year's events go to the Events page.

Researching our Roots

There is still much more to discover about the Old Britannia Schoolhouse and other early one room schools. Read below for a wish list of "Wanted" items that will help us learn more about our historic schoolhouse.

Your contribution will be acknowledged. Materials supplied will either be returned to you or donated to the Peel County Archives on your behalf.

SLATE Group

SLATE stands for So Let's All Talk Education (in a one room school), or as one witty person suggested, being truly Canadian, So Let's All Talk Eh! Each year for a day in the spring people involved in working or volunteering in living history one room schoolhouses get together to exchange ideas and learn from each other. We meet at a different schoolhouse location each year which gives everyone the opportunity to experience how living history is presented in a setting different from their own.