Buxton Schoolhouse Raleigh SS #13 - One-Room Schoolhouses on Waymarking.com

School Section #13 was established in 1861 and remained in use until 1968. Located on the historic Buxton Settlement (a settlement of refuge slaves who had escaped to Canada via the Underground Railroad) it was the third school to be built on the settlement, and is the only school built by fugitive slaves still in existence in Canada.

A restoration of the school was completed in 2002, and is now a part of the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum.

A plaque located near the school acknowledges the many organizations which contributed to the restoration of this school. There are two interesting lines on that same plaque; the first is a quote from one of the settlers at Buxton:
"I left the States for Canada, for rights, freedom, liberty; I came to Buxton to educate my children" - Henry Johnson - 1854

The other is a narrative:
This school served the community for over a century, and prepared generations of students for all the possibilities their ancestors could only dream about

The first teacher (on record) of the SS #13 Buxton School was James Thomas Rapier. Mr Rapier (1837-1883) was born a freeman in Florence, Alabama, grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and was sent to Buxton, Ontario in 1856. Mr Rapier later returned to the United States and was elected to congress in 1875. A detailed account of the life and accomplishments of James Rapier can be read here (visit link)

The schoolhouse is now a part of the Buxton National historic Site and Museum, and can be toured during a visit to the museum (admission fees apply, see visit the museum's (link below) website for details).

Original or Re-creation?: Original Year the school first opened.: 01/01/1861 Year the school closed.: 06/30/1968 Is the schoolhouse still open as a school?: no Address: 21981 A.D. Shadd Rd North Buxton, ON Canada N0P1Y0 Web Address (if available): [Web Link] Does the school offer 19th century classroom reenactments or day camps?: yes

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Date Logged Log   05/01/2018 jiggs11 visited it