This has been a very well utilized building, well beyond its original designation as an elementary school. Built in 1926, it served its original purpose until closure in 1972, at which time it became the municipal building for the village of Saint-Joseph until 1995. From 1995 to 1999 it again served as a municipal building, this time for the newly incorporated village of Memramcook.
From 1999 to the present the old schoolhouse has been home to the Société historique de la Vallée de Memramcook (Memramcook Valley Historical Society). In the summer the society operates their museum in the building, displaying their collection of local artefacts, photos and documents, most of which pertain to early Acadian life in the area. Through the year their archives are available for research purposes to anyone who wishes or needs to avail themselves of the service.
Former Saint-Joseph School
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
Former Saint-Joseph School is a one-and-a-half storey wooden building located on Centrale Street in Memramcook.
HERITAGE VALUE
Former Saint-Joseph School is designated a Local Historic Place for its importance in the educational, governmental, and cultural sectors.
Designed as a two-classroom school, one of the first of this type in the area, it was constructed in 1926 to replace a one-room schoolhouse that dated back to 1899. It was built in a rather innovative style, erected on a cut stone foundation and equipped with indoor toilets, which were quite rare at the time. In 1926-27, district taxpayers opted for a so-called “graded” school, the third of its kind in Memramcook. Around 1932, it was converted into a three-classroom school after the room on the south side of the building was subdivided.
The heritage value of Former Saint-Joseph School resides as well in the fact that, from around 1972 to 1995, it served as the municipal building for the village of Saint-Joseph. For four more years, from 1995 to 1999, the building was used for a similar purpose, serving as the municipal building for the newly incorporated village of Memramcook.
Since 1999, the building has been used by the Société historique de la Vallée de Memramcook which, during the summer, offers the public access to historical information and an exhibition room displaying old objects.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
- roof with hipped ends;
- symmetrical arrangement of double windows on the four sides of the building;
- dormer on the front façade with its double windows and hipped roof;
- porch of the main entrance with its two main columns;
- original, though slightly modified, cut stone foundation;
- interior staircase leading to the attic;
- room on the north side with its original appearance and dimensions;
- central corridor separating the north and south rooms of the building.
From Historic Places Canada