Clayburn School — Abbotsford, BC
Posted by: 
Dunbar Loop
N 49° 04.831 W 122° 15.666
10U E 553957 N 5436669
Serving the industrial village of Clayburn from 1908 until 1983, the Clayburn School got a new lease on life in 1991 when the community association purchased the structure. Today it houses a small museum and is available for rentals.
Waymark Code: WMQ1TB
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 12/01/2015
Views: 5
Clayburn got its start in 1905 when Charles Maclure listened to local First Nations people and found brick quality clay deposits on Sumas Mountain. Between 1905 and 1931 the brickworks was located just a five minute walk from this site. To help with the workers Charles worked with his brother, the locally famous architect Samuel Maclure, and created a company town for the workers.
As to Samuel Maclure he was responsible for many prominent houses in British Columbia including Vancouver's Brock House and Victoria's Hatley Castle.
While few structures remain today compared to the operational years, the school remained active until 1983 when it was closed. Today the school is run by the Clayburn Village Community Society and houses an "informal museum" in the basement, while the main floor is available for rental.
From the Clayburn Village Community Society website:
Built in 1907-1908. Following the standards of the BC public school architecture guidelines which provided the plans and specified the orientation, the banked windows allowed abundant natural light, but also sufficient wall space for large blackboards. Originally build as a one-room schoolhouse, it was soon enlarged and in 1925 a basement was added, along with plumbed washrooms. The last year of classes was 1983.
Clayburn School has always played a major part in the community, serving also as a meeting place for celebrations, youth concerts, whist drives, and Saturday night dances in the 1930's. After purchase by the Clayburn Village Community Society in 1991, it continues to be used by the community and also houses artifacts and photos, acting as an informal museum that interprets local history and the nature of early education in the village.
Major restorative work has been done in 2000 and in 2007, and continues with the dedication of volunteers and the generosity of donors.