May is Jewish Heritage Month, and this week’s post looks at one of the community’s early Jewish family and the legacy which is etched in Oshawa’s built heritage.
Located on King Street, just west of Centre Street, there is a building which features a date stone, set inside a simple parapet, which reads, “1928 / M. Collis Bldg.”
M. Collis Furniture Co., c. 1974; Oshawa Museum digital archival collection
This building was constructed almost 100 years ago, designed by Oshawa architect C.C. Stenhouse. The Oshawa Daily Times-Gazette reported in its August 22, 1928 edition: “(W)ork is rapidly advancing on the new Collis Block, King Street West, where within the next month three fine new stores will open to constitute another addition to Oshawa’s rapidly growing business section…one store, that to the extreme west, is expected to be ready for M. Collis, the owner of the building, to occupy by September 1.”
Today, in 2024, this building is home to a carpet store and Berry Hill cafe. However, for much of its history, it was where Max Collis operated his furniture business.
Max Collis arrived in Canada around the turn of the 20th century. He married his wife, Dora, in Philadelphia in 1905, and they would return to Canada and live in Toronto and Orillia before settling in Oshawa in 1923. Together, they had seven children.
Dora and Max Collis, Oshawa Times, 11 Apr 1960, p. 7
The M. Collis Furniture Company was in business before they moved into the building at 78–82 King Street West, and it remained in business until the late 1980s, continued by family members after Max passed away in 1976.
Collis Building, taken in the 1990s; Oshawa Museum archival collection (A011.7.241)
Many of Max’s siblings were also well established in the community. His older brother, Isaac, owned a clothing store named I. Collis and Sons, located at 52 King Street West, his brother, David, was a merchant, and his sister, Eva, married Edward Wilson who opened Wilson Furniture in 1934.
Max had been a life-long member of Beth Zion Synagogue and was active with the local chapter of B’nai Brith. He was laid to rest in the Beth Zion Congregation section of Bathurst Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Toronto.
The Collis Building will be a stop on the Oshawa Museum’s August Walking Tour, A History of the Hollows. For more info about that event, please visit oshawamuseum.org/whats-on
The history of Oshawa’s Jewish community will be explored further in Untold Oshawa, a forthcoming publication examining stories that have not been included in previous works, aiming to tell a more inclusive story of Oshawa’s past. This book will be published later in 2024.
Do you like reading about Oshawa’s built heritage and other names inscribed in buildings? These blogs might be of interest:
By Lisa Terech, Community Engagement My father loves history almost as much as I do; I’m fairly sure I’ve inherited this interest from him. He was born and raised in Oshawa and knows the city as well as a life-long resident does, although every so often, he’ll ask me questions about places and names. This…
By Lisa Terech, Community Engagement I don’t know about you, but when I hear the name ‘Disney,’ my mind automatically jumps to the infamous mouse and anything animated. Oh, the great strength and success of branding. Because Disney is such a notable name, one might wonder why there is a building in Downtown Oshawa called…
By Lisa Terech, Community Engagement Research is well underway for the 2024 publication on Oshawa’s unwritten history. This book will examine aspects of Oshawa’s history that have not been written about in other history books, including stories of diverse community groups. Recently, the Oshawa Public Library digitized newspapers from the 1920s to 1940s, and this…
There are several streets in the Cedar Dale community that have been named for members of the Conant family. In a previous post, the life of Thomas Conant was explored, the probable namesake for Thomas Street. A little further up Simcoe Street, and there is Gordon Street. This street may have been named for Gordon Conant. He was Thomas’s son, and, arguably, he might be the most prolific member of the Conant family.
Gordon Daniel Conant; Oshawa Museum archival collection (A985.315.1c)
Born in Cedar Dale on January 11, 1885, Gordon Daniel Conant led a thriving and active political life, holding positions from Deputy Reeve to Premier of Ontario. Educated at the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall, Conant was a practising lawyer and political advocate for the people of Oshawa and, later in life, the citizens of Ontario. Conant quickly progressed through municipal politics from Deputy Reeve (1914) and Reeve (1915) to becoming the youngest person elected as Mayor of Oshawa (1916-1917). He was an advocate of Cedar Dale’s annexation to the Town of Oshawa. This annexation led to Oshawa’s population growth and following cityhood in 1924.
Following his term in office, Conant devoted himself to another interest: the development of hydro-electric power in Ontario. Through his efforts, the province of Ontario would control its own electrical system. Conant was elected to the Ontario Legislature in 1937 as a Liberal representative in the riding of Ontario. In the same year, Conant was appointed Attorney General, a position he held until 1942. For eight months, Conant served as the 12th Premier of Ontario from October 1942 to May 1943. His appointment to Premier took place following Mitchell Hepburn’s abrupt and sudden resignation as Premier. Conant concluded his professional political career as Master of the Supreme Court (1942-1953).
Gordon Conant’s portrait, hanging in Queen’s Park, 2022; Photo: OM Staff
Outside of his political career, Conant dedicated his private life to the advancement of a plethora of local groups, serving as president of the Oshawa General Hospital, the Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club and the South Ontario Canadian Club.
Verna and Gordon Conant, c. 1922; Oshawa Museum archival collection (A001.11.1)
In 1912, Gordon married Verna Rowena Smith, and together, they had three children. In a newspaper article published in the Oshawa Times, Verna recounted a fascinating story from their courtship. When they began dating, she used to drive from her home in Winona to Hamilton to pick up her then boyfriend, Gordon, at the train station. What made this trip to the train station unusual is that the train would often arrive very late at night, generally after midnight. It was not considered proper for a young lady to be out by herself at that time of night, so she would wear male attire so that her actions would be less conspicuous.
Gordon Daniel Conant passed away shortly after his retirement from public life on January 2, 1953.
Plaque for Gordon D. Conant, in its original location in Lakeview Park. The plaque was moved closer to the Oshawa Museum in 2010; Oshawa Museum archival collection (A018.6.818)
There are a number of commemorations to Gordon within the city. A blue and gold Ontario Heritage Trust plaque for Conant was unveiled in Lakeview Park on July 20, 1966. In 2010, as part of the Trust’s Premier’s Gravesites Program, a plaque and Ontario flag was placed at Union Cemetery, where Conant is laid to rest inside the Mausoleum.
Looking at maps for Oshawa, what would become Gordon Street is identified simply as ‘school’ on the 1921 Fire Insurance Map. In 1925, this street is renamed as ‘Gordon Street’ as it remains today.
Information on Gordon Conant adapted from articles written for the Oshawa Express in 2010.
The Globe and Mail, May 2, 1940, p. 14 Province Honors Hockey Champions
The Province paid tribute to Oshawa Generals, Canadian junior hockey champions yesterday following their arrival from the West. Attorney-General Gordon Conant member to the Ontario House for Oshawa district, was host to the record-establishing Oshawans, who won the Memorial Cup for two years in a row.
Conveyed in a bus from a downtown hotel, the party of sixteen players and club officials moved the Parliament Buildings, Queen’s Park, where they were met by Mr. Conant and Hon. Albert Matthews, Lieutenant Governor, and later were luncheon guests in the Ministers’ Dining-Room.
Following the dinner the Oshawa party was provided with an escort of Provincial Police for the journey home to Oshawa, where further celebrations await them.
Toronto Daily Star, May 2, 1940, p. 16 Oshawa Puck Fans Welcome Home Their Famous Junior Champions Special to The Star
Oshawa, May 2, — With the plaudits of thousands of Oshawa fans ringing in their ears, Oshawa’s mighty Generals, monarchs of the junior hockey world from Halifax to Vancouver, returned to their home “dug-out” last night.
In spite of intermittent rain squalls, between 4,000 and 5,000 fans turned out to welcome home the Generals from western Canada, bringing with them their second memorial cup. A squad of motorcycle officers accompanied the team from Toronto in a chartered bus. Due to the rain, a huge parade and outdoor welcome had to be cancelled, so the Generals were taken to the Oshawa arena, home of some of their greatest triumphs, where they were given a civic welcome by Mayor J. C. Anderson, and members of the club and team were introduced all over again to this hockey-mad centre.
“Oshawa is justly proud of its famous Generals and much of the credit can go to the guiding hand of their president, J. B. Highfield, along with Coach Tracy Shaw,” Mayor Anderson declared.
“I know of no group of fans anywhere in Canada who are more ardent of more loyal than Oshawa fans. The boys did a grand job. They played good hockey and they obey instructions,” Coach Tracy Shaw, two-time mentor of a Dominion championship machine, said, “I hope that in the future Canada will continue to have junior clubs of the same calibre as the clubs of the two years past,” he added.
Oshawa Daily Times, 29 May 1940, page 5
The Globe and Mail, May 10, 1940, p. 19 Three Major Trophies Won by Oshawa Generals
Dignitaries attending the championship banquet tendered Oshawa Generals, twice-crowned Dominion junior hockey champions, and the three major trophies Generals won last season are shown above. Trophies are, left to right: Richardson Memorial Cup, Eastern Canada junior championship emblem; Memorial Cup, Dominion junior championship prize, and Ross Robertson Cup, symbol of O.H.A. junior supremacy. Grouped around the trophies are, left to right: Jud McAtee, captain of the Generals; R.S. McLaughlin; J.C. Anderson, Mayor of Oshawa; George Dudley, C.A.H.A. president; Tracy Shaw, Oshawa coach, and J.B. Highfield, president of the Generals A.C.
Toronto Daily Star, May 14, 1940, p. 2 APPLES MADE MESS SO COURT UNWANTED: Utilities’ Commission Complains to Oshawa City Council Special to The Star
Oshawa. May 14.-–Because the last time court was held in the room, a barrel of apples was dumped on a mahogany table, the magistrate’s court will no longer be allowed the use of the board room in the public utilities’ commission building.
City council was advised by George Shreve, secretary of the commission, last night.
“The whole thing started when the police court uptown was being used by Judge Coleman for division court,” said Fred Hare, city clerk. “The magistrate’s court was held down here. On that day there was a case involving apples. In order that everybody could see, part of a barrel was dumped on the desk.
“After the court was over I came in and cleaned off the table with a cloth. It was an awful mess. The case was adjourned for a few days and it so happened that the court had to come back here again on the same case and again the apples were dumped out on the table. This is the result.”
Oshawa Daily Times, 31 May 1940, page 8
The Globe and Mail, May 14, 1940, p. 3 Strike Parley is Concluded
Oshawa, May 13 (Special) –-Conferences between General Motors company representatives and the bargaining committee of Local 222 U.A.W.A., respecting amendments to the present agreement between the union and the company, were concluded tonight.
In a statement released after the final conference, Louis Fine, Chief Conciliation Officer for the Provincial Department of Labor, said that “a proposal was worked out respecting amendments in the existing agreement which will be submitted to the Oshawa membership for gratification on Wednesday for Thursday.” …
The Globe and Mail, May 17, 1940, p. 4 Vote Dispels Strike Threat
Oshawa, May 16 (Special) –-Decisions reached at a joint conference of General Motors representatives and the bargaining committee of the Oshawa Union, U.A.W.A., were endorsed tonight by almost unanimous vote of the union membership.
Tonight’s dispelled the strike threat of last month at Oshawa. Results of similar conferences at St. Catharines and Windsor are still to be votes upon in those centres.
Union officials stated that amendments decided upon at the Oshawa conference, and approved by tonight’s vote, included clarification of the seniority system, improvement in grievance procedure, time and a half got all holidays except Good Friday, and the retention of junior help in their positions until they can be placed as adult workmen.
The Globe and Mail, May 17, 1940, p. 17 War Words Emptied by War Deeds
Oratory is the harlot of the arts. If you don’t believe James Anthony Froude read the dispatches from Ottawa:
“Tragic events have but served to intensify our determination to share in the war effort of the Allied powers to the utmost of our strength. …” The voice is the voice of the Mackenzie King Government, orating.
Now try a few facts about Canada’s utmost share to date in the war efforts of the Allied powers…
In Oshawa, Ontario, a tank battalion was called up for active service eight months ago. It is still playing at tank manoeuvres without any tanks. Each tank crew drills together on a little piece of rope. And that’s a tank for the purposes of Mr. King’s war effort. After eight months of war, In a city that lives by producing motors and motor equipment.
Oshawa Daily Times, 29 May 1940, page 8
The Globe and Mail, May 23, 1940, p. 4 See Dissatisfaction Over Prosecution of War by Government: Volunteers Ready
Veterans of the first Great War were in the van of a movement last night to seal loopholes on the home front and at the same time compel the Government by sheer force of public sentiment to reorganize and speed up its war contribution…
At Oshawa last night 1,000 citizens met in the auditorium of Oshawa Collegiate and approved the sending of a telegram to Prime Minister King, urging immediate acceleration of the war effort and concerted action against fifth column elements.
Toronto Daily Star, May 25, 1940, p. 32 OSHAWA TO DEMOLISH ANCIENT CAR SHEDS: Mayor Says Action Will Aid Parking Problem
Oshawa. May 25. –- The former Oshawa Railway car barns and freight sheds are to be demolished. Word was received of this from the department of public works at Ottawa yesterday. Calling for tenders for demolishment of the buildings, purchased by the government as a site for a new government building, resulted from action being taken by city council.
Several weeks ago, Fire Chief W. R. Elliott condemned the building as a fire hazard.
“It will help us in solving our parking problems,” Mayor J. C. Anderson said.
With the demolishing of the old buildings, the last vestige of Oshawa’s former street car system will have vanished as workmen are now engaged in covering up the railway tracks on Simcoe St. S. Overhead wires were taken down several weeks ago.
The Globe and Mail, May 27, 1940, p. 14 MILLARD HEADS ONTARIO C.C.F.
Charles H. Millard of Oshawa secretary of the Canadian C.I.O. was elected president of the Ontario C.C.F. party at its annual convention here Saturday. He succeeds John Mitchell of Hamilton. Other officers elected are: Vice-presidents, Carroll Lawrence, Hamilton and E.B. Joliffe, Toronto…
Speaking at the evening session of the convention President-elec Millard said “the Government whose competence and shortsightdness has kept Canada in the depths of needless poverty and depression since 1928 is today proving itself equally incompetent in the face of a world disaster”
“Despite the fact that war materials are needed desperately and national debt is mounting higher and higher our industrialists refuse to turn over their factories for war production unless guaranteed a ridiculously high margin of profit. Factories he idle and the unemployed are hustled from pillar to post while the world cries for production and more production,” he said.
Oshawa Daily Times, 29 May 1940, page 1
The Oshawa Daily Times, May 29, 1940, p 1, 8 Oshawa Camera Club Will Show Prints Tonight More Than 150 Pictures Taken by Enthusiasts Comprise Display
Approximately 150 prints will be on display in the Hotel Genosha ballroom tonight when the first exhibition of the photography by members of the Oshawa Camera Club is opened to the public.
The Camera Club is a small group of earnest photographic amateurs who have been meeting for the past two years for the purpose of enjoying and improving their hobby by mutual assistance. Last year through the kindness of Mr. Sax Mitchell, a club room was made available over Mitchell’s Drug Store on Simcoe street north which has proved of material assistance to the welfare and advancement of the club.
The present exhibition is the first effort of its kind sponsored by the Club, although from time to time photographs by members have been on display in store windows. Numerous honors too, have been received by prints entered in competitions in Canada and England, particularly in the Toronto Camera Club which several of the local members have joined.
In addition to prints by members of the local club, there will be a number which are the work of the O.C.V.I. Camera Club. This group has been making excellent progress under the direction of Harrison Murphy, a member of the teaching staff. Another group of prints has been loaned by the Toronto Camera Club and contains many of the honor prints of the recent Spring Salon in Toronto.
There is no admission charge and the club extends a cordial invitation to the general public to visit and inspect this outstanding group of photographs. The ball room will be open this evening and also Thursday afternoon and evening. Members of the Club will be present to welcome all photographers and will be very pleased to discuss the prints, “talk shop” on the hobby and explain the aim and objects of the club.
The Oshawa Daily Times, May 29, 1940, page 1 Skilled Workers Still in Demand Fewer Unemployed Renewing Cards Every Two Weeks
There is still an insistent demand for skilled labor all over the province, Rae Halliday, local office manager of the Employment Service of Canada, stated this morning. Weavers, lathe hands, are welders, hammer operators, mach-hands and furniture factory hands are being called for, it was learned from the cards posted in the office.
For the first five months of this year there has been an increase in orders received for help as compared to the same period last year and at the same time there has been a decrease in the number registering for work. Up to May 23 1067 orders had been received for all kinds of labor. Last year orders received up to this date were 964.
Registrations for jobs at the local office for the first five months of the year totalled 1,861 while for the same period last year the total registrations were 2235. This represents a drop of at least 374 or at the rate of 75 a month. Of the total registrations last year to May 22, 1998 names on the files renewed their cards every two weeks. This year during the same period only 1056 of the 1861 registered renewed their cards every two weeks.
This figure indicates the trend in the labor market and there is the possibility that more will be employed as Canada’s war effort increases, it was pointed out.
The Oshawa Daily Times, May 31, 1940, page 4 Air Training School Assured For Oshawa
Coupled with the government’s action to accelerate the Dominion’s war effort comes the announcement that work on 31 new airfields is to be commenced immediately and a site three miles north west of the city has been elected as one of the 31. The airfield here will be used as a preliminary air training school. Definite announcement that the Oshawa air training field was assured came from W.H. Moore, M.P., just before pres time yesterday and was in answer to a telegram sent him earlier in the day.
The establishment of an air training school here and the selection of the site surveyed, will, first of all, relieve the minds of those farmers whose lands will comprise the area. When the survey was made early in the spring the farmers were advised not to commence seeding operations and this left them in a quandary. The options on their lands will likely be taken up in a day or two.
Then the levelling of the ground, removing buildings and trees, and preparing the runways for planes will entail considerable work during the summer and fall. In addition to this work airdromes, buildings to house the staff and air force recruits will entail considerable labor and materials. It is naturally expected that local labor, as far as possible, will be engaged and local contractors will be given an opportunity to tender on the work and buildings. While details as to the complete work on the area and the buildings to be directed cannot be learned as present, the expenditure, it has been estimated, will run upwards of $300,000.
Other air training schools are being put into operation and the government is issuing a call for 5,000 more recruits to become pilots for overseas service. The activity for Oshawa this summer will centre on construction work but before another summer fledglings will be trying their wings over and around Oshawa and the hum of the engines and propellers will probably blend with other military and industrial operations, the purpose of which is to win the war and save Canada.
This May, the Oshawa Museum is debuting a new Union Cemetery tour. Because Oshawa is celebrating 100 years of cityhood this year, the Oshawa Museum’s new cemetery tour is “1920s Oshawa,” featuring stories of significant people and events of that decade.
One person highlighted on the tour is Fire Chief Wes Elliott, appointed in 1928. With 27 years of service, he is Oshawa’s longest serving fire chief.
Fire Chief Elliott and then Mayor, Hon. Michael Starr, at the opening of Fire Station 2, 1951; Oshawa Fire Services Collection, Oshawa Museum archival collection (A019.2.197)
To learn more about Chief Elliott, I searched through the Globe and Mail‘s archive (if you have an Oshawa Library card, you can use this resource as well! I’ll add the link at the bottom of this post – just use your barcode to log in). It turns out that in 1930, the community of Harmony was plagued by a fire bug.
On October 9, 1930, the Globe reported that there were four overnight fires on October 7. The first call was to the barn of Mrs. A.C. Terwilligar, and this marked the third time fire fighters responded to a call at her property within two weeks. Call number 2 that night was to E.J. Black’s barn in Harmony. Finally, Calls 3 & 4 sent fire fighters to 230 Annis Street (southwest of Bloor and Ritson, ‘some four miles from the Black fire’). Mr. Semenchuk’s house was undergoing renovations and a fire started. Fire fighters returned when lumber in the back yard was found on fire, believed to have started from a spark of the house fire. Chief Elliott stated he believed all calls that evening were of incendiary origin, and Ontario’s Deputy Fire Marshal Seville was called in for an investigation.
Ten days later, the Globe reported that there was another mysterious fire, this time at the home of H. McKay on Windsor Street, ‘not far distant from the Terwilligar homestead at Harmony.’ The home was vacant with no apparent way for the fire to have originated accidentally. Elliott was ‘reticent to express an opinion as to the possible cause,’ but the Globe stated that with these recent fires, Oshawa residents were becoming alarmed.
On November 3, the Globe reported ‘Police Wait in Barn, Arrest Man Found on Arson Attempt.’ Overnight, on November 2, Mrs. Terwilligar’s barn had been attempted to be burned twice. Both times, neighbours saw and extinguished the flames. Chief Elliott was notified and, with Constable Thomas Mitchell, they went to the barn to ‘set up a patient vigil.’ Around 12:10am, Henry Wilson entered the barn and struck some matches. Elliott and Mitchell were waiting and placed him under arrest. Wilson entered the barn with two of his children, and they were taken to the children’s shelter upon their father’s arrest, and authorities stated they ‘may appear in the juvenile court.’
Wilson was charged with the one case in which he was caught red-handed. The Globe reported that “it has not yet been decided whether charges of arson will be laid against him in connection with the other fires in Harmony.”
To learn more about Fire Chief Elliott and other influential people and events of the 1920s, please join us for the Union Cemetery Tour, May 4, 2pm. This event is offered for free as a Jane’s Walk / Doors Open Oshawa event (although donations will be kindly accepted).
Sources:
“Series Of Blazes In Oshawa District Thought Incendiary,” The Globe, Oct 9, 1930, pg. 14.
“Public Inquiry May Follow Fires Around Oshawa,” The Globe, Oct 10, 1930, pg. 14.
“Oshawa District Now Alarmed By Another Mysterious Fire,” The Globe, Oct 18, 1930, pg. 13.
“Police Waiting Barn, Arrest Man Found On Arson Attempt,” The Globe, Nov 3, 1930, pg. 13.
Hi friends, I’m Zara, a high school student currently working as the co-op student at the Oshawa Museum. For my first blog post, I would like to share with you, material about all girls’ schools in the area and their similarities.
Up until the summer of 2021, I lived my entire life in Quebec. My final two years of schooling before moving were spent at Villa Maria College, a renowned private secondary school in the area. If you have ever taken the Metro, the name probably sounds familiar. Despite facing challenges there, I can appreciate Villa’s campus, surrounded with beautiful greenery and relaxing spots to sit at during the summer months. The school’s history goes back to 1795, when James Monk purchased land from the Décarie family which eventually led to Villa Maria’s establishment as a Catholic and bilingual boarding school in 1854, under the owners of the Sisters of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame.
The drive from Quebec to Ontario was a long one. As we approached my new home, we passed by Trafalgar Castle School. I can still recall thinking how similar the stone pillars were; it reminded me of Villa Maria.
Trafalgar’s origins go back to Nelson Gilbert Reynolds who built the home in 1859 as a private mansion. Legend has it that Reynolds built tunnels connecting the castle to the lake, which were later filled in. In 1874, the Sheriff was forced to sell the castle to the Methodist Church and was transformed into the Ontario Ladies’ College. Despite the fire of 1973, the school endured and eventually adopted the name Trafalgar Castle in 1979.
What interests me most about both Villa Maria and Trafalgar is their relationship with religion. Both schools had a focus on Christianity, Villa practicing Catholicism and Trafalgar practicing Methodism. Anyone would be able to tell that Villa was once a Catholic school with their statues of the Virgin Mary, beautiful stained-glass windows, and the fixed-up crosses seen in many of the classrooms. My first interaction with a nun was with Soeur Bonjour. She was a sweet old lady who spent close to 75 years at the school. She ate, prayed, and even did her laundry there!
Sports Day at Bishop Bethune College, 1930; Oshawa Museum archival collection (A012.6.3)
School uniforms are another aspect both schools share, taking on traditional patterns with girls required to wear school kilts paired with navy blue socks or tights. School pants are an option as well. Polos must be worn along with an optional school cardigan or vest. For P.E., it seems that both schools require students to wear a shirt paired with shorts or sweatpants, along with short socks. Of course, uniforms have changed throughout the years, using different patterns and styles from the 1860s to the present day. One time, I ended my day with gym class and kept my short socks on, thinking I’d leave right after the bell. I didn’t think I’d be stopped in the halls, especially in the swarm of students but to my surprise, I was. That is when I realised that private schools take uniforms pretty seriously. Even then, some rules were bent, like rolled up skirts and wearing non-school shoes.
Demill Ladies’ College as seen in Reverend de Mille’s book, In the Net.
Although Oshawa doesn’t have any all girls’ private schools anymore, light should still be shed on them. Firstly, the Demill Ladies’ College, founded in 1875 by Reverend De Mille, provided education for Protestant women. Young girls from small towns and farms took courses that would help them with their familial roles, including household chores and domestic economy, health, food, and more. Visits to the Ontario Ladies’s College, now Trafalgar, were frequent. Unfortunately, the school burned down on April 6, 1896 but was rebuilt in St. Catharines. Another remarkable girls’ school, Bishop Bethune College, was first opened in 1889 and later reopened and established in 1893 under the owners of the Anglican order of the Sisters of St. John the Divine. Unfortunately, the school permanently closed down in 1932 due to high tuition fees and financial issues during the Great Depression. Today, the Central Collegiate Institute stands on the college’s former site. Both schools allowed the girls to explore music, needlework, arts, and languages.
Bishop Bethune College, April 23, 1898; Oshawa Museum archival collection (A996.6.2)
By ending off with a good note, let us celebrate the hard work and achievements women of small and big towns have accomplished through their domestic and academic work.
Oshawa Museum Blog 