Haileybury Public School

The first school house is proposed in 1894. It will be a "small frame building, one story in height and 18 x 24 in size." The school house was also used for Anglican church services until the church was completed. The second school was built in 1904 on land donated by CC Farr. It was a two story, four room brick school house. By 1906, a new Public School is needed as Haileybury's population is growing rapidly. A new, larger four room brick school house is built on Marcella Street. Wooden sidewalks are built along roads for the children's safety. In 1908, the public school was cramped again and a new building on Rorke Avenue, between Russel and Cecil was being constructed. A.D. Pillar is the architect of both this new Public School and the new high school which was also being built. The school is ready by September and John McFarlane moves to Haileybury with his family, (including his son, Leslie McFarlane) to be the new head of staff. By 1912, the school is full again and Principal John McFarlane had to relocate junior students to the old Ferguson Ave. school (now used as the town's public library). If enrollment keeps growing the School Board promises to build more classroom space onto the newest Rorke Ave. building. In 1915, Leslie McFarlane (future author of the Hardy Boys) graduated with honours from Grade 8. He was second in his class. Smoke in the great fire made it too difficult to see chalkboards after 1:30 pm, so John McFarlane, the principal, signed a fire drill to let the 450 children out of class. He told the grade 8 students to tie wet handkerchiefs across the mouths and noses of the grade one students and piggy back them home. The school is empty by 2:30 pm, and the principal leads the teachers through the thicker smoke spreading across Georgina Ave. The school is ruined. After the fire, Public and Separate school teachers had to cram all their students into one class. The town calls for tenders for heating, plumbing, and electric wiring for the newly planned schools. Rebuilding is complete by September. The Haileybury IODE donates pianos to the new schools in hopes that music will help ease the students' suffering. John McFarlane, former principal of HPS collapses and dies early 1939.