One of the schools on my list to find was Wilberforce. It was just where it should have been and easy to shoot from the road. It's in rough shape though, one side is wide open to the elements and it's now full of junk. Seems an undignified end for a once important building. Can't save them all I guess.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any information or old photos in the places I normally check. The only info I have is from the marker in front that shows the dates the school was in operation, 1913-1955.
Part hay storage, I see.
ReplyDeleteHi Gorges, looks like some hay, some junk.
DeleteGreat photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks BW!
DeleteThis school has been closed much longer than it was open. Where did you find this school?
ReplyDeleteHi Red, near Innisfree in Minburn County.
DeleteA sad end. You treated it with dignity though!
ReplyDeleteThank Marie, I always think it must be strange for anyone that went to that school to see it now.
DeleteBeautiful image of a beautiful school.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve! I like all schools but ones like this photograph best!
Delete...fabulous, I like it in color best.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom....me too!!
DeleteI particularly like the colour images which suggest dignity and defiance in the face of much reduced circumstances. But why would someone go to the trouble and expense of erecting a sign AFTER the building was closed and then not preserving it?
ReplyDeleteHi John! It does have a certain dignity, doesn't it! There are hundred of markers around Alberta, some placed by the county or by a historical society. Sometimes the marker is the only thing there and the building is long gone. I have a whole album of school and markers, kind of a hobby of mine.
DeleteI always find these old abandon buildings interesting. I like the composition in the first photo with the school and the sign.
ReplyDeleteThanks Andy! The abandoned buildings interest me also, I like when I can find an old photo but I couldn't in this case.
DeleteOld abandoned buildings are incredibly photogenic, three super shots here Amy, as you say sad but inevitable in some cases ✨
ReplyDeleteThanks Grace, I agree about them being very photogenic.
DeleteAs usual, beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda, I have to take all the photos now before these places are gone! lol
DeleteDespite its dilapidation, it still looks pretty sturdy though. And hey, I LOVE your new blog header! Fab shot.
ReplyDeleteThanks Debra!! That area east of Edm down 16...is full of great old buildings!!
DeleteYou wonder how many years it can still stand.
ReplyDeleteHI William, there are so many things that I have photographed that I am surprised are still standing.
DeleteGreat photos, I'll have to check that one out someday.
ReplyDeleteHi Glen, it's closer to your neck of that woods than mine! Message me if you'd like the location.
DeleteYour shots are wonderful as usual, Jenn!
ReplyDeleteThanks RedPat! I am considering going to see this one in the snow lol!
DeleteYou do find the interesting places, Jenn. There is an aura of sadness about this, but I would imagine that there was simply an insufficient student population to keep the school alive. It seems destined to disintegrate totally before long.
ReplyDeleteThanks David! Yes, the school districts began to consolidate and transportation to bigger centres was the end of the one room schoolhouse.
DeleteI'm getting better at this now so, like you, all I need for Alberta schools is the name and the knowledge that it still exists. I've spotted in Bing Maps so the next time I'm in the area I'll snap a few images.
DeleteExcellent!!
DeleteYou give this old school a final encore. I love the way it has stood so long against all the elements nature can throw at it. It's beauty now resides in your photos. Excellent work, Jenn!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bill! Hard to believe it has been over 6 decades since students came here. I guess it being a storage building has been what has saved it.
DeleteI love the black and white photo Jenn!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Rain! I love how a b/w photo changes the mood completely!
DeleteNice photos
ReplyDeleteThanks Adam! I'd like to see it again all covered in snow.
DeleteWow! This one stands out bold against the landscape. These are great photos (and it would be interesting to see what the school looks like in the snow too). I just spent a week around Yorkton freezing to death (mild exaggeration!) to catch some old Ukrainian churches and cemeteries with snow cover. Lots to see there.
ReplyDeleteHi Michael, Happy New Year! Once I win the lottery tonight and take time off work, I will go explore Saskatchewan lol, until then I will enjoy from your photos.
DeleteBuena selección. Estupendas las tres.
ReplyDeleteUn abrazo.
Wow. That is another great find. Wonderful it´s still there. Amazing, too.
ReplyDeleteMy mother and her 4 siblings went here. She talked of wonderful memories. A simpler time hard work, simple pleasures and stories that endure.
ReplyDeleteThat is so nice to hear! A simpler time for sure, sad to see a school in such a state.
Delete