Current News
Welcome to our website!
The Friends of the Schoolhouse web site will keep you informed about The Old Britannia Schoolhouse and the activities
and events planned by the Friends' organization. We encourage you to check this site often. New information will
be added monthly.
Open Sunday - January 8 2012, 1 to 4 pm - Story Time
Spend a quiet winter afternoon reading and listening to stories. A collection of children's story books will be available for parents to read to children. A volunteer will be there to read to a group of children and parents.
Things to Celebrate in January
January 1: Hogmanay, the beginning of a new year
For Victorians of Scottish ancestry Hogmanay was one of the biggest events of the year. From the end of the 1600's to the mid 1950's Christmas was not a major celebration in Scotland. The Scottish church, formed as a result of the Protestant Reformation, viewed Christmas as a Catholic feast day not in keeping with the views of the reformation.
Instead, the beginning of a new year and the winter solstice when the days began to lengthen again became a time for family and friends to get together, exchange gifts and party. These festivities were known as Hogmanay. Houses were cleaned and feasts prepared. Debts were to be repaid by midnight on December 31.
At midnight it was traditional to sing the lines from a Robert Burns poem, Auld Lang Syne to remember friends and acquaintances and the importance of friends and family. It was also considered lucky if the first person through the door after midnight on January 1 was a dark haired male - the first footer - bringing gifts of coal, salt and whiskey.
The traditions continue today with good wishes for a Happy New Year and a hope that the new year will bring prosperity and happiness..
January 11: Birthday of Sir John A. Macdonald
Our first Prime Minister was a Scot. He is remembered as the founding father of Canadian confederation and the driving force behind the completion of our national railway. Toast his memory on January 11 this year.
Whenever there is an old-fashioned cold, snowy day
The residents of the rural village of Britannia likely appreciated the quieter months of winter when farm duties lessened a little. Popular outdoor activities were skating, sledding, sleigh rides in a cutter pulled by a horse, curling, hockey and skiing. We can still enjoy many of these activities today when the weather co-operates. Celebrate a true Canadian winter day, even if it's only with a walk in the park.
Come and Join Us
If you have a couple of hours a month or only a few hours once or twice a year you could help us support the schoolhouse and its programs. The executive committee meets on the second Tuesday of the month from September to June to conduct the business of the Friends of the Schoolhouse and to plan programs and events. Our meetings are from 4 to 6 in the afternoon at the schoolhouse. Volunteers help on an occasional basis with our events and in the gardens. Not only do we support a worthwhile cause, we have a lot of fun doing it. Email our executive director Joan Reid at jem1mma@aol.com, if you have a few hours to spare and an interest in helping preserve a community treasure for future generations of children.
Open Sundays 2010
1 to 4 pm - Something new every month with light refreshments
For more information about our Open Sunday programs go to the Events page.
Mark Your Calendar
To see a list of our year's events go to the Events page.
Researching our Roots
Joan Reid has done a wonderful job of documenting the history of the Old Britannia Schoolhouse as well as many of the other early one room schoolhouses in Peel. There is still much more to discover. Read below for a wish list of “Wanted” items that will help us learn more about our historic schoolhouse.
For use in a book on one-room schools in Peel County:
- Minute Books
- Cash Books
- Class Photos
- Report Cards
- Prize Ribbons
- Medals
- Certificates
- Shields
- Contracts
- Trustee Memorabilia
- Teacher Memorabilia
- Newspaper Clippings
- School Registers
Your contribution will be acknowledged. Materials supplied will either be returned to you or donated to the Peel County Archives on your behalf.
SLATE Group
SLATE stands for So Let's All Talk Education (in a one room school), or as one witty person suggested, being truly Canadian, So Let's All Talk Eh! Each year for a day in the spring people involved in working or volunteering in living history one room schoolhouses get together to exchange ideas and learn from each other. We meet at a different schoolhouse location each year which gives everyone the opportunity to experience how living history is presented in a setting different from their own.
If you are a staff member or volunteer in a living history one room schoolhouse and would like more information about SLATE, contact:
Helen Booth
Museum Director
Town of Lincoln's Jordan Historical Museum
3800 Main Street
Jordan, ON. L0R 1S0
905-562-5242
Fax: 905-562-7786
www.lincoln.ca
