The Former Township of Kinloss
Joel Eli Stauffer was one of the first settlers in Kinloss in 1850
that settled on the "Free Grants". Stauffer is acknowledged
as the first man to ever cross the Township of Kinloss.
Perhaps the most enduring legacy in the former Township of Kinloss
is the Kinloss S.S. #5 school building on the southeast corner of
County Road 1 and the 5th Concession. Built in 1876, it replaced
a log school located 1-1/4 mile east on Concession 5/6.
Typical for its time, one room accommodated all classes with wooden
benches for the students to sit on. An outhouse provided the restroom
facilities while a woodstove in the centre of the room provided
heat during the winter. A bell in a tower atop the school beckoned
students to school. Dr. O. Lockhart purchased the bell in 1968,
which he later donated to the Bruce
County Museum & Archives in Southampton, Ontario.
Adults sometimes attended the school, too, during the winter months.
As spring approached, however, boys and men made rare appearances
in the classroom as working the farm took precedence.
During the 1880s, teachers at the school were paid the grand salary
of $225 to $350 per year.
Improvements were made to the school as attendance grew. School
desks replaced the benches and, in 1902, a porch was constructed.
A well was dug for drinking water. Indoor plumbing and electricity
were installed in 1946.
By 1960, decreasing attendance forced the closure of the school
and students were transferred to either the new Holyrood Public
School or to the Lucknow Public School.
Starting in December 1960, the Kinloss-Kairshea Women's Institute
used the school building for their meetings and suppers. It also
was the site of weddings, showers and other family and social gatherings
for the community. Formed in 1947, the Women's Institute celebrated
several anniversaries in the schoolhouse-its 25th, 40th and 45th.
By 1995, the membership had shrunk and winter meetings were no longer
held in the school building but in members' homes instead.
On September 29, 1995, the former Kinloss S.S. #5 School building
became private property when a local farm owner purchased the property.
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