Schools 

At the end of the 19th century, a small log cabin school was built near the Foresters’ Hall, on the other side of the road.  This building burned down and another was built across the road in 1912, but a second fire also destroyed this building.

  In 1927 Wilson Mawhinney built a new school with an extra room for storage as well as a shed.  While the school was under construction children spent the days at the Foresters’ Hall.  The school had no well so every day pails of water had to be carried from a neighbour’s house.

The school at first was one room for eight grades.  Later the room was divided into two rooms.  Mobile classrooms were used for a number of years.  Eventually, classes were limited to grades one to four with grades five to twelve being bussed to Saint John.

On June 24th, 1988 the Maces Bay School was closed and a special ceremony was held to mark the closing.  In attendance at the party was Mary (Ellis) Hoyt, one of the oldest living former students and Amy Thompson, the youngest student at the school at that time.

At one time, circa 1870-1872, there was a private school in Maces Bay and the teacher was a Miss Murphy.  She lived near where Trynor’s Field is now.  Children learned the school graces as well as required academic subjects.

School in the earlier years                                                     View from the upper side                                                        View from the lower side