The Educational Tapestry of Athol, North & South Marysburgh Townships Prince Edward County 1800-1966

The time-worn steps of the one-room schoolhouse, the echo of the school's bell calling pupils to their lessons, the dusty chalkboard brushed clean each afternoon after lessons had ended for the day, the little pot-bellied stove with its neatly-stacked wood, the water pail with its single metal dipper, the teacher's desk centred on the raised platform, the commanding voice of the school master/mistress, the laughter of children ... are woven into the historical educational tapestry by authors Dan Rainey and Helen Tompkins, along with a 'team of contributing authors'. Using Athol, North and South Marysburgh Townships in Prince Edward County as examples, The Educational Tapestry captures the development of an educational system in Upper Canada/Ontario. With countless pictures, documents, and well over 100 first-hand accounts of the various stakeholders in the evolving educational system are woven into the fabric of the tapestry, narrating the story of people, events, and culture of the Townships from 1800-1966. The rich oral histories of all the stakeholders in education demonstrate the many decisions that were crafted based on ideology, politics, economics, and the overall needs of an emerging society in order to accomplish the reality of public education. The history of the dynamic legacy of public education comes to life through the dedication of all who contributed to this major piece of historical reflection. We, the benefactors of an education in Prince Edward County are grateful and thank everyone who has shared in this remarkable journey.