Tupperville School

Tupperville School History

Construction
It is believed that the schoolhouse was built in1858. It was located in the western section of the village towards Round Hill. It stood on a piece of land aptly named Rocky Ridge which was so close to the river that there was scarcely room to accommodate the railway tracks.

It is not known when the schoolhouse was moved from its first location but it seems reasonable to assume it was for the purpose of bringing it closer to the heart of the village. Permission was given by Charles Inglis to set it up in his orchard directly across the road from where it now stands. However, it soon became apparent that the children were playing in the pasture by the river and for the safety of the students, a more appropriate site was located.

In 1884 for the sum of $20 a deed between Phillip Chase Inglis and the Trustees of Bentville School Section #42 consisting of Ralph and Busby Bent and Scott Chipman, was granted giving the schoolhouse land of its own. This parcel of land contained 40 rods and in 1885 the schoolhouse was moved to its present location. This piece of deeded property not only gave the school its own land but also afforded the opportunity to fence the schoolyard, thus providing safety for the children.

The Building
The building is constructed in the Greek Revival style, with one of its most striking features being the symmetrically “six over six” Gothic Revival styled rolled glass windows. Overall, the Greek Revival styling of the school shows a structure reflecting a sense of proportional balance and symmetry characteristic of a design movement employed in many of Nova Scotia's country schoolhouses and public buildings.

School Operation
The community of Tupperville strongly believed in education for their children. They built their school before mandatory schooling was implemented by the province in 1864. Initially children aged 7 to 12 were required to attend school, so primarily grades 1 to 6 were taught. Later the age limit was increased to age 16 which meant grades 1 to 11 were taught. Throughout its 100 years of operation, Tupperville School boasted that they always had a teacher and that daily attendance rates exceeded 90% which was extremely uncommon for a rural schoolhouse. Starting in the 1940’s there was considerable pressure to close one-room schoolhouses in favour of consolidated schools. Tupperville fought this movement and was one of the last one-room schoolhouses in the county to close. The community decided to honor the legacy of the school so in 1972 it was converted to a school museum rather than being repurposed or sold off.