Thursday, September 6, 2012

Milo School

     Today is my grandmother Empress (MacNevin) McDowell's 93rd birthday and with it being back to school day for the children I was reminded of the photo below.  It's of the 1928 class of Milo School students.

     Above:  My grandmother Empress is the 5th from the left in the front row.  I believe she has two other classmates still alive, Ruth Campbell Hirlihy and Ruth's brother.  That year a School Fair was held in Coleman Hall of the schools from the area.  My grandmother won a prize for drawing.

     The following excerpt is from Past and Present: A History of the Brae. 1979.  Page 89.
...After Brae School closed, Brae and Derby pupils in Grades I to VI were transported to Milo School in the 1969-1970 term by Mrs. Errison MacLeod, in the 1970-1971 term by Mrs. Buddy Delaney, in the terms 1971-1972 and 1972-1973 by Mrs. Ralph Lidstone.  On July 1, 1971, twenty-one school districts (in Prince Edward Island) including Brae, No. 11, were consolidated under Order of Council by the Minister of Education as the O'Leary Consolidated School District, No. 193.  Later in 1971, the Brae School property, which included the school building and some of its contents, the outbuildings and the land were sold (by tender) to Mr. and Mrs. Spurgeon MacLean.  Milo school closed June 30, 1973.  Then pupils in Grades I to VI from Brae, Derby and Milo joined the High School students to ride to school in O'Leary in the big yellow school-buses.  These buses had been in operation from the time O'Leary Regional High School was built in 1960.

5 comments:

  1. Wondering if my grandfather roderick macnevin would be in this picture. He was born 1917 in milo the son of george and nettie macnevin.

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  2. He sure is - I've updated this post with the names written on the back of the photo by Ruth Campbell Hierlihy.

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  3. My grandmother, Empress (MacNevin) McDowell, who just turned 96, often talks about the time she worked for her Uncle George and Aunt Nettie. Roderick was too young to be helping on the farm. She told my mother the day, "when I worked for Uncle George, at the age of 14, I use to get up at 5am; and I still get up at 5am for the day". She often talks about getting up at 5am, pulp turnip for the cows, then clean the cow stables while Uncle George milked the cows, then she'd come in to the house and get him breakfast. Aunt Nettie was sick in bed.

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  4. My grandmother remembers her grandfather, Neil *Tidy Neil* MacNevin who lived with Uncle George - she would have been about 7 years old. She remembers him being quietly rocking. She doesn't have many memories of him. The old Tidy Neil / George Tidy homestead sold last year - we took my grandmother over to see it when it was for sale. Do you know where it is? Beautiful property. See my post... http://peiheritagebuildings.blogspot.ca/2011/10/country-drive-with-my-grandmother.html

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  5. My grandmother was Annie MacDonald nee MacNevin. She was either Tidy Neil's sister or George's sister.... I'm not too sure. My father was William MacDonald and also went to Milo school around that time!! So nice to see this old picture.

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