Pat Briggins attended Margaret King School from Grade One to Grade Eleven.
Pat Williams Briggins was born in New Glasgow in 1941. Her dad had German measles so her mother had to be away so she wouldn’t get exposed to the virus. She grew up in Pugwash Junction. She had eight brothers and four sisters, and she was the oldest girl. Her older brother Sherman does the Margaret King Website.
She attended the Margaret King School from grades one through eleven. Her favorite teacher was Margaret Fraser (Cameron) MacLeod. While she was waiting for the new Pugwash High School to be built, she stayed home for a year and helped her mom, Violet Williams, so she could attend the new high school in town on Church Street. Her classmates went to the high school for grade 12 in Oxford and Tatamagouche.
Her senior year was 1958. They took a Provincial Exam, and those that passed were eligible to go to twelfth grade. There were three girls in the eleventh grade class: Jean Gillis Thomas and Ruth Montrose Hattie. Pat became a nurse, and Jean and Ruth became teachers. Sherman also became a teacher. Pat worked in a hospital in gerontology.
Pat remembers walking into the library at the Margaret King School, which had a large book that they called the Book of Knowledge. There were long oak tables and arm chairs. On the walls were photographs of important scientists and educators. There was a piano, and she remembers singing around the piano. The room opened out to a staging area where they put on plays, Christmas concerts, and community socials.
She remembers making for Box Socials a pretty box and putting a lunch for two in it. Then the boys would bid on the boxes, and the highest bidder got the box and the girl who had made it, and they shared the lunch. That was way they did fund raisers.
There were two large classrooms (one for primary and one for the high school grades), which opened up to two large rooms: one was a science lab. “We could perform any experiments with supplies in large glass cabinets and we had special sinks with special slender faucets.” They had big oak doors. She said, “the science was instrumental in introducing to me course work that helped me in my nursing studies.”
There was electricity and in-door plumbing, which was eight years before the community got electric power.
We could go downstairs to the large gymnasium room. We played a lot of games. We did track and field. There was a skating rink in the winter. There was a large playground with a merry-go-round. It had a long pole with swings. You ran around in sync and held onto the swings until your feet were off the ground.
Under the high school classroom was the industrial arts and manual training classroom where the boys made beautiful furniture. Besides the gymnasium was the room for the girls to study domestic science which means cooking and sewing. “Our teacher traveled in on the train to teach the class.” A few boys took the courses as well.” She remembers one young lad locking the door and saying, “you don’t get out until I have a kiss.” That was Pat’s first kiss.
“My impression was that the school got dropped down from heaven and I had that feeling that it didn’t really belong in our poor community. It made me appreciative of Cyrus Eaton who spared nothing in dollars and care so that we could have this beautiful, complete school.”
The stairs went up the stairs and at the top were beautiful cathedral style windows. and the principal’s office. “At grade 11, we no longer had a principal. But we were sent to his former office to study for exams. Then on a nice summer day, those windows would open, and you could climb out and enjoy the sun and the scenery instead of studying (unbeknownst to the teacher). I am surprised now that we were brave enough to go out on a slate roof which was steep and kind of slippery.” “Our marks never suffered because we played hooky on the roof. Our grades were always in the 90s.”
The grounds were beautiful with lovely shrubs: the snowball and the honey suckle were her favorites.
The next year The Margaret King School was turned over to the Board of Education and was no longer used as a school. It was closed officially in 1960.
The new school she attended for her senior year was the Pugwash High School. At that time there was a new elementary schooled named after Cyrus Eaton.
She attended the Margaret King School from grades one through eleven. Her favorite teacher was Margaret Fraser (Cameron) MacLeod. While she was waiting for the new Pugwash High School to be built, she stayed home for a year and helped her mom, Violet Williams, so she could attend the new high school in town on Church Street. Her classmates went to the high school for grade 12 in Oxford and Tatamagouche.
Her senior year was 1958. They took a Provincial Exam, and those that passed were eligible to go to twelfth grade. There were three girls in the eleventh grade class: Jean Gillis Thomas and Ruth Montrose Hattie. Pat became a nurse, and Jean and Ruth became teachers. Sherman also became a teacher. Pat worked in a hospital in gerontology.
Pat remembers walking into the library at the Margaret King School, which had a large book that they called the Book of Knowledge. There were long oak tables and arm chairs. On the walls were photographs of important scientists and educators. There was a piano, and she remembers singing around the piano. The room opened out to a staging area where they put on plays, Christmas concerts, and community socials.
She remembers making for Box Socials a pretty box and putting a lunch for two in it. Then the boys would bid on the boxes, and the highest bidder got the box and the girl who had made it, and they shared the lunch. That was way they did fund raisers.
There were two large classrooms (one for primary and one for the high school grades), which opened up to two large rooms: one was a science lab. “We could perform any experiments with supplies in large glass cabinets and we had special sinks with special slender faucets.” They had big oak doors. She said, “the science was instrumental in introducing to me course work that helped me in my nursing studies.”
There was electricity and in-door plumbing, which was eight years before the community got electric power.
We could go downstairs to the large gymnasium room. We played a lot of games. We did track and field. There was a skating rink in the winter. There was a large playground with a merry-go-round. It had a long pole with swings. You ran around in sync and held onto the swings until your feet were off the ground.
Under the high school classroom was the industrial arts and manual training classroom where the boys made beautiful furniture. Besides the gymnasium was the room for the girls to study domestic science which means cooking and sewing. “Our teacher traveled in on the train to teach the class.” A few boys took the courses as well.” She remembers one young lad locking the door and saying, “you don’t get out until I have a kiss.” That was Pat’s first kiss.
“My impression was that the school got dropped down from heaven and I had that feeling that it didn’t really belong in our poor community. It made me appreciative of Cyrus Eaton who spared nothing in dollars and care so that we could have this beautiful, complete school.”
The stairs went up the stairs and at the top were beautiful cathedral style windows. and the principal’s office. “At grade 11, we no longer had a principal. But we were sent to his former office to study for exams. Then on a nice summer day, those windows would open, and you could climb out and enjoy the sun and the scenery instead of studying (unbeknownst to the teacher). I am surprised now that we were brave enough to go out on a slate roof which was steep and kind of slippery.” “Our marks never suffered because we played hooky on the roof. Our grades were always in the 90s.”
The grounds were beautiful with lovely shrubs: the snowball and the honey suckle were her favorites.
The next year The Margaret King School was turned over to the Board of Education and was no longer used as a school. It was closed officially in 1960.
The new school she attended for her senior year was the Pugwash High School. At that time there was a new elementary schooled named after Cyrus Eaton.
Margaret King School Memorial Park opens Saturday Seven-year labour of love comes to fruition. Ceremony starts at 2 p.m.
Published on September 23, 2014
Dave Mathieson [email protected]
PUGWASH JUNCTION – When Cyrus Eaton built a school he didn’t fool around.
“I always thought the school dropped down from heaven and was a mistake,” said Pat Briggins, who is now 73-years-old and attended the school not long before it closed in 1960. “It was as if it wasn’t really supposed to be there because all the schools around were one-room country schools.”
Briggins, president of the Friends of the Margaret King School Society, along with other members of the society, are opening the Margaret King School Memorial Park this weekend in Pugwash Junction, the community where the school was built.
Eaton is mostly known for promoting world peace in the age of the atomic bomb, but he was also a very wealthy man.
“Cyrus lived in the community as a boy and Margaret King was his teacher in the one-room school,” said Briggins. “She also boarded at his parents’ home and was a big influence on his life.”
At its peak, Eaton’s wealth was estimated to be $100 million, and to show gratitude for the education he received he paid for the construction of the Margaret King School, which opened for classes 1930 in Pugwash Junction.
Briggins attended the two-room school from Grades 1 to 11, graduating in the 1958, two years before it was closed.
The school provided the best money could buy. Nothing was spared.
“What stood out to me was that this school was so elaborate for a country school,” said Briggins.
“The library had a big fireplace with a long table made of oak and mahogany,” she added. “As you came in the door there was a little table, and on the table was the Book of Knowledge. I remember thinking you had to read all of the Book of Knowledge to become knowledgeable.”
The school had electricity eight years before the surrounding community had electric power.
The school also had indoor plumbing, a large gymnasium, a skating rink, a large playground, rooms for industrial arts and home economics, and rooms where students could perform science experiments.
Briggins developed an interest in science and went on to become a nurse.
“I think that was probably Cyrus’s dream, that if these little country kids had half the chance they could make a difference,” said Briggins. “And then it became my dream to leave something behind that would tell people what we had and who our donor was.”
Briggins has fond memories of the school.
“That’s what led me to do something about it because when I retired and I saw the school had been demolished it just broke my heart," she said. "I said something has got to be done in memory of this man and this school.”
The work has become a labour of love.
“I’ve been at this for seven years and it’s finally come to fruition, but I’ve had my friends who made up the society help as well,” said Briggins. “They’re all members who went to the school too. We have 27 registered members but 12 in the area on the board that have been working with me.”
Briggins’ favourite teacher at the school was Margaret MacLeod.
“There was one time I was lost in a snowstorm. A blizzard came up and my mom started out from home to try to find me,” said Briggins. “I was on my way to the store and we always took the shortcut and went through the field instead of going out around on the road.
“My mom got out and both her ears were aching and she couldn’t go much further, but that teacher put on her coat,” she added. “I’ll never forget the sight of her coming across that field, I could see the long coat, and her looking for me. Not too many people would do that.”
The Margaret King School had two rooms, one room for Grades 1 to 6 and the other for Grades 7 to 11.
She says small schools fostered a feeling that you mattered.
“I felt I was not just a number but I was an individual. Margaret MacLeod took an interest in me and was able to champion me along the way,” she said. “I became a public speaker and won several prizes in the 4-H Club for public speaking, and she used to hear all my speeches after school. I don’t know how she did it. You’d think she’d just want to get home.”
In 1960 the school closed and the kids were bussed to Pugwash.
“The Board of Education wasn’t wise enough to turn it into a heritage property,” said Briggins. “Now there are so many heritage properties I think it would never have been let go.”
The school fell into disarray and went on the market for a tax sale, and her father bought it.
“I came back home to retire and there was nothing left but a few bricks, four pillars, and the cement that it stood on.”
Some of the materials were salvaged.
“My brothers did a wonderful job of using some of the materials.”
And Briggins has the original school bell.
“There was an old school bell that somebody dropped in the woods. It was found in the woods and it’s the original bell,” said Briggins. “I have it and I’m going to ring it on the opening day. It has the same true sound it had then.”
The day will also feature a model of the school made by her brother, Gordon Williams.
The greetings and opening remarks are Saturday at 2 p.m.
A walk about the park starts at 2:20 p.m.
The reception at the Gospel Hall is about 200 metres up the road from the park starts at 3 p.m.
The park is located at 6141 Thomson Road.
It is on the corner of Thomson Road and Pugwash Junction Road, about six kilometres south of Pugwash.
“I always thought the school dropped down from heaven and was a mistake,” said Pat Briggins, who is now 73-years-old and attended the school not long before it closed in 1960. “It was as if it wasn’t really supposed to be there because all the schools around were one-room country schools.”
Briggins, president of the Friends of the Margaret King School Society, along with other members of the society, are opening the Margaret King School Memorial Park this weekend in Pugwash Junction, the community where the school was built.
Eaton is mostly known for promoting world peace in the age of the atomic bomb, but he was also a very wealthy man.
“Cyrus lived in the community as a boy and Margaret King was his teacher in the one-room school,” said Briggins. “She also boarded at his parents’ home and was a big influence on his life.”
At its peak, Eaton’s wealth was estimated to be $100 million, and to show gratitude for the education he received he paid for the construction of the Margaret King School, which opened for classes 1930 in Pugwash Junction.
Briggins attended the two-room school from Grades 1 to 11, graduating in the 1958, two years before it was closed.
The school provided the best money could buy. Nothing was spared.
“What stood out to me was that this school was so elaborate for a country school,” said Briggins.
“The library had a big fireplace with a long table made of oak and mahogany,” she added. “As you came in the door there was a little table, and on the table was the Book of Knowledge. I remember thinking you had to read all of the Book of Knowledge to become knowledgeable.”
The school had electricity eight years before the surrounding community had electric power.
The school also had indoor plumbing, a large gymnasium, a skating rink, a large playground, rooms for industrial arts and home economics, and rooms where students could perform science experiments.
Briggins developed an interest in science and went on to become a nurse.
“I think that was probably Cyrus’s dream, that if these little country kids had half the chance they could make a difference,” said Briggins. “And then it became my dream to leave something behind that would tell people what we had and who our donor was.”
Briggins has fond memories of the school.
“That’s what led me to do something about it because when I retired and I saw the school had been demolished it just broke my heart," she said. "I said something has got to be done in memory of this man and this school.”
The work has become a labour of love.
“I’ve been at this for seven years and it’s finally come to fruition, but I’ve had my friends who made up the society help as well,” said Briggins. “They’re all members who went to the school too. We have 27 registered members but 12 in the area on the board that have been working with me.”
Briggins’ favourite teacher at the school was Margaret MacLeod.
“There was one time I was lost in a snowstorm. A blizzard came up and my mom started out from home to try to find me,” said Briggins. “I was on my way to the store and we always took the shortcut and went through the field instead of going out around on the road.
“My mom got out and both her ears were aching and she couldn’t go much further, but that teacher put on her coat,” she added. “I’ll never forget the sight of her coming across that field, I could see the long coat, and her looking for me. Not too many people would do that.”
The Margaret King School had two rooms, one room for Grades 1 to 6 and the other for Grades 7 to 11.
She says small schools fostered a feeling that you mattered.
“I felt I was not just a number but I was an individual. Margaret MacLeod took an interest in me and was able to champion me along the way,” she said. “I became a public speaker and won several prizes in the 4-H Club for public speaking, and she used to hear all my speeches after school. I don’t know how she did it. You’d think she’d just want to get home.”
In 1960 the school closed and the kids were bussed to Pugwash.
“The Board of Education wasn’t wise enough to turn it into a heritage property,” said Briggins. “Now there are so many heritage properties I think it would never have been let go.”
The school fell into disarray and went on the market for a tax sale, and her father bought it.
“I came back home to retire and there was nothing left but a few bricks, four pillars, and the cement that it stood on.”
Some of the materials were salvaged.
“My brothers did a wonderful job of using some of the materials.”
And Briggins has the original school bell.
“There was an old school bell that somebody dropped in the woods. It was found in the woods and it’s the original bell,” said Briggins. “I have it and I’m going to ring it on the opening day. It has the same true sound it had then.”
The day will also feature a model of the school made by her brother, Gordon Williams.
The greetings and opening remarks are Saturday at 2 p.m.
A walk about the park starts at 2:20 p.m.
The reception at the Gospel Hall is about 200 metres up the road from the park starts at 3 p.m.
The park is located at 6141 Thomson Road.
It is on the corner of Thomson Road and Pugwash Junction Road, about six kilometres south of Pugwash.