TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION

Telephones were available in Canada in 1874. The first one in Clinton was in the home of James Pickering Jr., installed about 1908. At this time, the Kensington exchange served the area from Kensington to Stanley Bridge, Long River and Park Corner whic1 were on the one party line, as well as other lines extending from Kensington. The chief operator here at this time was Miss Addie Howard. In a few years more phones were installed and the lines had to be divided in order to give better service.

About 1925 or 1926, it was deemed necessary to establish a1 office in New London to service the surrounding area, so Clint01 was cut off from Kensington at the Margate line, and New London Central includes the area as far as Rusticoville and Hunter River exchanges. Miss Elsie Dunning (Mrs. Ferris) was the first oper- ator, but the work was soon taken over by Mrs. Irma Campbell who, with the exception of a short while, has been the chief oper- ator at this station, which was moved to her home in 1944.

SCHOOLS

The pioneers of the Clinton district were aware of the need for education and the following excerpt from the records of tie Department of Education shows that there was a school in tie community as early as 1853;

HARDING’S CREEK SCHOOL LOT 20

Site: On the road from Fyfes Ferry to old Malpeque Road at the Bridge at Harding’s Creek. 86 chains from Southwest River. One and one-half miles, from Township 21 and 11/2 miles from Lot 19. Nearest schoolhouse over 3 miles from Green Hollow on the east, and more than two miles on the north west at Margate Lot 19 which had been lately built and two miles on the south to the school at Andrew Whitehead’s Cross Roads.

The schoolhouse is built on the land of the late James Pick- ering, Sr. Boundaries as follows: On the north by the Southwest-ac River; east by division line between Lots 20 and 21; south by County Line Road and west by Caldwell’s east line.

Registered May 23, 1853. 9“ By 1870 the name of the community had been changed fromhi

Harding’s Creek to Clinton and in 1880 the school district was changed to the following boundaries;

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