tradition of those first settlers, some of whom were: William Baglole, Richard Gorrill, William Newcombe, James Rodd, William Wickett & John Ellis, as per 1880 Atlas. Many thanks and much respect is due to all the early settlers, who had to carve their homes and farms out off the dense forests which covered the land. We, their descendants, have every right to be proud and grateful. During the period of 1830-1880 more than 10,000 people emigrated from the Devon & Cornwall areas of England to Canada, many to P.E.I. Employment was readily available at the shipyard in Port Hill as well as the railway when it was being built.

Schools

The first school in Northam was located in the field just across the road fiom the present day home of Roy & Shirley Dyment. Apparently a meeting was held in the early 1880's to build a school in the newer part of the community and it was decided at that time to move to a more central location. In the 1890's, a new school was built with all 10 grades to be taught. In 1947 a two room school was erected. It opened in January of 1948 (with an enrollment of approximately pupils). In the first year of operation grades 1 to 4 were in the “little room” while grades 5 to 10 were in the “big room. This was changed in August to grades 1- 5, and 6 - 10. The school year began about the middle of August and was “let out” for 2 weeks in October, so that the students could help with the potato harvest and make themselves some money for clothing and the like. Classes went from 9:30-12 noon and from 1:00-3:30, quite often later. In the first schools the younger classes were usually let out at afier-noon recess. As with the old school, the duties of the janitor were to light the wood-stove and sweep the floors. Committees were appointed at the Red—Cross meetings, which were held every second Friday, to carry in the wood, and the water from the out-side pump, or when the pump was broke or some-one forgot to trip it during the winter, carry the water from Dyment’s. The Christmas Concert was a major event. The task of getting the Christmas Tree was left to the bigger boys. School closing, in the last week of June, was in the form of a picnic with races and a big lunch usually with ice—cream which arrived by'dry pack. An oil furnace was installed in the early 60’s. The original school building is now located on the farm of James & Mark Dyment and is used for storage. When the “new” school was built, the building across the road was used for a few years for Christmas concerts and some goOd old fashioned dances. This building is now being used by Brian Colwill. The “new” school, as such, was used for classes until the consolidation of schools in the area in 1972. The building went un- used for a period of time and then was taken over and maintained by the Women’s Instutite, later to be assumed by the community for a center. During the time that these schools were in operation, there were many cold walks to and from, (no buses to pick you up at the gate). Some times, on real cold days, some of the parents or bigger boys would take us to school by horse and sleigh. On these mornings, we would stand around the stove to keep it (the stove) warm, possibly

going to our seats by 10:30.

Church

There was once a church on a little bill that was called “Church Hill”. This was located on the farm originally owned by John Newcombe, and located just across the the road from the present day home of Herbert & Pauline Oakes. This building was later used as a granary on the farm of Edmund and later Leigh Maynard. It was torn down recently as it was beginning to