From the archives: Concord School District, Secondary School No. 7

From the traditional territories of the First Peoples of Turtle Island, to a farmland community, to a bustling city centre and everything in between – Vaughan's transformation is a story worth telling. The City of Vaughan’s popular monthly series continues, with historical content from Vaughan Archives.

Scroll through memory lane, learn about the city's past and explore the places, people and events that were pivotal to the development of the Vaughan we know today. This month, the City is highlighting Concord School District, Secondary School No. 7. 

The first school to open in the Concord area was a German school run by Andrew Demerley. It was located on Lot 12, Concession 2 in 1835, near the present-day intersection of Bathurst Street and Highway 7. The second school in the area was opened in 1837 by Anna Bennett, a widow who taught students in her home. 

In 1838, a third school opened by John Nelson in a carpentry shop on the east half of Lot 12, near present day Dufferin Street and Highway 7. The following year, a fourth school opened in a house on Lot 11, Concession 2, present day at the intersection of Dufferin Street and Highway 7, with students taught by Thomas Cummings. 

In 1842, construction started on the first purpose built schoolhouse in Concord. A round log building approximately 18 feet by 20 feet across, the school was about one kilometre north of the Thornhill-Woodbridge sideline. Until then, schools were run out of people’s homes. The schoolhouse was completed in 1843, which was when Thomas Cummings and his pupils moved their studies into the new building. 

In 1866, the schoolhouse was replaced by a brick building half a kilometre south of the earlier site. That building was occupied for 34 years before being deemed unsafe and was then torn down. In 1900, a larger schoolhouse, called Mudville School, was built and included a basement and separate entrances for boys and girls.

Mudville School was used until 1931, when a fire destroyed the building. After that, lessons were held in an unused church across the road while a new schoolhouse was constructed. In 1949, an additional room was added to the building, but the community was growing rapidly, and the student population soon outgrew it. As an interim solution, classes were held in the basement until two additional classrooms were added to the structure in 1954. 

The opening night for the new classrooms was scheduled for Oct. 15, 1954, with a local author slated to be a guest speaker. The grand opening was postponed by a week due to Hurricane Hazel. In the 1960s, the school became part of the Vaughan Township Public School Board and eventually, part of York Region District School Board. 

ABOUT VAUGHAN ARCHIVES

Established in 1988, the City’s Archives is home to more than 600 collections, consisting of both City records and cultural records about Vaughan from 1860 to the present day. Records include, but are not limited to:

• City business records with long-term legal and administrative value, such as Council meeting minutes, by-laws, assessment rolls, financial records, reports and official correspondence
• church, community and school records
• census records
• historical photographs
• land records
• historical maps, plans and aerial photographs
• newspapers
• personal papers of past residents and founding families, such as diaries, family histories, journals and letters
• records of local organizations, both past and present

VIEW VAUGHAN'S ARCHIVES ONLINE!

The City's Archival Collection is on digital display for all to explore! The below galleries are available in the City's online gallery on Flickr: 

• Archival Awareness
• Early Churches of Vaughan
• Early Communities of Vaughan
• Early Pioneers of Vaughan
• From Township to City: The Evolution of Vaughan
• Featured Artists of Vaughan
• Historical Families of Vaughan
• Historical Figures: Lord Beaverbrook
• Historical Photography
• Historical Schools of Vaughan
• Recollections of Rural Vaughan
• The Mary Wood Collection
• The Way We Were: Representations of Vaughan's Past
• Vaughan Working Environments
• Vaughan Through the Ages: Medicine, Music and Sports and Recreation

A personal Flickr account is not required to access the City's online gallery, which contains only a small selection of the full archives collection. If you are looking for a particular image, original file, primary source record or more, please visit the Archival Database, or contact the Vaughan Archives by calling 905-832-2281 or emailing archives@vaughan.ca. 

By managing and preserving both City and community records, the Enterprise Information Management Services team ensures that Vaughan's rich and varied history will continue to be available for future generations. Learn more at vaughan.ca/archives.

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