The School circa 1868

The students in Port Joli were taught school in a room in a private home chosen by residents in each area.  The A.F. Church May published date 1888 but probably compiled at least 5-10 years prior show a school building on that spot at the head of St.Catherine’s Road.  The building has two stories the lower floor was used to accommodate the community school and the community/temperance hall was upstairs, accessed by a separate outside door. 

Temperance halls sprung up all over the province in the 1800’s in Nova Scotia as communities battled the evils of alcoholic drinks.

The entrance door to the upstairs hall still has the original “breathalyzer” hole for meeting goers to blow into.  If those inside the meeting could detect alcohol on a person’s breath they were denied entrance. 

At the turn of the nineteenth century the upstairs came to be used for a variety of functions from pie aids to community dances.  For many there are fond memories of these early times when dances were lit by oil lanterns on walls and music was provided by local people that could play an instrument or whoever showed up that could play music.

St Catherine’s River Road...looking South from the school (the hall), to what was the original Robertson homestead. (MacAdams)..It’s believed to be the early 1900‘s . In the distance children can be seen walking up the road, possibly on their way to school.