Then and Now: East Front and Gladstone

This Thursday, Cornwall’s East Front and Gladstone Public schools are opening their doors to the community for a Farewell stroll down memory lane. The two schools are about to merge into one under the banner of Bridgewood on Nick Kaneb Drive in the City’s east end.

Gladstone first opened its Baldwin Avenue doors (site of a medical centre today) in 1897 to students of the school in Anderson’s Ferry. In 1935, the single classroom was split in two and a second teacher was hired. 1941 saw the addition of another room. With continued growth, an army barracks was re-purposed for additional space. In 1953 a replacement school was built on the current McConnell Avenue site, which had been the southeast corner ofthe Cornwall Basic Army Training Centre #31 (1940-44) on a section of the former Dingwall Estate.

East Front also started out as a one room schoolhouse in 1934 on the former Anderson property (Cornwall Township until 1957). The front core was added in 1945. A new gymnasium and two additional classrooms came about in 1991.

Both schools have long histories and no doubt will continue to be fondly remembered by the community.

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by Don Smith

Don is a hometown photojournalist and videographer who creates content pertaining to a number of topics, notably good news, local history and social justice. Professionally he is the Manager & Associate Curator of the Cornwall Community Museum in Cornwall's waterfront park.

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