St. Ann’s Schoolhouse

St. Ann’s Schoolhouse is one of the oldest buildings in western Canada. Built in the French-Canadian fur trade post and sill style between 1843 and 1852, it was purchased by Bishop Modeste Demers from carpenter Leon Morel in 1855 and transferred to the Sisters of St. Ann for use as a schoolhouse. The Sisters arrived on June 5, 1858, and lived there while teaching the children of colonial Victoria in what was also their first convent. The first 12 students included Morel’s young daughter Emilie, the Helmcken daughters, and the daughters of Governor James Douglas, while First Nation students and Kanaka Islanders also attended classes there. The schoolhouse originally stood on the grounds of what became St. Ann’s Academy, was moved to its present location in 1974, and celebrated its 150th anniversary of education in 2008.

British Columbia · Canada