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Near-century-old Innisfail area school being restored at Sunnybrook Farm

Jun 10, 2017 | 7:00 AM

A new feature is coming to the Sunnybrook Farm Museum.

Phase three of the museum’s south development project will take shape over the summer. It involves the restoration of the original 1932 Calder Corner School, which was moved to the museum site in 2008.

There will also be the construction of a new basement and patio space, as well as a 600 sq.ft. addition for the museum to house offices and a food services kitchen in for special events.

“This is just part of our steady growth and development plan for the museum site, so everything north of the steel barn is part of Norman [Bower’s] original farm and the Bower farmstead, which was established in 1899,” says Executive Director Ian Warwick.

“The south development project is all about telling the story of the farm community and the centre-piece buildings that were part of that farming community — so the garage, the mercantile store, the schoolhouse, and eventually we’d love to bring a church in to preserve.  It’s never going to be as large as Heritage Park in Calgary, but it’s meant to tell the story of farming and rural life and the hardships people had to endure when they moved here at the turn of the century.”

The first Calder schoolhouse was built in 1903, east of Innisfail. It went to grade 12, atypical for the period, according to Warwick. He says that allowed students from across the region to complete their schooling there.

“The 1903 schoolhouse existed for almost 30 years before it burned down in a fire in 1931. Then they partially rebuilt it and another fire broke out and burned that one down. The one we have — 1932 is when it was originally built,” he says. “It’s so beautiful inside — you see the handcrafted detail of the 2×4 frame construction, there’s no water damage after 84 years, it’s really remarkable.”

The total project cost is $570,000, $275,000 of which is coming from the Government of Alberta. The City of Red Deer and Red Deer County are each chipping in $50,000, and the rest of the funds were donated by the Estate of Vladimir Novak.

Warwick adds within a year, the public entrance to the museum will be moving from the north on 30 Street to the south off Botterill Crescent.