Tibbitt’s Hill schoolhouse stone structure restored

By Matthew Elder

Tibbitt’s Hill Schoolhouse, the stone building at the corner of Tibbitt’s Hill and Centre Road, has been structurally renewed and is set to continue providing a valuable window on the one-room schooling of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Restoration needed

While some work was done on the schoolhouse in 1999, the time had come to undertake major structural work.

“Shortly after the pandemic, signs of deterioration were noticed, especially on the south-facing stone walls and windowsills,” said Brome County Historical Society board member Sid Yousri.

Advice was sought from local architect David Kininmonth, who recommended that the stonework be reinforced whilst maintaining the wall’s original three-layer structure, which was typical of Scottish masonry of the time.

Kininmonth played a key role in the relocation and restoration of the Paul Knowlton House, an important piece of the Lac Brome Museum campus since 2020.

Meticulous work

The walls consist of:

• A perpendicular inner layer of stone
• A middle section of mud
• An outer stone wall built at a slight inward angle, providing structural strength

Some excavation was needed to remove tree roots, but essentially the building’s foundation is solid, as it was constructed over a huge rock.

The masonry work was contracted to stonework specialist Eric Bissonnette, whose uncle Romeo Bissonnette did repairs six years ago.

“As soon as the work started, Eric noticed that the middle layer between the two stone walls had settled, leaving the stones on both sides unsupported,” said Yousri.
“A meticulous rebuild and reinforcement was done, and the structure is now sound.”

The south-wall stonework was rehabilitated this summer. Also, all window sills were rehabilitated and the window frames are now plumb and square.

Other recent work on the schoolhouse has included:

• Re-painting of the interior lower walls in white chalk-based paint (the original formula)
• Replacement of floorboards (as part of the 1999 rehabilitation project)

Where possible, historically authentic materials, including square-headed nails, are used for repairs and rehabilitation.

Historical treasure

Yousri expressed gratitude to Kininmonth and the Bissonnettes.

“And thanks are due to our generous donors … and to the visitors who donated to maintain this historical treasure,”
Sid Yousri

The schoolhouse was built in the mid-1840s and served for many years as a school for anglophone children of elementary and secondary school age.
It was opened as a museum by the Brome County Historical Society (BCHS) in 1964.