Formosa, Ontario
Formosa is a community located in the municipality of South Bruce, in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada.
Prominent features of Formosa include:
Neighbouring towns include Mildmay and Walkerton.
The postal code for the hamlet is N0G 1W0.
Rev. Gaspar Matoga, a Jesuit missionary, visited the area in January 1853, on one of many trips to minister to the new settlements of the region. Upon seeing the valley in which the present day hamlet is situated, he described it as formosa, the Latin word for beautiful.
The new community of Formosa had a school as early as 1854. There have been schools in one form or another on the present school grounds since 1868.
The first school in Formosa was a log structure, erected in 1854. It doubled as a temporary church in the early days of the community for the visiting Jesuit missionaries. It was on the northwest corner of lot 30, Concession A, Carrick Township.
With the growth of the community, a large stone school was completed in 1868, on land donated by local businessman F.X. Messner. He also donated land and a 2 1⁄2-story convent building in 1872, hoping to establish Formosa as a headquarters for the School Sisters of Notre Dame. This was situated on the northeast hill of the valley, near the church. A smaller one-story stone school was also constructed nearby.
When the convent didn't grow as much as anticipated, the convent building was converted into a four-room school as well, and living quarters for a smaller number of nuns was added as a wing to the convent building.
For a number of years in the late nineteenth century Formosa had three school buildings in use simultaneously. The convent school was used for girls grades one to eight. The large stone school accommodated the boys of grades five and up. The small, one-story stone school was used for boys grades one to four.
Over time, the population lessened, and eventually the schools were consolidated in the convent building's four classrooms. The large stone school was used as community centre for some time.
In 1926, a residence fire at the foot of the hill spread and gutted the convent school. Construction commenced on a new school and detached convent. In the interim, classes were once again held in the former 1868 large stone school and other locations. The new school and convent were completed in 1927.
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