Lake Lodge School Photo
Name/Title
Lake Lodge School PhotoDescription
The Lake Lodge School opened in 1896 in the former grand and imposing home of Colonel Abraham Nelles at the foot of Maple Avenue. Built by Colonel Abraham Nelles around 1812, the expansive residence played a key role in the War of 1812 and was later visited by Governor Generals, the Duke of Kent and the Prince of Wales, who became King Edward VII. William J. Drope, M.A., the husband of Julia Nelles, the great grand daughter of Abraham Nelles, lived in the ancestral Nelles home. He decided to open the school here in the fall of 1896. Drope was an Honor graduate of the University of Toronto and previously taught at the Peterboro College Institute. The property was surrounded by 26 acres of gardens, lawns and fields that were converted into sports fields for cricket and soccer. The buildings were expanded and added to accommodate an expanded curriculum. Limited to classes of fifty, over the years several hundred graduates came from all parts of Canada, England, United States, Bermuda, West Indies and South America. Studies balanced quality scholastic and athletic programs. The school went into decline after Wm Drope's death and with the financial challenges of the Great Depression. The school closed in 1933 and sat vacant for a period of time until it was demolished in July 1941.Collection
GHSCategory
Postcards