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ARCHIVAL AND RESEARCH NOTES ON THE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS /
NOTES D'ARCHIVES ET DE RECHERCHES SUR LES CANTONS-DE-L'EST
The founding of St. Helen's School, by the Reverend Ashton Oxenden dates to 1875, though it did not open its doors until 1878.1 Initially called the Dunham Ladies' College, the school was an Anglican private boarding school for girls located in Dunham. The College was marketed primarily for its dedication to the higher education of girls, which was sorely lacking in the rural parts of the province during this period. It also flaunted its healthful location in the countryside full of clean air, which appealed to parents who wished to protect their children from crowded, urban cities. Administered by a corporation composed of Anglican clergymen and lay people, religion was a key component in the education and day-to-day life of the girls but admission to the College was not restricted only to those of Anglican faith.2
Dunham Ladies' College encountered many financial problems in the early years and had to close from 1885 to 1888 and from 1890 to 1894. In 1913, with the College still facing financial difficulties, the Corporation leased it to the then principal, Miss Wade. Under its new management, Dunham Ladies' College was renamed St. Helen's School. Miss Wade appears to have been a gifted administrator as the school flourished under her direction and avoided any periodic closures during her tenure, even funding the construction of an extension onto the main building...