Among the recently installed historical marker signs in Clearwater County is one recognizing the site of the former Withrow School.
Now home to Withrow Gospel Mission, the site once housed a school for Leslieville, Blueberry Valley and Withrow-area residents in the early 1950s.
Danny Gibson, who attended Withrow School before it closed, says it provided a learning space while a new school was under construction in Leslieville.
Danny Gibson speaks about the need Withrow School filled in the early 1950s
“As soon as Leslieville was built, the church took it over,” Gibson says, adding he and his wife, Judy, were later married in the same building.
The building has since been preserved and is now on display at the Leslieville Antique Grounds, with the original pews of old still intact.
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The school’s closure in the mid-1950s coincided with the shutdown of coal mining operations in Nordegg. Gibson says that also marked the end of passenger rail service connecting Nordegg and Rocky Mountain House to Red Deer.
“That was quite a disappointment,” he says.
Gibson adds many former classmates — including Merv Pidherney, John Charles, Leslie Davenport, Linda Smith, Larry Arnold and Stan Pattison — remained in the area and often shared fond memories of their time at Withrow School decades later.
Danny Gibson speaks about some former students at Withrow School
A favourite former teacher, Mrs. Scott, is also remembered fondly by Gibson. He says she cared deeply about each student’s individual needs and fostered a strong sense of belonging in the classroom.
“I still see people I went to school with there — it almost feels like you were on the same hockey team at one time,” Gibson says.
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