Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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quently. Mr. Donald Ross, whose home was directly opposite, purchased eight acres of it, at Sheriff ' s Sale, as a site for a Girls ' School, which he had long wanted to found, in memory of his mother, intending to call it Ross Institute , but when he acquired the ' Trafalgar Property for that purpose, he changed the name to Trafalgar Institute . In 1934 the Governors of the School thought it advisable to change the name once more, and it is now known as The Trafalgar School for Girls. In 1871 Mr. Ross procured the incorporation of The Trafalgar Institute by Act of Provincial Legislature. The Cor- poration consisted of the following gentlemen, Mr. Donald Ross and such successors as may be appointed by the Board of Trustees of St. Paul ' s Church: Very Rev. W. Snodgrass D.D., Principal of Queen ' s College, Kingston, and his successors in office: Ven. William Leach L.L.D., Archdeacon of Montreal, and his successors in office: (Sir) J. William Dawson L.L.D., Principal of McGill College, and his successors in office: Rev. John Jenkins D.D., Minister of St. Paul ' s Church and his successors: Rev. Gavin Lang of St. Andrew ' s Church of Scotland, and his successors; Rev. Donald Ross B.D., Chatham, Que. Alexander Mitchell, and such successors as may be appointed by the Kirk Session of St. Andrew ' s Church and Alexander Macpherson, and such successors as may be appointed by the Kirk Session of St. Paul ' s Church. Mr. Ross died in 1877. His will, after making provision for legacies and annuities, left the residue of his Estate to The Trafalgar Institute. The purpose of the bequest [16]

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IBBZ THE STORY OF THE SCHOOL MR. DONALD ROSS, the Founder of the School, who was horn in Ross-shire, Scotland, in 1811, came to Montreal, at the age of fifteen, to enter the husiness of his uncle, a prosperous dry-goods merchant in the City. He joined St. Gahriel ' s Church, under the ministry of Rev. John Bethune, and thereafter became a memher of St. Paul ' s Presbyterian Church, where Rev. Dr. Edward Black was the Minister. He married his cousin, Jane Ross, whose large estate was entailed, and while her husband enjoyed its use during his lifetime, on his death, as they had no children, it reverted to her heirs. He owned a fine property, Viewmount , at the top of Cote des Neiges Road, looking towards the Mountain. The original grey stone house still stands: 4005 Cote des Neiges. Many old residents of the City will remember the Trafalgar Tower, now in ruins, which stood not very far from Mr. Ross ' old home, on a height overlooking what are now Trafalgar and Belvedere Avenues. It was built by Mr. Gillespie in 1805, to com- memorate the Victory of Trafalgar, on the property owned by Mr. John Ogilvy, which, from that time was called the Trafalgar Property . It was Gothic in form, with a crenulated top, on which was placed a small cannon, which, for some years was fired on October 21st, the anniversary of the battle. M. Georges de Boucherville, writing in 1835, told the story of the Tower in his book Le Repertoire National ou Recueil de Litterature Nationale Canadienne. Those who visited the Tower in those early days, when the citizens of Montreal lived down near the River, told weird stories of strange sounds being heard there, but sensible people attributed the sounds to the volcanic nature of the rock, which, in some way, produced an echo. Mr. Albert Furniss, who bought the prop- erty in 1836, removed the cannon, re-modelled the Tower, and changed the shape of the roof. Mr. Furniss had beautiful buildings on his estate, all designed by Mr. Frank Wills, the English architect, who designed Christ Church Cathedral. His own house, and the fine carriage house, which was altered to make a private residence, still remain, 3021 and 3015 Trafalgar Avenue, but his private Chapel has been demolished. The pla?e was then considered so far out of town, and Cote des Neiges Hill was so steep, that the postillions were obliged to change horses before ascending it. In 1846 it was proposed, by some business men, to make a cemetery on this property. It was considered a suitable site: the extreme beauty of the view, the natural terraces, and the winding path, which led to the Tower, peering from the summit of the Mountain, all combined to render the spot peculiarly adapted for such a purpose. Such a cemetery would be a source of attraction, usefulness and celebrity to the Metropolis of Canada. There were two dwellings on the land, one to be used as a Chapel, the other to be occupied by the Superin- tendent, who, as well as the gardener, would be in constant attendance to ensure order and decorum. However the project was abandoned. The Trafalgar property, on the south-eastern slope, of what is now called the Westmount Mountain, and traversed by Westmount Boulevard, changed hands fre- [15]

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was, the education of young women of the middle and higher ranks of society, with special emphasis on religious and moral training, as part of the Curriculum, or, as he expressed it to qualify young persbns for discharging in the best manner, such duties as ordinarily devolve upon the female sex. He foresaw the trend of modern education, when he provided Scholarships, which would enable certain girls to attend the Institute. It was his wish that, among those to profit by this arrangement, should be daughters of the Protestant Clergy, especially those of Presbyterian Ministers. He bequeathed to the Trustees, for the use of the School, a Telescope, a Microscope, Globes, Maps, etc.. Busts, in marble of himself and his wife, and oil paintings of Mrs. Ross and her sister. It was his wish that the Ross family motto, Spem successus alit should be the motto of the School. He made suggestions as to the number of teachers to be engaged, subjects to be taught, outside Examiners for the June Examinations, and annual Ross Lectures on Literary or Scientific subjects. He allowed the Trustees a great deal of latitude, and though, during the course of fifty years, many changes have been neces- sary, the spirit of the Will has been closely followed. In 1881 the Trafalgar Property was placed under the care of Mr. Nairn the accom- plished gardener, for nearly twenty years at ' Viewmount ' , and the Executors transferred to this property a collection of plants which formerly adorned the ' Viewmount ' green- houses, placed under sufficient glass for the use of the Institute. In 1890, this property, with its greenhouses, was rented by the Trustees of Trafalgar to McGill University, to be used as Botanical Gardens. The lease was for seven years at a rental of $200 per annum, with right of renewal, and this lease was extended to 1901, when the property was sold. Mr. George Copeland was the gardener, employed at $35 a month, with a house, and privileges in the gardens. Mr. Copeland is remembered today by many McGill grad- uates. Dr. Carrie Derick, then Demonstrator, afterwards Professor of Botany at McGill, recalls trips to those Gardens. She took a group of young women, and Professor Penhallow a group of young men, to the Mountain, by separate paths, in search of rare specimens of wild flowers; eventually the two groups met in the Botanical Gardens for further study. I remember, with pleasure, between 1896-1901, taking parties of Trafalgar School girls, up Cote des Neiges Hill, to the Gardens to enjoy the beauty of the grounds, and the fine view. The provisions of Mr. Ross ' Will were such, that it would be many years before the stipulated amount of money for the erection of the School could be realized, and there seemed little prospect of the Institute being opened for a long time. However, when Rev. Dr. James Barclay came to Montreal in 1883, as Minister of St. Paul ' s Presbyterian Church, he enlisted the goodwill of Sir Donald Smith (Lord Strathcona) who donated $30,000; with this, and a legacy of $16,000 from Miss Ann Scott, added to Mr. Ross ' bequest, it was possible to make a beginning. Mr. Ross had intended that the School should be built on the Trafalgar property, opposite his old home Viewmount (which on his death passed to his wife ' s sisters) but, as the deed of donation of Sir Donald Smith stipulated that the School should be built within the then city limits of Montreal. [17]