Acacia Villa School 1852 – 1920
Cairn
Hortonville Kings County Nova Scotia
Located at the intersection of Wharf Road and King Street, in Hortonville
GPS location: 45°06’33″N 64°17’06″W
Photographed on 21 November 2002
Photographed on 21 November 2002
Photographed on 21 November 2002
Photographed on 10 November 2002
Thanks to Mr. Garnet Clarke.
Map showing the location of the Acacia Villa School cairn
Hortonville, Kings County, Nova Scotia
Roads are shown as they were in 1956. Except for Highway 101, the
layout of the roads in 2006 has not changed much from that shown here.
Acacia Villa School
page 345, History of King’s County by Arthur W.H. Eaton, 1910
One of the most important educational institutions of the county is “Acacia Villa School”, or “Patterson’s”, for boys, at Grand Pre, whose buildings stand almost in the centre of the old Horton Town Plot, a little above the present railway station. The school was founded in July, 1852, by Joseph R. Hea, D.C.L., who was its principal until July, 1860. At that time it was purchased by Mr.Arthur McNutt Patterson, M.A., who conducted it until 1907, when he was succeeded by his son, Mr.A.H. Patterson, B.A., who for fifteen years had been business manager of the school and during part of that time had been on the teaching staff. Besides the proprietor, there are in the faculty of the school a head master and assistant master, and two or three other teachers. The aim of this excellent school is to fit boys physically, morally, and intellectually, for the responsibilities of life, to give a practical business education to those who desire it, and to prepare students to enter the several maritime provincial colleges.
— Source:
page 345, History of King’s County
http://www.ourroots.ca/e/viewpage.asp?ID=316082&size=2&x=28&y=13
Planter 2010 Celebration in Nova Scotia
Link to Relevant Website
On the Trail of the Scots Settlers of King’s County, Nova Scotia
by Allen B. Robertson, in Celtic Heritage, May-June 2003
…A similar love of learning and teaching was exemplified in Arthur McNutt Patterson
of AcaciaVilla School. Both his grandfather Alexander and great-grandfather
James Patterson were born in Armagh, Ireland. Arthur Patterson was born1829 in
Aylesford Township. He received his early schooling from local clergymen and Irish
born teachers before going on to studies at Mount Allison University in Sackville,
New Brunswick. He then proceeded to AcaciaVilla School in Hortonville, Kings
County. The latter school had been founded by Joseph Hea [a graduate of
King’s College, Fredericton] in 1852. By 1860 Hea had left AcaciaVilla to become
president of the University of New Brunswick. Arthur Patterson purchased the
school lands and buildings. Thereafter he became a fixture at the school for the
ensuing forty-seven years. Here were educated the sons of farmers and master
mariners. Graduates included businessmen, authors, and politicians.
One notable graduate of Patterson’s Acacia Villa School was Robert Laird Borden,
Prime Minister of Canada, who was born in nearby Grand Pre…
http://www.celticheritage.ns.ca/genealogy.htm
