Archie's Place - building on the Crow Lake Schoolhouse history

Jeff Green | Jun 15, 2022

A new chapter is being written in the storied history of the Crow Lake Schoolhouse.

Diana Meeks purchased the building on December 1, 2021, from the Township of Central Frontenac. Until the onset of COVID, the building had been operated by a community group from Crow Lake Village, Although the schoolhouse was owned by the township, it was never operated directly by them.

The township, which was created with the amalgamation of 4 smaller townships in 1998, inherited one official hall from each of them, and operates those 4 halls as township infrastructure, paying all maintenance and major repair costs and running a booking system for them.

The schoolhouse was never part of that system, but in 2006 the Crow Lake Community Association entered into a 30 year lease with the township to operate the building as a public space. The association obtained a Trillium grant for $56,000 to make the school a usable space.

The schoolhouse was used for meetings and community gatherings between 2006 and 2020, including some larger events that attracted attendees from across the township and beyond. The Association began to lose steam as original members left the area over the years, but the school remained in use until the COVID pandemic stopped all public gatherings in 2020, and the building was returned to the township. In the fall of 2021 it was put up for sale.

Although Diana Meeks spends much of her time at her home in Georgia, she has deep roots in the local community, being born and raised in Parham. She never gave up her local connections, returning home often to visit with, and eventually to care for her parents, Archie and Marilyn Meeks.

In a telephone interview with the News, she said that her life is in transition, as her son is about to go off the university and she works virtually as a healthcare provider.

“I'm back and forth,” she said, “I continue working at my job while I am here.”Respect!

Since purchasing the building, Diana has been actively addressing issues with the building.

“I have put in windows, a water heater, and redone all the electrical to bring it up to code. We now have a new dishwasher, washer and dryer, and the interior has all been painted,” she said.

New blinds and outdoor lighting have been installed, and foundation repairs have been done as well, and the furnace has been repaired.

All of this work has been completed with a view towards re-establishing the schoolhouse as a public space, although it will remain under private ownership.

She has renamed the schoolhouse “Archie's Place” in honour of her father Archie, who was a lifelong community activist, and served on both Hinchinbrooke and Frontenac County Council.

Earlier this spring, she began to canvas the local community for ideas about what kinds of events and activities they would like to see the building used for.

She got a strong, appreciative response.

One of the people who came forward is Sharon Pledgers of Crow Lake.

“When Diana Meeks purchased the school house, she could have turned it into yet another Air B&B, or torn down and erased all that history. But instead, Diana Meeks has a wonderful dream and story to tell, with community inspiration in mind,” she said in an email to the News on June 8.

“In the past week she has hosted daily open house meet and greet events, coffee and muffin specials, a wellness workshop combined with exercise, and a Euchre night. She is looking for ideas to try and gauge what the needs and interests in the community are, all the while, encouraging folks who attend events to donate to the bin which she collects for the food bank. She also hopes to add a ‘Give a Book, Loan a Book’ library in the front hall,” Sharon Pledgers added.

The building is available to rent for private functions, and Diana is hoping to see a vendor fair take place sometime this summer, as well as some cooking classes in the summer or fall.

A monthly potluck, more euchres, and a Sunday worship service, are all ideas that are being explored.

For further information or to contact her about potential uses of the hall, call 770-402-3973 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.