Today in history: Roodepoort Town School is opened
It was declared a National Monument under the old National Monuments Council (NMC) legislation on 10 March 1989.
The Roodepoort Town School was established in the 1890s and its premises, including a School Building and a Hall, were opened on 8 October 1913.
The building and grounds were temporarily taken over in 1914 by the military as barracks and a horse paddock, but were soon returned to their original function until 1970.
The school was declared a National Monument under the old National Monuments Council (NMC) legislation on 10 March 1989.
The Old Roodepoort Town School, consisting of the main building with 14 classrooms, three offices, three stationery store-rooms, a hall and the toilets, as well as the court-yard of the school was situated on Erf 2100, in Roodepoort.
In 1996 the school became St John the Baptist Catholic School. The Society`s priory had existed since 1992 in Roodepoort, when the Town School was purchased and converted into a Church and Priory.
Some of the old classrooms were not needed for the Priory, so Father Sebastian Wall established a new school in just one week, starting with one trained teacher and nine learners in Grades 1 to 5.
Information sourced from: South African History Online.
