Shubenacadie school was the only residential school for Aboriginal children established in the Maritimes. From its founding, the school suffered from poor construction, poor maintenance, overcrowding. In 1934, a federal inquiry was held into the flogging of nineteen boys. A doctor testified the flogging had left the boys with permanent scars, but the judge heading the inquiry said the boys got what they deserved. Children operating laundry and kitchen equipment led to a number of serious injuries. By the 1960s it was recognized that the school lacked the resources and staff to meet the needs of the children being placed in its care and in 1967 it was closed.
