The House of Refuge (The Prescott & Russell Home)

In 1906, Council members of the United Counties of Prescott & Russell decided to build a unique House of Refuge to care for the needy and disabled of both counties. In 1910, The United Counties Council then asked the Grey Nuns of the Cross from Ottawa to take over the institution.
By 1951, the House of Refuge had become too crowded, and three new wings were added to accommodate the elderly who wished to move in.
In 1970, the nuns informed the authorities that they had to withdraw from managing the Home. A new administrator, Gabriel T. Carrière, took office in April 1972. The increased number of residents and lack of space and amenities forced the closing of the House of Refuge. The residents moved to the new Prescott-Russell Residence in Hawkesbury in 1977.
Today, the former House of Refuge building is the headquarters of the Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l'Est ontarien (CSDCEO). The school board serves more than 10 400 students throughout the five counties of Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, Prescott, and Russell.