@CHWKMuseum

Official Blog of the Chilliwack Museum and Archives

Archive for the ‘Donations’ Category

Volunteer Spotlight – Ev Parker

Posted on: June 5th, 2019 by Tristan Evans

Are you curious to know what Chilliwack looked like in the 1980s? Ask our volunteer Ev Parker who is currently processing a large collection of street photographs from the 1980s. This is a unique collection that Ev is digitizing and describing so that you, the researcher, can access the images online. To learn more about Ev and his work at the Archives, read his answers to the questions below:

Ev Parker
Photo courtesy of Ev Parker

When did you start volunteering at the Archives?

November 2015.

Why did you decide to volunteer for the Chilliwack Museum and Archives?

Being slightly familiar with Chilliwack, I enjoyed what the Museum and Archives had hidden within its walls and found it was beyond fascinating. Some information I was familiar with previously but with a little searching, it became obvious a massive amount about Chilliwack was available to the public. If people only knew what was available for public viewing, there would be far more people visiting the Archives.

What type of work do you perform when you are at the Archives?

Data entry, scanning pictures and documents, looking up information, adjusting numbering systems when an item has been removed, dusting and vacuuming. When people that are familiar to me visit the Archives I try and make them feel comfortable. I also visit with people I know when they come into my work space.

Ev Parker
Photo courtesy of Ev Parker

Do you have a favourite memory at the Museum and Archives?

Too many to itemize but just about every time I’m there Tristan or Anna will enlighten me with something I wasn’t aware of, making it more desirable to come back.

Is there anything else you would like to mention regarding your work at the Archives?

It is really unbelievable how much information is there for ANYONE to have and to hold, read or use, for any purpose.

Ev Parker volunteers every Wednesday morning at the Archives. If the doors are not open by 9:01 AM, he’ll let you know. We like to refer to this time as Ev’s office hours since he regularly receives visitors during this time period. Sometimes, those visitors even stay to do a little research of their own! Interested in knowing more about Chilliwack history? Stop by on a Wednesday morning and we’ll be happy to show you how to search our records or just enjoy a short chat with our amazing volunteer, Ev Parker.

Volunteer Spotlight – Lawrie Edwards

Posted on: April 26th, 2019 by Tristan Evans

Have you ever wondered how one archivist, one curator, and one archives technician have managed to describe and make available online 3,884 archival records, 1,169 library records, 9,880 object descriptions, and digitize 14,781 photographs all while doing the rest of the work keeping the Museum and Archives running? The answer is simple really, we haven’t. A huge amount of our descriptive material is done by Chilliwack volunteers who generously give their precise time week after week.

Lawrie Edwards at the Archives
January, 2015

Volunteers are quite literally the reason we have been able to describe and make available so much of our archival and object collection. Volunteers research photographs, objects, and archival collections and then put in the hard, and not always exciting, work of entering descriptions for each collection. The work is tedious and not immediately rewarding. It is however the reason you are able to search and find so many online descriptions of our records.

Today I would like to highlight one volunteer who has been volunteering at the Archives since April, 2012. Lawrie Edwards is a resident of Fairfield Island who moved to Chilliwack in the 1980s. Lawrie volunteers every Friday morning and he is a huge part of the reason we have so many descriptions for our archival records. I asked Lawrie today if he wouldn’t mind answering a couple questions and below is what he had to say:

Why did you decide to volunteer for the Chilliwack Museum and Archives?

I’ve always been interested in History. After retirement I completed our Family tree back to the late 1700s in Wales. My wife’s family on both sides settled in Chilliwack in the 1880s and so I decided to allocate a morning doing research of the Chilliwack area.

What type of work do you perform when you are at the Archives?

Mostly computer work, data description, and researching from the archives and through the archival Progress Papers.

Do you have a favourite memory at the Museum and Archives?

Every Friday morning is memorable but the 2017 British Columbia Historical Federation conference the Chilliwack Museum hosted was particularly memorable.

Is there anything else you would like to mention regarding your work at the Archives?

Just nice to be associated with a great working crew at the Museum and Archives (No, I did not pay him to say that).

Lawrie Edwards is an amazing volunteer. He’s been dedicating his time for seven years at the Archives!!! Once again, I’m going to borrow a phrase from my favourite podcast, The Secret Life of Canada, shout out to Lawrie Edwards!!!

Make It, Mend It: Tools of the Shoe Repair Trade

Posted on: October 18th, 2018 by Anna Irwin

The idea of repairing something can oftentimes take a backseat to purchasing a new item. Stores lined with new, shiny gadgets and niceties designed to make our lives easier often win out over rolling up our sleeves and fixing what we already own.

Selection of women’s and children’s footwear from the Chilliwack Museum and Archives collection [Photo credit: Anna Irwin]

These Boots Were Made For Walking?

Buying new items when a problem occurs with an older object hasn’t always been the first instinct. Got a shoe separating from its sole? Today, we might head to Wellington Avenue, to one of the malls or look for a new pair online to see if something that might catch our eye. In the late 19^th century and throughout the 20^th century, however, purchasing a new pair of shoes was often a considerable investment for families, especially families with young children. Visiting a local cobbler or shoe store offering repair services, such as E.O. Wickham’s or A.E. Wiltshire Shoe Repair, could often extend the life of a pair of shoes, sometimes for decades depending on the level of care and maintenance paid to a pair of shoes and the material composition of the shoe.

Shoe Repair Kit donated by John Groves containing sole and heel menders. [Chilliwack Museum and Archives, 1977.028.025.1a-d]

Saving Your Sole:

Re-soling or adding soles to shoes was (and continues to be, although much less common) one way of making shoes last longer. Sole and heel menders, such as the ones found in a Shoe Repair Kit donated to the Chilliwack Museum and Archives, could be attached to the underside of the shoe and were typically affixed with nails.

While driving nails into ones shoes may no longer be common outside of the cobbling profession, modern adhesives such as Shoe Goo allow for young and old alike to fully re-tread well-worn footwear, re-attach separating soles and fill holes at their convenience without use of a hammer or specialized tools.

Boot last featuring three forms – one for men, women’s & children’s shoes. [Chilliwack Museum and Archives, 2002.003.001; Photo credit: Anna Irwin]

A Lasting Impression:

Shoe lasts were and continue to play a key role in the manufacture and repair of footwear. Traditionally made from wood or metal, shoe lasts are foot-shaped inserts used by cobblers to form and fill-out shoes while not being worn by a person. Shoe lasts come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes to accommodate the different styles of feet and the different types of shoes people wear. They can be used as a base around which to craft a shoe or as a form to hold the shoe’s shape whilst being repaired. Shoe lasts are different than shoe trees or shoe stretchers, which are used more frequently to hold or expand the shoe’s shape when not being worn.

At the Chilliwack Museum and Archives, we are proud to house a variety of artifacts that have been donated by the community, including examples of historic footwear and tools used to make and mend shoes and boots of all shapes and sizes. To donate to our object collection, please feel free to contact me by email at [email protected] or by phone at 604-795-5210 ext. 105.

Facial Recognition – Archives Style

Posted on: July 25th, 2018 by Tristan Evans

Unidentified group with big smiles [2016.032.002.0786]

Big tech companies and government agencies have the advantage of using facial recognition software to help them identify individuals from digital images. While I love a good conspiracy theory, I’ll break the myth and let you know that as a small community archives, we do not have such technology in our possession. However, we here at the Chilliwack Museum and Archives have a secret tool that Google, Facebook, and large agencies do not have. We have a great set of dedicated volunteers and a community that cares about preserving Chilliwack’s history.

Unknown individual doing something important [2016.032.002.0784]

Today I am going to tap into the community (you) and ask for help. Throughout this blog you’ll notice photographs from a large collection. The donor, I, and our volunteers have all tried to identify these remaining photographs from this large collection. Unfortunately we have not had any luck. This is when I ask you to kindly put on your archives hat and see if you recognize any of the individuals in these photos and/or maybe the event itself.

Looks like a charismatic speaker [2016.032.002.0787]

Any information you have on these photographs is appreciated. Feel free to contact me directly if you recognize these photographs and I will gladly update our database. You can find my contact information at the bottom of the blog post. After you’ve looked at all the photographs of course.

Kids being patient [2016.032.002.0788]

Just three more photographs to go. How about this fantastic family on the right with “smiling” kids?

More smiles [2016.032.002.0790]

Almost done. How come this family is so lucky? They appear in a few of these photographs!

Where is this store? I don’t know, do you? [2016.032.002.0791]

You made it to the final image… for now. Recognize where this store is?

Thank you for looking.

Tristan Evans

[email protected]

604-792-5210 ext. 104

What’s Behind the Locked Doors?

Posted on: May 16th, 2018 by Tristan Evans

Today I would like to use this opportunity to promote a new event here at the Archives. Starting this year we have been having free behind-the-scenes tours of the Chilliwack Archives. The free tours are open to everyone and take place on the last Friday of the month. Hint, May 25^th for this month. Each tour runs between 45 minutes to an hour.

Archivist Tristan Evans is pleased with the new sandwich board sign. Photo credit: Adrienne Rempel [February 6, 2018]

Are you curious what we are hiding behind those secret archive doors? Ever wondered where I disappear to when you request to view a fonds or photograph? Are you a long-time history nerd with serious questions and you want to know more about our local collections? Come to the tour. Are you brand new to the history field and just looking to see what all the hype is about at the Archives? Come to the tour. The tour is open to everyone, no previous research experience required. Seriously, it is a really great opportunity.

Below is all the information you need:

Price: FREE!!!

Where: Evergreen Hall, Chilliwack Archives, 9291 Corbould Street, Chilliwack, BC V2P 4A6

When: Last Friday of every month at 3:00 PM

Reservation: Not required! All you need to do is stop by the Archives at 3:00 PM

“I don’t always go on free tours, but when I do, it’s to visit the Chilliwack Archives”

-World’s Most Interesting Man

Archive Door protecting the secrets of the archive stacks. Photo credit: Tristan Evans [May 16, 2018]

I know that I’m not alone when I say I love visiting archives. Sure museums are fun, but how often do you get to see behind the scenes? You will be rewarded with the opportunity to explore how we catalogue and preserve archival records and cultural objects. At most institutions you are lucky to peak behind an archive door and glimpse a view at the secrets of the archival world. These glimpses into the mysterious world of an archivist are usually reserved for special occasions such as “archives week” or “culture week.” Not here at the Chilliwack Museum and Archives. We are very fortunate here in Chilliwack to have a large and diverse collection of archival records, artifacts, and cultural objects for a community of our size. My job is to preserve these archival records; but also, to make them available to the community. So please, stop by on the last Friday of every month, 3:00 PM, no RSVP!

Are you sold yet? If not, here are a couple comments I’ve heard after our first three tours:

Newspapers… Boxes and boxes of newspapers. Photo credit: Tristan Evans [May 16, 2018]

“Good Tour”

“Great Tour”

“I really enjoyed that, thank you”

“Oh wow! That was the greatest tour I have ever had in my entire life. It totally changed my life. Nothing can ever top this”

Okay… Maybe I slightly misquoted that last one and perhaps exaggerated a little bit. In all seriousness though, these tours are great. I really hope to keep them going and they are something that very few institutions offer. Generally speaking, the public is forbidden to go behind-the-scenes of an archive. These tours tear down those restrictions. They make my job less of a mystery to you, the public, and they are a perfect opportunity for you to ask questions you may have about our collections or general Chilliwack community history. I really hope to see you on May 25^th or any other last Friday of the month.

Coming Home: F. W. Lee Painting Returns to Chilliwack

Posted on: April 11th, 2018 by Tristan Evans

In my last blog post, Frederick Walter Lee: the life of a Painter, Teacher, Photographer, Poet, Musician and Activist, I wrote about the unique life of one of Chilliwack’s most well-rounded artist. Admittedly, my inspiration for this blog post came from a phone call I received earlier in 2018 from Beth McLean, an employee of the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan.

“Chilliwack Sunset, 1937” Watercolour painting by F. W. Lee [2018.008]

To my surprise and delight, Beth had an original F. W. Lee watercolour painting and she wanted to donate the image to our Archives. After a phone call, some brief email correspondence, and a completed deed-of-gift form, Beth kindly mailed us the watercolour image which we added to the Frederick Walter Lee fonds.

I asked Beth if she would be comfortable sharing her story for a future “Coming Home” blog piece on the painting that she donated. Beth was happy to share how she came across the painting, found our institution, and decided to donate the painting to us. Beth kindly shared the following story with us:

“I can tell you that it was a few summers ago when I stopped at a house where there was a garage sale on the driveway. The painting’s quality and style caught my eye from several yards away as I was walking from the car. I believe they were asking $2 and I could hardly believe my luck. I definitely thought this was my Antiques Roadshow moment.

When I got home, I searched for the artist online and came across the Chilliwack Archives collection description of one of Mr. Lee’s works. Reading about his time in Saskatchewan was interesting as it possibly explained why the painting was at a garage sale in Regina, even though it was painted later in his life. Perhaps he had made a friend here and the painting was a gift?

F. W. Lee painting a landscape mural, with two women and a man looking on. [P5352]

After a discussion with my Provincial Archivist, I contacted you [Chilliwack Museum and Archives] in hopes that your Archives would like the painting to come home.”

Nearly every archival record, artifact, and cultural object at the Chilliwack Museum and Archives is here because of donations from the community. Often these donations come from local families, individuals, and organizations. Increasingly in the digital age more donations significant to Chilliwack history are coming home from across the country or even as far away as England and Texas.

In order to preserve and tell Chilliwack’s history, we rely on the generosity of donors willing to part with their precious archival material. I would like to personally thank all donors who have taken their time to stop by the Archives and donate material.