From Facebook

We've been working on digitizing the Aldergrove Elks Assoc. records, and on top of the hundreds of photos and administrative documents already scanned, 1281 membership-related pages have been added to the digital files. They still need final processing, indexing and transcribing, but progress is a great feeling!

#localhistory #storiesmatter #boxbybox

…

…

With the OAP Branch 71 Aldergrove Heritage Hall anniversary event coming up this Spring, we thought it appropriate to honour Mrs. Adaline Wright, a hardworking past president of the OAP.

#localhistory #storiesmatter #WomensHistoryMonth

…

Today's neighbour is Cathy Chard, who was chosen as the Dairy Queen for 1967.

#localhistory #storiesmatter #WomensHistoryMonth

…

Almost everyone is familiar with the historic Porter Store, located on the northeast corner of the roundabout at 216 Street and 48 Avenue. Here is a little background about its namesake, Mr. Philip Young Porter and his family.

#storiesmatter #localhistory

…

Today we're going to Doc Java's for some great company and entertainment.

PS - the photo album being perused in one of the photos is the one from which these photos were scanned.

#localhistory #storiesmatter

…

Aldergrove Heritage Hall, home to OAPO #71, has an anniversary event coming up in May. You can check out the details here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1092710555371459

#localhistory #storiesmatter

…

A very exciting day for the BC Farm Museum!

…

Those of you who attended Aldergrove High School when it opened will probably remember today's teacher-neighbour Mr. Don Neumann, who went on to become the principal at Brookswood Jr Secondary.

#localhistory #storiesmatter #schooldays

…

Today we're visiting Our Neighbour, school teacher David A. Thompson.

#localhistory #storiesmatter #schooldays

…

And now we have a date for when the Hourglass Restaurant opened. The original photo for this article was found in a different box from yesterday's photos, so the search was on to find the grand opening article. We've superimposed the original photo over the print version for clarity. Having the Aldergrove Star online makes searching so much easier! Now we just need some names for all of the faces (we know who Bruce & Debbie are). =)

#localhistory #storiesmatter

…

Back to 1988 photos from the Aldergrove Star Collection. Here we see some Aldergrove Elementary students out cleaning up the sidewalks around the school and the sign going up for the Hourglass Restaurant.

#storiesmatter #localhistory #schooldays

…

Road building 1889 - from this BC Public Works Report we can learn several interesting bits of local history. We know when certain roads were pushed through and the cost at the time ($250.00 in 1889 is roughly $8600.00 today).

We've learned that Jackman's Corner was originally Whyman's Corner - named for Edward Whyman, who applied for and received a Crown Grant for the NW 1/4 of Section 20 Twp 13 (28 Avenue north to 32 Avenue, 272 Street east to 276 Street) in February 1888. This is the first time we've seen "Whyman's Corner" in an official document.

John Berry lived on property that was situated on the NW 1/4 Section 29 Twp 13 (36 Avenue north to 40 Avenue, 272 Street east to 276 Street)

John Broe was one of the 3 brothers who owned and operated the Broe Brothers Hop Mill, which was in the Patricia Community. …

Today is International Genealogy Day, and we have loads of stories, books, documents and photos to help you research your family history, even if you're just starting out on your genealogical journey. We invite you to reach out to us if you need help finding your roots.

#storiesmatter #localhistory #GenealogyDay

…

The early days of Daylight Savings, the conundrum of calendars and mankind's bid to control time. Of course DST is all about benefits for the working man and school children.... 😉

…

The Aldergrove Centre Mall provided a supportive venue for many community group events and promotions. It's too bad our town no longer has large spaces such as the Mall and the old ice arena, because they were great places for large indoor community gatherings and events.

#localhistory #storiesmatter #community

…

Only 3 photos today, I want to get some research done before it's time for work. 😉

I love the T-Ball player's concentration and determination.

#storiesmatter #localhistory #localsports

…

I loved craft time at school, how about you? Here are some more recently scanned photos from the Aldergrove Star Collection. All of the photos are from 1988, and thanks to the date written on the board, we know the Origami class was on 19 May 1988. =)

#localhistory #storiesmatter #schooldays

…

Update: Year confirmed as 1988 - thank you!

More photos from the Aldergrove Star Collection were scanned yesterday, so today we're headed to Aldergrove High School. =)

#localhistory #storiesmatter #schooldays

…

County Line Elementary - another old time school (albeit not in the original building) - that is no longer part of School District 35.

…

County Line Elementary - another old time school (albeit not in the original building) - that is no longer part of School District 35.

…

In late 1892, Robert Shortreed put his village up for sale, along with 120 acres of his 160 acre quarter section. As you know, we've been working hard going through many sources, trying to follow the growth of the community. Some of the information in the image comes from Voters Lists, some from land records, and some from the census, although the census is not very useful for locale, as the enumerator's trail seems to meander a fair bit.

We know that the Voters List excluded anyone not entitled to vote and is not a complete reflection of who lived in this area. The election process at that time favoured white settler men, and some of the land records we have contradict other second-hand items we have found in the archives. Some of the entries in the Voters List gives section numbers, but many just list "Township 10" (11, 13, …

Today we are looking at the formation of South Aldergrove School District, home to South Aldergrove School, later known as Patricia Elementary. As you can see, Miss Christina Shortreed was the first teacher at the school, which we already knew, but further confirmation of facts is always good. =)

#localhistory #storiesmatter #schooldays

…

Aldergrove 1886 - the year the first formal school was built on land donated by Finlay Shortreed. The first teacher was Miss Margaret J Murchie. Mention has been made in other sources that previous to this school, classes had been held in a log community hall at what is now 272 & Fraser Highway. It may have been an informal school, as thus far no mention of it has been found in provincial reports.

Information in the images (except for the map) is from the Annual Report on Public Schools in the Province of British Columbia 1886-1887. As you can see, the Aldergrove School District extended far into Matsqui (Abbotsford).

#localhistory #storiesmatter #schooldays

…

School Report Cards - not for the students, but for the schools themselves. It seems that the inspectors were not impressed with the Langley School in 1873-1874, which is the earliest report I've found thus far. These annual reports have loads of useful information and charts which allow for the relatively easy tracking of teachers, schools and more. Also in today's images are the first mentions of Otter School in the annual reports, as well as a look at its early years of operation.

#localhistory #storiesmatter #schooldays #bigdataisfascinating

…