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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

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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

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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.... 😉

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

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

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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

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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

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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

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All of the Doc Java's Neighbourhood Coffee House photos have now been scanned and they are a great visual documentation of Aldergrove in the 1990s. The original photos that were in Doc's "Big Book of Photos" have also been put in new protective sleeves - a few years in a coffee shop made the former sleeves a bit sticky and we wanted to make sure the photos were in great shape for anyone coming into the archives for a look at them.

#storiesmatter #localhistory

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1997 Photos from the Aldergrove Star Collection show just some of the many activities and groups that add layers to our community's culture and history.

#localhistory #storiesmatter #HeritageWeek

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I don't know about you, but this looks it was a memorable day at school...

#localhistory #storiesmatter #HeritageWeek

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Two different interior views 45ish years apart. Today the building is home to Pet Junction.

#localhistory #storiesmatter #HeritageWeek

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A look into Aldergrove Centre Mall, 1995-1997. Businesses are just one of the layers that contribute to a town's sense of community - they offer local employment, meet needs of residents and quite often stock a variety of treasures.

#localhistory #storiesmatter #HeritageWeek

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In the early years of Aldergrove, there wasn't an in-town doctor nor a maternity hospital, or even a municipal hospital for that matter, and there certainly weren't any telephones to request a house call from the doctor at Fort Langley or Langley Prairie when one's baby was about to join the community.

Expectant mothers often relied on the expertise and assistance of their female neighbours and relatives in delivering their babies. Today we're adding another layer to Aldergrove's history by learning the names of local women who often served as midwife (as well as the names of residents and their newly arrived off-spring).

Sometimes family stories talk about great-great-grandma having been a midwife, and my family had such a story. It was a great feeling to see "Mrs. JP Swanson" on a birth registration and know the stories were true, adding another verified fact - and layer - to my …

Welcome to #heritageweek, which is sponsored by Heritage BC. The theme for 2024 is Layer By Layer - the peeling back of the many, many layers that are present in a community's history. We make use of a myriad of documents and stories from several sources in order to work our way through those layers and to find the many truths that come together to help us understand the history of the places in which we live.

These layers help us to follow the movements of individuals on their journeys through time and how our changing society impacted them all, from those whose people have inhabited this region for centuries to those who, through whatever sets of circumstances, came here as explorers and settlers. The timeline isn't always pretty and many times it is painful, but by working through the layers it is possible to recognize the lessons needed to …

Today we'll begin looking into another land development company from the early 1900s - the Glen Valley Land Company, which was incorporated in the fall of 1906 and managed by Rand Brothers, a company we posted about earlier this year.

Glen Valley Land Company owned a good portion of the Beaver Creek and north Bradner area. Looking into these land companies such as Rand Brothers, Western Home Improvement and others provide links to the development of our community after the governments of the day decided the crown owned the bulk of the land.

#storiesmatter #ourcommunity

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The Western Home & Improvement Company was incorporated (or 'gazetted' as it was referred to in earlier years) in March 1907, operated by a Board of Directors responsible to the company's shareholders. FJ Hart was a major part of the company, and the articles below demonstrate their participation in the creation of Aldergrove's downtown core as well as the marketing of both townsite and farmlands throughout the Fraser Valley.

#storiesmatter #localhistory

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Totally random Friday - here are a few photos from the Aldergrove Star Collection, donated to your #communityarchives by the Langmann family.

#storiesmatter #localhistory #everyphototellsastory

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Otter Neighbour Fred Elmore was very well known in the Scout and Sports circles in this community, especially where boxing was concerned.

#localhistory #storiesmatter

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